The European energy industry is up for the New Energy Landscape change .
Driivz CEO, Doron Frenkel, was part of the Charging Up for an EV Future expert panel and we are happy to provide you with the most important topics that were covered:
- Utilities & eMobility
- The six imperatives of EV charging management
- Smart energy management
The event’s focus was on how a well-managed transition toward a resilient European zero-emission mobility sector will be essential to meet the overarching long-term and mid-term EU climate goals. Ensuring consumer-friendly charging supplied with renewable energy is also vital.
The panel was moderated by Philippe Vangeel, Secretary-General, AVERE. Speaking at the event were:
- Carlos Bergera, Head of External Relations Smart Mobility, Iberdrola
- Elena Rodriguez, Head of E-Mobility, Ormazabal
- Doron Frenkel, Founder & CEO, Driivz
- Francisco Carranza, Vice President, Sales, Automotive Cells Company
Utilities & eMobility
Mr. Bergera of Iberdrola, a Spanish multinational electric utility company, discussed how utilities have the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to eMobility. He stressed that the industry as a whole can help deliver on the possibilities and promise EV has for the brands, market, and users.
Utilities should not stay in their silos as electricity providers only. Collaboration and partnerships among all the industry players are key. Embracing mobility means becoming part of the entire infrastructure, strengthening agreements with OEMs, vehicle dealers, petrol stations, retail centers, and distribution and hosting companies.
For example, utilities may want to consider cooperative agreements with the automotive manufacturers such that when consumers buy EVs, they are “sent home” with the equipment and access to the related services they need to implement charge-at-home infrastructure.
Innovation is important, expanding the possibilities of combining traditional energy generation with renewables and batteries within the overall charging infrastructure.
Finally, a consumer focus is critical. Utilities deliver the infrastructure necessary to allow EV drivers to charge at home, in public lots and on the road – both within their “home” charging environment and away.
The Six Imperatives of EV Charging Management
Mr. Frenkel of Driivz discussed the importance of developing an integrated, connected, sophisticated, easy-to-use EV charging solution for the different players in the industry.
Modularity is key, as it allows the different eMobility providers to choose the exact capabilities they need to achieve their business and operational goals – supporting drivers and fleets across the entire EV charging experience.
These are the six imperatives of an EV charging management platform, which will enable EV charging providers to effectively manage and monetize their network:
1.Operational Excellence
It’s a rare thing to go to a gas station and find a pump out of order. Today, you cannot say the same thing about a charge point. Therefore, industry players are seeking a system which delivers operational excellence, ensuring that charge points are always available, with self-healing to fix problems before anyone can detect them.
2.Business Flexibility
The business side of EV charging varies by country, type of business model, drivers, use cases, roaming offerings, etc., so a flexible system will help eMobility service providers to better monetize their networks.
3.Customer Centricity
Ultimately, it is all about ensuring a satisfied EV driver leaves the charge point with a fully charged vehicle. We must provide EV owners and fleet drivers with a seamless and safe EV charging experience.
4.Energy Optimization
EV charging goes beyond a single vehicle-to-charge point connectivity. That single point integrates with and is supported by the entire energy value chain – from the EV, to home to parking lot to campus, to the power network. Connectivity among renewables, batteries, and the grid work together to support demand response.
5.Scalability
The exponential growth of EV charging and the entire eMobility industry demands rapid scalability. Thus, an EV charging and energy management solution should be proven at any scale.
6.Open & Future-Proof
Compliance with industry standards and open APIs make it easy to integrate any technology within existing infrastructure to serve the entire ecosystem.
Smart Energy Management
Ms. Rodriguez, Head of E-Mobility, Ormazabal, an electrical infrastructure solutions manufacturer, discussed how smart energy management creates a robust distribution grid to deliver a reliable, quality electricity supply across enough sites to assuage range anxiety. Integrating more renewables and storage systems with the existing grid will also smooth the transition to EV charging.
Network digitalization is the best solution to connecting eMobility to the grid, ensuring a reliable and secure supply. Digitalization is implemented at the transformer station, serving as the smart grid core.
The smart grid combines a variety of components:
- Intelligent metering
- Real-time monitoring
- Network automation
- Network failure and recovery
- Loss reduction
The combination makes it easier to reduce power loss, better manage demand response with load balancing and peak shaving as well as reduce long-term operational costs. Digitalizing the network allows the integration of distributed energy resources while maintaining the necessary levels and security of supply.
Powering Forward
As utilities take a more significant role in delivering energy management in sync with the six imperatives of EV charging management, it will accelerate the EV transition. The move toward transportation electrification will foster economic opportunities as it makes a cleaner world.
