Four projects have been awarded £42 million to address the battery storage challenges faced by the electric vehicles (EV) industry.

The Faraday Institution, established as part of the government’s £246 million investment in battery technology, is providing the funding for “application-inspired” research to accelerate the EV revolution.

Industrial partners will contribute a total of £4.6 million to the four projects:

Extending battery life: Led by the University of Cambridge wth nine other universities and 10 industry partners, the project will examine how environmental and internal battery stresses – such as high temperatures, charging and discharging rates – damage EV batteries over time.

Battery system modelling: Imperial College London will lead a consortium of six other universities and 17 industry partners to develop new software tools to understand and predict battery performance.

Recycling and reuse: A project led by the University of Birmingham, with seven other academic institutions and 14 industrial partners will determine ways in which batteries can be recycled 100%.

Next generation solid state batteries: The University of Oxford will lead the project with six universities and nine industrial partners to break down barriers currently preventing the progression of solid state batteries.

Business Minister Richard Harrington said: “With 200,000 electric vehicles set to be on UK roads by the end of 2018 and worldwide sales growing by 45% in 2016, investment in car batteries is a massive opportunity for Britain and one that is estimated to be worth £5 billion by 2025.

“Government investment, through the Faraday Institution, in the projects announced will deliver valuable research that will help us seize the economic opportunities presented by battery technology and our transition to a low carbon economy.”

A new initiative to develop a large-scale domestic trial of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging in the UK has been launched.

ChargePoint Services, Energy Saving Trust, Octopus Energy, Open Energi, Navigant and UK Power Networks plan to roll out the electric vehicle (EV) charging technology this year.

The £7 million project will install 135 V2G chargers in a “cluster” delivery model that will enable research into the impact of widespread EV rollout on the UK’s power grid.

A two-way charger will allow drivers to charge their vehicle “intelligently”, using the batteries to power their homes during peak times or selling spare energy back to the grid and earning revenues.

Around £3 million in funding has been provided by BEIS and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and delivered by Innovate UK.

Mark Thompson, Senior Innovation Lead at Innovate UK said: “Vehicle-to-grid is one of the most iconic parts of the electric vehicle domain and one that represents a great opportunity for engaging society with the energy system for win-win benefit.

“The Octopus V2G project is part of a creative, diverse and ambitious group of V2G projects announced today that are way ahead of anything being done currently worldwide and give the UK a genuine competitive edge in the electrification of transport.”

Four UK projects have been awarded £42 million to address the battery storage challenges faced by the EV industry.

Switching to electric vehicles (EVs) could deliver savings totalling £625 million for UK businesses.

That means as many as 435,000 small and medium sized firms (SMEs) could each save up to £1,440 per car every year, according to new research by industry and government campaign Go Ultra Low.

However, many businesses are unaware of the potential savings of switching to EVs, with only 35% considering whole-life vehicle costs.

It suggests the major considerations are about vehicle contract hire rates (32%) and list price (12%).

Despite that, more than two thirds (67%) said they would consider 100% switch to electric or hybrid cars with lower whole-life costs compared to petrol and diesel equivalents.

Figures released by Lex Autolease show the higher initial cost of plug-in electric vehicles can be more than offset by significant fuel savings, tax benefits and a potential 70% reduction in service and maintenance costs.

The research also found UK companies already using EVs for business operations are more than 2.5 times as likely to offer them to their employees as company cars.

Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low said: “Cost savings are a top priority for companies of all sizes. So fleet operators from both SMEs and large companies that look beyond a vehicle’s initial purchase price or monthly rental, stand to save their companies thousands of pounds every year.”

The European Commission has referred Malta and Romania to the Court of Justice for failing to notify their national policy frameworks on alternative fuels infrastructure.

Member States were required to notify their frameworks to the Commission by 18th November 2016 but the two nations have failed to do so.

The frameworks are the main instrument to ensure the coordinated build-up of sufficient alternative fuels infrastructure, including electric vehicles (EVs) recharging points and natural gas and hydrogen refuelling points.

They are part of the Clean Mobility Package, which represents a step forward in implementing the EU’s commitments for a binding CO2 reduction of at least 40% by 2030.

BP has invested $5 million (£3.6m) in a US-based manufacturer of mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging systems.

It plans to roll out FreeWire Technologies’ rapid ‘Mobi Charger’ units at selected BP refuelling stations in the UK and Europe this year as part of a trial.

The investment from BP Ventures is part of the company’s commitment to support the transition to a low carbon economy through focusing on cutting its operational emissions and enabling customers to do the same.

