Making EV charging stations safer for users

 

Photo by Julie May

I drive an electric vehicle (EV) in Australia and am concerned that many charging stations here are in out of the way places that are sometimes difficult to find because they are not easily seen from the road. In addition, many are in locations that are not well-lit and are therefore unsafe; sometimes the chargers are not working; and most do not provide shelter from sun or rain.

Apparently this is also common in other parts of the world as Kate Tyrrell found out while on an EV road trip for work in the UK. She always had around 30 miles of spare battery charge for a trip to the next EV charger. But on one occasion, at night, she went from unsafe charging locations to chargers that were not working and finally crawled to a suitable charger with the battery charge reading zero miles!

Kate works in the energy industry so when she attended the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) she aired her concerns with colleagues and came up with the plan to start ChargeSafe. 

ChargeSafe will physically inspect and rate UKs charging stations for their location, environment, facilities and accessibility. EV charging site users will also be able to share their own views and rate on how safe the charging stations are. These two ratings will enable ChargeSafe to give an overall definitive rating. The plan is to roll this system out to other countries. For more information please read: ChargeSafe: how one horror story led to safer EV charging. (CleanTechnica).

In addition, many charging stations are out in the open and exposed to the elements. Why not follow Electrify America's initiative to create charging stations with their own solar panel roofs that can provide green energy, lighting, shelter and amenities. For more information please read: Electrify America to build "human-centered" charging plazas. (CleanTechnica).

Electromotiv expands to supply more zero emission bus/truck powering hubs and bus/truck leases

Charging and Refuelling for Trucks. (Source: Electromotiv)

Electromotiv, based in the Australian Capital Territory, is in the business of supplying fast EV charging and green hydrogen fuel hubs for powering electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses and trucks. They also supply zero emission buses and trucks for lease. They are expanding from an electric bus trial in Canberra to business in Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand. 

In Auckland, Electromotiv have a contract to supply electric buses to Auckland Airport and in Queensland, they go into the final phase of design of a privately owned zero emissions bus hub. 

New Zealand has approximately 80 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources which is mostly hydro and geothermal. This means the electric buses will be near zero emissions and these emissions will decrease as New Zealand moves towards net zero emissions by 2050. 

Queensland has only about 15 percent renewable electricity now but with the potential for much, much more. Such that Queensland is looking to improve that figure and becoming a green hydrogen producer through its Hydrogen Industry Development Fund. This fund is there to promote jobs in regional areas and to provide green hydrogen for local and export markets. The Queensland Government has also set a state target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. 

Read more: 

- Electromotiv expands team as electric bus plans ramp up. The Driven, June 16, 2020. 

– Electromotiv: https://www.electromotiv.com.au/ 

- New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. New Zealand Government. 

– Transition to a zero carbon economy. Queensland Government. 

See also:

- Queensland unveils “gigawatt” scale green hydrogen plans for Gladstone. RenewEconomy, February 27, 2020. 

– Evie to install ultra-rapid charging stations at Puma Energy truck stops. The Driven, July 16, 2020.

UNSW to develop home hydrogen storage of renewable energy

Residential Hydrogen Storage System (UNSW Newsroom)

“Researchers at University of NSW Sydney with partners H2Store have received a $3.5 million investment from Providence Asset Group to develop a first-of-its-kind hydrogen storage system that could mean cheaper, safer storage for renewable energy.”

The inventor, Professor Aguey-Zinsou said: “We will be able to take energy generated through solar panels and store it as hydrogen in a very dense form, so one major advantage of our hydrogen batteries is that they take up less space and are safer than the lithium-ion batteries used in many homes today.  We can actually store about seven times more energy than the current systems.” (UNSW Newsroom).

From the drawing of the system above, if looks like electricity from solar panels will be used to make hydrogen and oxygen from water via electrolysis in the electrolyser. Somehow the hydrogen will be condensed and stored. It can be later used to power a fuel cell to make electricity for the house and charging an electric car when needed.

“The team hopes to have a 5kWh home storage system prototype ready by the end of this year, and a product on the market late in 2020. This would be followed by a “ramped up” 15kWh commercial-scale storage system.” (One Step off the Grid).

Further Reading:
- UNSW to develop hydrogen storage for renewables. UNSW Newsroom, March 19, 2019.
- Home Hydrogen Storage for rooftop solar? UNSW team says it’s coming in 2020. One Step Off the Grid, March 20, 2019.

The ACT government paves the way for electric vehicles.

Shane Rattenbury, of ACT Govt, at Birmingham's Zero Emission Vehicle Summit

With the Australian Capital Territory moving to 100% renewable electricity by 2020, it makes sense to address the next big emitter of greenhouse gases in the territory, transport. Earlier this year it released its Action Plan to accelerate the adoption of zero emissions vehicles in the ACT that will take it through to 2021.

