Our purpose at GreenFlux is to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility. We pursue this by thinking along with our customers, creating and bringing to them new solutions and features. Some of the innovative solutions we have brought to market were iterated initially with the support of European Union funding. Subsidy projects present excellent opportunities to explore and develop early-stage ideas and new products, as they provide funding for collaboration on complex matters with fellow innovators.
One of the subsidy projects in which GreenFlux participated was the Horizon 2020 project CONNECT, commencing in 2017. We started this project with a novel and basic smart charging algorithm, in which it was enhanced and tested in a complex, real-life situation at a commuter park & ride station in the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. With the improvements made, the grid connection in Den Bosch was successfully protected by smart charging the electric vehicles onsite, whilst taking local renewable energy generation, a bus charger and local battery storage into account. In addition, peak electricity demand at the site was decreased by 71%. The enhancements within CONNECT made taking other sources into account successful and possible, bringing the smart charging algorithm to the next level.
Another project in which we are currently involved is INCIT-EV, where we collaborate with a group of 33 partners to accelerate the deployment of EV charging infrastructure across Europe. The project began in 2020 and will run until 2024, and we contribute to it in various ways. One of our main focuses in this project is to develop payment mechanisms related to EV charging. This includes expanding tariff options for charging while improving pricing transparency for EV drivers. To future-proof payment methods, we are integrating with contactless payment terminals and have built new functionalities in the Charge Assist app, allowing EV drivers to pay with their debit or credit card.
In addition to these new functionalities in Charge Assist, we are improving the quality of information of charge locations, providing more accurate information such as exact location, availability, and the number of charge points. Lastly, we are developing an algorithm to utilize smart charging on charge stations in Haarlem to alleviate grid congestion in the city. This solution will reduce the impact of EV charging on the electricity grid and help reduce costs. Overall, our efforts in INCIT-EV aim to enhance the EV charging experience, encourage EV adoption, and promote a sustainable transportation system.
These projects are allowing GreenFlux to build solid foundations for technologies such as smart charging and payment solutions. After CONNECT, the smart charging algorithm continued to evolve and develop, maturing into the industry-leading solution we offer commercially today, thus providing value to both our customers and their end users.
We are continuously on the lookout for potential new subsidy projects that advance the collective understanding of what is currently possible in the field of electric vehicle charging. The field is ripe with opportunity for future-looking innovation – driver experience, payments, access, V2X, energy management, and much more.
If your organisation is interested in exploring new possibilities and creating innovative products, we at GreenFlux would love to hear from you and discuss collaboration opportunities in new projects. We believe that working together, we can continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of electric mobility and create solutions that are beneficial for everyone.
Kris Borger, project manager, manages innovation and subsidy projects at GreenFlux. He works in collaboration with stakeholders throughout the European Union to share knowledge, build expertise, and explore novel (sometimes risky, always innovative) solutions that address real barriers to EV adoption.
Reach out to Kris to open a dialogue towards future collaboration!