Tufan Erginbilgic, Chief Executive, BP Downstream said: “Using FreeWire’s mobile system, we can respond very quickly and provide charging facilities at forecourts where we see the greatest demand without needing to make significant investments in today’s fixed technologies and infrastructure.

“The opportunity also to explore options for providing charging services away from our existing retail sites makes FreeWire an ideal partner for BP.”

A new government-backed facility which manufactures electric motors has officially been opened in Oxford.

University of Oxford’s spinout YASA’s 100,000 capacity plant will help deliver the next generation of environment-friendly hybrid and pure electric vehicles (EVs).

Around 80% of production is to be exported around the world, including China.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark opened the facility, which he believes will help the UK capitalise on the move towards a low carbon economy.

He said: “Innovation is the lifeblood of our Industrial Strategy and our economy. This spirit is embodied by YASA, a thriving business that has emerged from one of our finest institutions and is now helping to deliver the UK’s ambition to lead the world in meeting the grand challenges presented by clean growth and future of mobility.

“The factory is testimony to what can be achieved through our industrial approach, when academia, government and industry come together.”

Mr Clark has also announced £184 million of investment for 41 universities to help train the next generation of engineers and scientists.

The funding will support four-year doctoral training between 2018 and 2019.

Innovate UK has appointed a new director to head up the research and innovation fund for the development of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

Tony Harper, currently Director of Engineering Research for Jaguar Land Rover, will join UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on 9^th April to take up the post of Faraday Battery Challenge Director.

The competition is a £246 million government investment into battery technology, for the development of safe, cost effective, lighter, higher performing and recyclable batteries to power the next generation of EVs.

Business Minister Richard Harrington said: “With 200,000 electric vehicles set to be on UK roads by the end of 2018, investment in car batteries is a massive opportunity for Britain and one that, through our flagship Industrial Strategy and the Automotive Sector Deal, the government is committed to seizing.

“To realise our grand ambitions in this area we need great leadership, which is why I am delighted that someone as talented and respected as Tony Harper will be spearheading our efforts to make Britain the ‘go-to’ destination for the development and deployment of this game-changing technology.”

The fund is being administered by Innovate UK and the Research Councils until the new body, UKRI, is formed this year.

Chargemaster is set to expand its charging network for electric vehicles (EVs), with 2,000 more planned for 2018.

It installed 33 rapid chargers on the POLAR network in January and is investing in providing charging points in key locations, including hotels, petrol stations, sports clubs and shopping centres.

By the end of 2018, the company is set to have more than 8,500 charging points across the UK.

Chief Executive David Martell said: “The POLAR network will maintain its position as the UK’s largest public charging network, providing convenient and reliable charging for EV drivers across the country.”

A new government-backed facility which manufactures motors for EVs has officially been opened in Oxford.

 
Electric vehicles (EVs) are to overtake traditional combustion engines in terms of price and performance within a decade.

That’s according to Benoit Laclau, Global Power & Utilities Leader at EY, who spoke to ELN earlier this week about important stages in the energy sector becoming more decarbonised, digitised and decentralised.

He said the first significant shift would arrive as a result of decentralised power production being used in combination with energy storage, most commonly in the form of domestic solar and batteries.

He added this will become competitive with centralised energy from the grid in the next few years, before being followed by EVs and traditional vehicles reaching a stage of parity between 2025 and 2029.

The third tipping point will occur in the late-2030s and early-2040s as the cost of decentralised generation falls below that of energy transmission, making it cheaper in every case.

Mr Laclau said: “If you’re an energy retailer today or an energy company today, you’re seeing a number of threats coming from a number of other industries that are wanting to come and eat your cake.

“At the same time, you’ve got opportunities to actually protect yourself and potentially invest in a different model, so instead of investing maybe in centralised assets like they maybe have done for the last 100 years, investing in owning the batteries, investing in owning the solar panels, investing in models that guarantee a relationship with the customer will remain viable for many years to come.”

A new project aims to test how batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) can be used to improve domestic energy systems.

The partnership between Good Energy, Honda, Upside Energy and Salford University will use the university’s climate controlled ‘Energy House’, which it claims is the only full-scale building in an environmental chamber on the continent.

The project, which is funded by Innovate UK,  will explore how vehicle-to-grid (V2G) equipment can provide flexibility in conjunction with other technologies in the home such as solar panel arrays, heating and hot water systems.

The consortium says battery storage is vital to the continued growth of renewable energy in the UK, as it helps solve weather-dependent reliability issues.

