A standard electric vehicle charging consumes about 3.7 kW for 4 hours, Eco2charge notes. Complete and simultaneous charging of 100 electric vehicles would require double the total power of a commercial building (670 kW instead of 300 kW for building occupants 600-1,000), thereby generating a subscription overhead and a heavy impact on the grid.

The goal of Eco2charge is to ensure a high level of service to EV drivers as well as to operators of buildings. The partners hope to minimize infrastructure costs and electricity through the use of an innovative solution for local storage; the modular deployment of smart charging infrastructure; and intelligent energy management for smoothing power consumption, depending on the economic interests, the needs of network stability, and most importantly, the needs of users.

• Intelligent distribution of power would regulate use to avoid consumption peaks and oversizing of the site electrical infrastructure. The management solution would allows charging stations to recharge vehicles at different times of the day, according to user needs (arrival and departure times, load level on arrival and level initially required depending on the distance to make …), and consistent with the overall energy site management (production and power consumption).

  Intelligent charging terminals will be connected to a central control system that will ensure global energy optimization of the site, in conjunction with the consumption of buildings and local renewable energy production.

• Local energy storage systems would reuse EV batteries after their automotive use (i.e., “second-life”). In addition to delivering environmental benefits through extending the use of the battery packs, this solution leverages advances in the automotive industry.

• An intelligent and scalable system of charging stations would ensure access to all types of electric vehicles. This solution is extensible through a modular architecture that allows the addition of charging points at lower cost, without additional engineering.

This project draws upon the expertise of partners in different sectors for the development of electric mobility: Actility, Alstom, Bouygues Energie & Services, CEA, Embix, Nexans, Renault and the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

A demonstrator Eco2charge project will be implemented in two sites, geographically close to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: the Renault Technocentre and Challenger, the headquarters of Bouygues Construction. The ambition of the Eco2charge project is to develop and market a full solution within the next three years.