The technology will undergo testing under real-life conditions using an “EcoCarrier ES” electric delivery van. The vehicle’s battery will be recharged contact-free, without any need for power cables. This will be done via an induction coil integrated in a mat with a surface area of about one-and-a-half square meters located on a dedicated parking spot. Another coil, located in the vehicle underbody, will receive the energy transmitted from the induction coil. Extensive vehicle and filling station analyses and measurements will provide valuable insight for refining this charging method. Reliability and safety as well as system-induced transmission losses will be the top priorities. E.ON is open to partnering with industrial players to refine the inductive charging method.

This project supplements E.ON’s widely diversified activities in the field of electric mobility. Germany’s federal government envisions having at least one million electric cars on the country’s roads in 2020. Industry must develop intelligent network infrastructure capable of recharging the “e-cars” in order to provide the growing number of future electrically powered cars with a reliable and affordable supply of energy. E.ON is already working on suitable solutions.

Trials with BMW and Volkswagen

E.ON has teamed up with BMW and Volkswagen to prove that electrically powered cars have the potential of becoming an alternative to cars powered by conventional internal-combustion engines. A total of 15 MINI Es have been in operation in Munich since July 2009. E.ON has provided the test participants with charging stations in the city and their garages. In so doing, the partner companies are gaining valuable insight into the test drivers’ demands and expectations, which will be factored into the development of future products and services.

E.ON is conducting a cooperative project with Volkswagen and other partners involving the VW Golf TwinDrive. The car is a “plug-in hybrid,” which combines an internal-combustion engine with an electric drive system. The vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries can be recharged with energy recovered from braking, electricity obtained from a conventional socket, or on the fly by the integrated internal-combustion engine. One of the goals E.ON is pursuing with this project, which is being sponsored by the German Environment Ministry, is to find ways to optimize network operations using the vehicle batteries.

Intelligent Networks for Future Mobility

Ideally, the vehicle batteries are recharged when electricity is abundantly available. This would enable electric mobility to make better use of renewable energies and their inherent fluctuations in production output. One option is to manage the charging operation in such a way that it sources electricity from wind or solar power plants during times of high production from these facilities whenever general consumption is low.

Moreover, electricity could be fed back into the grid from stationary electric cars to cover usage peaks. This would require intelligent networks capable of switching between battery charges and electricity feedbacks automatically. Intelligent meters play a central role in this respect. They are the key interface between the charging stations and the power grid. E.ON is already employing these types of meters, e.g. as part of an extensive field trial underway in Bavaria.

Close Cooperation between the Sciences and Industry

A host of tasks remains to be performed before electric cars can be used as daily drivers. This includes the development of international standards for plugs and cables, in which E.ON is playing a major role. Of utmost priority in terms of vehicle technology is making batteries more efficient, smaller, and affordable. The key to success in all these endeavors is that scientific institutes, power utilities, auto manufacturers and battery producers cooperate both closely and trustingly.

E.ON is supplementing its ongoing in-house development work with collaborative ventures with renowned scientists and institutes. For instance, RWTH Aachen’s Institute for High-Voltage Engineering is analyzing adjustments to the distribution networks within the scope of a VW project with a view to making them suitable for handling future requirements such as electric mobility. Other partners include the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the Fraunhofer Institute for System and Innovation Research. TU München and TU Karlsruhe institutes are also working with E.ON on this.