Now the ACT Government has signed the global “Birmingham Declaration”, at Birmingham's Zero Emission Vehicle Summit, which commits stakeholders across the globe to take real steps to accelerate the move to low emission vehicles, enabling the growth of the market, and so developing innovative technological and manufacturing advances.

Key signatories include the UK, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Barbados, Poland, Italy, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, and now the ACT.

Shane Rattenbury, the ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, stated that: “With transport expected to create over 60% of the ACT’s emissions by 2020, mostly from private car use, we are strongly committed to reducing greenhouse gases by encouraging active travel, providing high quality low emissions public transport options and transitioning to zero emissions vehicles."

Under the Territory’s Transition to Zero Emissions Vehicles Action Plan, the ACT Government is committed to a number of key actions including but not limited to:

- transitioning the ACT Government’s passenger vehicles fleet to zero emissions vehicles from 2020-21

- requiring all new multi-unit and mixed-use developments to install vehicle charging infrastructure

- providing transit lane access to zero emissions vehicles until 2023

- supporting new and innovative businesses in the zero emissions vehicle sector to maximise job creation and economic development in the ACT.

Read more at:

The ACT powers ahead on electric vehicles. The Driven, September 12, 2018.

SEEREE (South East Region  of Renewable Energy Excellence: http://www.serree.org.au/knowledge/news/article/?id=the-act-powers-ahead-on-electric-vehicles

"EV fast-charging network to roll out in Australia after funding boost"

Tritium’s 350kW high power chargers, branded for roll-out in the European Ionity network, RenewEconomy.

“A high-powered, industry-based effort to bring Australia up to speed on electric vehicles, by building its first nationally coordinated EV fast charging network, is set to be realised, after receiving a major funding boost this week.

The plan to build the national electric vehicle highway is being led by Fast Cities Australia and is closely linked to the deep pockets of Rich Lister and energy entrepreneur Trevor St Baker.

Fast Cities said on Friday that it had secured a $7 million investment from St Baker’s Energy Innovation Fund – allowing work to begin on the project, which it believes will give Australian EV drivers, fleet owners and manufacturers the confidence to go electric......”

Read more: EV fast-charging network to roll out in Australia after funding boost. RenewEconomy, July 27, 2018.

See also:

- Phase 1 of Queensland’s fast-charging EV network is complete.
- Some current electric vehicle (EV) buying incentives in Australia.

- The NRMA is installing a large network of EV fast-charging infrastructure over 95% of its members’ road trips in NSW.

Some current electric vehicle (EV) buying incentives in Australia

Source: ANZ Energy Efficient Asset Finance

Currently there are few incentives to buy EVs in Australia. With the country's fuel security very limited and transport emissions quite high, there is a need to provide more incentives to buy EVs. The following initiatives are small but are a start.

1. AGL has an Electric Car Plan which offers owners of electric cars unlimited charging for just $1 a day plus other incentives.

2. The ANZ bank has Energy Efficient Asset Finance which offers an additional 0.7% discount on the standard asset finance rate for eligible energy efficient assets including electric vehicles.

3. In the ACT, the government policy now is that EVs don’t incur stamp duty and receive a 20% discount on annual registration fees. More incentives will come as the government implements its Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan (pdf).

4. The NRMA is installing a large network of EV fast-charging infrastructure over 95% of its members’ road trips in NSW.

5. Tesla owners roll out Australia-wide charging network for all EVs. RenewEconomy, June 4 2018.

Left: EV charging before March 2016 and now, June 2018, right (RenewEconomy)

6. At least 10 brands of auto makers will launch electric cars in Australia over the next two years.

See also in this blog: Phase 1 of Queensland’s fast-charging EV network is complete.

Phase 1 of Queensland's fast-charging EV network is complete

Source: RenewEconomy

The Queensland government, Australia, claims to have completed the “world’s longest electric vehicle superhighway in a single state”. A series of fast-charger station installations reach north-south from Coolangatta to Cairns and east-west from Brisbane to Toowoomba.

There are now fast-charging stations installed in Bowen, Cairns, Carmila, Childers, Gatton, Hamilton, Gold Coast Airport (Coolangatta), Mackay, Marlborough, Maryborough, Miriam Vale, Rockhampton, Springfield, Sunshine Coast (Cooroy), Townsville, Toowoomba and Tully.

At this stage, EV drivers can use the fast-charging stations at no cost. Also the EVs are topped up with low carbon power, the energy supplied at the stations will be bought through green energy credits or offsets.

The state government has a vision to encourage the uptake of EVs in Queensland, getting as many people as possible on board the EV revolution, as part of the state’s transition to a low-emissions future.

Further reading: Phase one of “world’s largest” EV fast-charging network completed in Queensland. RenewEconomy, January 31, 2018.