Will Swan, Professor of Building Energy Performance at the University of Salford, said: “Energy House can be subjected to simulated climates – sun, wind, snow and rain and is equipped with 300 sensors on windows, doors, walls and appliances.

“That makes it the perfect living laboratory to test what V2G can do because we can measure the gamut of scenarios in controlled conditions.”

A new Parliamentary cross-party group is to help raise awareness about the benefits of autonomous and electric vehicles (EVs) among MPs.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Electric and Autonomous Vehicles aims to raise the profile of EVs and automated vehicles and discuss the charging infrastructure rollout, opportunities for new manufacturing, emissions reduction, international trade and road safety improvement.

It has been established following record EV sales and commitments from major carmakers including Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and BMW that plan to invest billions of pounds into research and manufacturing.

Cheryl Gillian MP, former Secretary of State for Wales and Chair of the new group said: “It is imperative that parliamentarians are aware of the rapid pace of change in the electric and automated vehicle sectors and that post-Brexit, the UK is well positioned to benefit from these new technologies. Clearly at hand are new opportunities to expand our manufacturing base, create new exportable expertise, decarbonise our economy, improve safety and increase productivity.

“We can’t let this major industrial shift pass us by while everybody is focused on EU negotiations. We will aim to keep MPs and Lords informed and help drive the agenda forwards.”

Renault has opened its first dedicated electric vehicle (EV) “concept” store in Sweden.

The car manufacturer said its Renault Electric Vehicle Experience Centre in Stockholm will allow customers to find out the benefits of EVs and learn about charging infrastructure, subsidies and other EV related services.

Visitors will also be able to test drive EVs directly on site and order them.

Zakaria Zekghari, Europe Renault Dealer Network Development Director said: “We are responding to emerging customer expectations by opening new urban distribution channels and by harnessing digital tools to deliver a better customer experience.

“Stockholm was on top of our list because of the fast electric vehicle market expansion in Sweden and the strong willingness of Swedish Government to promote this technology.”

Renault is teaming up with a Spanish energy company to launch a smart electricity system on the island of Porto Santo.

The vehicle and technology manufacturer and Empresa de Electricitade da Madeira (EEM) plan to use electric vehicles (EVs), second-life batteries, smart charging and vehicle-to-grid technology to boost energy independence and decarbonise.

The 18-month project will see 20 EVs given to volunteers on the island, with access to 40 public and private charging points.

These cars will also provide the grid with electricity during peak hours, serving as temporary energy storage units.

Second-life batteries from Renault EVs will be used to store the intermittent supply of power produced by the island’s solar and wind farms.

Eric Feunteun, EV Programme Director at Renault, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with EEM today to establish this unprecedented smart electric ecosystem which demonstrates to what extent the electric revolution is changing our everyday lives beyond just transport.”

An energy supplier has launched a new tariff that it claims will pay customers to use electricity when demand is low and there is too much power on the UK system.

Octopus Energy’s new Agile tariff reflects wholesale costs, which means it will pass “negative prices” to customers if there is excess power supply.

In the UK, as energy consumption falls, there are big drops in prices due to over supply and generators can be paid to stop exporting power to the grid.

That would typically happen on windy, sunny weekends when solar panels and wind turbines are generating a lot of electricity and demand is relatively low.

During those periods, customers will be altered via text message, email or their mobile app so they can use their dishwashers and washing machines or charge their electric vehicles (EVs) following which they will receive a credit on their account.

The energy supplier claims EV owners could save as much as £669 “after four brief periods of negative pricing” compared to a Big Six dual tariff.

CEO and Founder Greg Jackson said: “This tariff is groundbreaking. By reflecting the real cost of energy on the grid every half hour, customers can capitalise on times when prices are especially low. Indeed, if the wholesale price goes below 0p/kWh, Octopus Agile will actually pay you to take the unwanted energy from the grid. As renewable energy production grows, these events are only going to become more frequent.”

Hydrogen can play a very important role in the long duration storage of energy.

That’s the view of Mark Gainsborough, Executive Vice President of New Energies at Shell, who said the company is looking at hydrogen’s application as a transportation fuel and also exploring how power to hydrogen value chain could be used in the future.

He believes a cleaner energy future is “both desirable and possible” as the world needs to go through a major energy transition – the energy giant has aimed to reduce its net carbon footprint of the products it sells to customers.

Speaking to ELN at IP Week in London yesterday, he said: “Hydrogen has an important role to play in the energy system in the future, both as a fuel for transportation and we see it being used in fuel cell electric vehicles but we also see longer term, that hydrogen could have an important role in the power to liquids.

