A Living Lab awaiting a V2G terminal
Fabrice Locment is a university full professor and a research scientist in the UTC-Avenues research unit, where he has been Deputy Director since January. He is also Director of the Urban Engineering Department. His research into electromobility has led to the creation of STELLA, which has been transformed into a Living Lab as of June 2023.
In concrete terms? «After validating the concepts in the laboratory, in short, we shifted up a gear. We’ve now moved on to a platform where human interaction has become a reality. For example, since June 2023, staff members with a badge for access to the charging points have been able to charge their vehicles.
There are various types of charging point: alternating current and high-power direct current. Users can charge their electric vehicle (EV) and in exchange their data will be retrieved. Since autumn 2023, data collection has been even easier, since a graphic interface has been developed by a computer engineering student using the OCCP (open charge point) protocol (programmed in Python via a database) to manage the ‘dialogue’ between an EV and the charging points. This interface asks users for a certain amount of information, such as the state of charge of their vehicle when they arrive, the time at which they intend to leave again, the distance they are going to cover when they leave, etc. This data is then processed by the system. This data is then processed by an algorithm for intelligent management of the system. A system which — in real time — will use the vehicle as an energy store, either by limiting charging power or, in the event of a grid demand peak, injecting the vehicle’s energy into the grid. This is known as V2G (Vehicle to Grid). Since June, we’ve been gathering quite a lot of data on loads, which we’re using to refine our simulation models,» he explains.
However, today, very few vehicles and charging points are equipped with V2G. Only two Nissan models, two Mitsubishi models, one Citroën model, one Peugeot model and the Renault 5 are compatible with V2G. Notwithstanding, this technology is set to take off. The proof? Since 2018, the UK has been working on a Bus2Grid project, in which buses will be able to inject energy into the national grid when consumption demand peaks.
UTC is currently waiting for a V2G terminal, a bidirectional terminal funded as part of the CPER’s Electric Energy 4.0 (EE4.0) project. «It’s a project that aims to develop the ecosystem by promoting excellent research in electrical engineering while taking into account environmental and societal constraints. The project involves more than twenty local authorities and industrialists, 85 researchers and 7 laboratories at universities in the Hauts de France region, including Lille, UPJV (Jules Verne, Amiens) and the University of Artois. At UTC, two laboratories are involved in the project are Roberval and Avenues,» explains Fabrice Locment.
What UTC-Avenues’ role in the EE4.0 project? «The aim is to develop a Living Lab by integrating new functionalities, in particular V2G. At the moment, to my knowledge, there are only two or three models of V2G terminals on the market, one of which is sold by ABB E‑Mobility (ABB is a world leader in electrification and automation technologies). We are waiting for an ABB terminal to refine our simulation models,» he concludes.