“You could imagine a world in the future where you have times of day when you have very cheap renewable power on the system and a smart thing to do with that, especially if you’ve got an excess of power at certain times of the day, a smart thing to do could be to convert it into hydrogen through an electrolyser and then have that hydrogen available to use at another time when you’ve got less renewable power on the grid. So, we can see this role for hydrogen as an energy carrier and as an energy storage medium.”

As of the start of 2018, there were more than 3.2 million electric cars on the world’s roads.

That’s according to new research from the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), which shows 2017 saw a record-breaking 1.2 million new registrations.

Last year saw around 55% growth – ZSW says if the rate of adoption continues at this pace, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered each year will be more than 25 million by 2025.

Roughly 1.2 million EVs are already on China’s roads, followed by 750,000 in the US.

In 2017, China registered around 579,000 electric cars, compared to 195,140 in the US in second place and Norway in third place with a total of 62,320.

The UK had the fourth most EV registrations of the year with 47,260.

Professor Werner Tillmetz, Head of ZSW’s Electrochemical Energy Technologies division, said: “Growth rates like these also require enormous expansions in cell production.

“That is tantamount to 20 new gigabyte battery factories and more than €100 billion (£88.3bn) in investments—all within just a few years.”

A new deal to help innovators address regulatory obstacles in the area of electric vehicles (EVs) has been launched.

The European Commission has signed the second Innovation Deal with eight partners, including innovators and national and regional authorities, to tackle the problem of recycling and reusing EV batteries.

They will explore and analyse whether existing EU law and its transposition to national or regional law hamper the recycling or reuse of EV batteries.

The companies and organisations include Renault and the Ministries for the Ecological and Inclusive transition and Economy and Finance from France and LomboXnet, the Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management and Economic Affairs and Climate Policy from the Netherlands.

The first Innovation Deal on wastewater treatment was signed in April last year.

Stakeholders across the energy, automotive and technology industries are being invited to give their views on developing standards for smart electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Energy UK has launched a consultation on smart charging as it believes there is a requirement to establish industry-wide standards given the nascent term of the technology and a large number of interested parties.

Its report suggests standards to be set by government should be “performance based, technology neutral and flexible enough” to allow for future charging innovations like vehicle to grid and wireless charging.

It adds charging points must also incorporate a series of controllable aspects instead of just an On/Off switch.

Smart charging will allow drivers to charge their vehicles at the lowest price, through time of use tariffs for example and reduce potential impact of EVs on the grid.

The report suggests the decarbonisation of transport is expected to result in 323 billion vehicle miles per year to be electrified in the UK.

Responses from the consultation, which will run until 23^rd April 2018, will be used to set out recommendations to government.

Chief Executive Lawrence Slade said: “With a 2040 deadline for phasing out the sale of diesel and petrol cars, the EV rollout in gathering pace all the time – presenting opportunities for the energy system, UK economy and consumers. To maximise these opportunities, we must tackle important technical issues like smart charging standards without further delay – and that’s why we are pressing ahead with this work.”

Three businesses have won funding totalling £120,000 to further develop their low carbon technologies.

Cambridge start-up Cambond Ltd has developed a sustainable alternative to plastics, called CAMPOSITE, Brill Power develops battery management technology to boost the lifetime of batteries for energy storage and electric vehicles (EVs) while Seawater Greenhouse uses sunlight, wind and seawater to grow crops in arid coastal environments.

Each company will receive £40,000 under the Shell Springboard programme, which has so far awarded £4 million to almost 100 low carbon entrepreneurs.

The latest regional winners join three other companies competing for the overall prize of £150,00 at the final competition in London in May.

Alongside the funding, the firms will receive advice on growing their business and building their brand.

New light-duty electric trucks are hitting the roads in the UK, Germany, Japan and the US.

Fuso’s eCanter electric vehicle (EV) is now being delivered to a wide range of customers including flour and bread producer Hovis and logistics firm Wincanton.

The firm plans to invest around €2.5 billion (£2.2bn) in research and development over the next two years, with the expectation that by 2020, around a quarter of commercial vehicles driving around will be electric.

It suggests replacing 1,000 conventional trucks with its eCanter model would cut roughly 16,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

The company adds the EV could see operators increase their overall energy efficiency by around 60% when used in conjunction with renewable energy sources.

Managing Director of Mercedes Benz and Fuso Trucks UK, Mike Belk, said: “Cities cannot function without vehicles and soon more than half the global population will live in these urbanised areas.

“But in the UK, many cities are in breach of air quality standards. Together with London’s mayor, we share an ambition to participate in the active reduction of harmful pollutants and will develop and build trucks relevant to this aim.”