For more than 20 years, electromobility has been an important research theme at EIGSI La Rochelle. EIGSI research teams have been working since the 1990s on issues related to energy storage, key factors in the development of electric and hybrid vehicles.
But the electromobility theme is broader, with research projects that include:
- the consequences of different charging methods on battery ageing;
- the impacts on the network.
MOBICUS project
Funding: FUI OSEO
Duration: September 2013 – August 2016
Partners: Renault, Valeo, EDF, LMS, Controlsys, DBT-CEV, ADM Concept, IFPEN, CEA, IFSTTAR-LTE, IMS-Bordeaux
A battery pack is a very important part of the value of a fully electric vehicle. However, batteries can be damaged due to use and time. Manufacturers must guarantee the performance and range of vehicles over their lifetime.
The MOBICUS project aims to develop and validate strategies to prolong the life of batteries depending on vehicle use and charging modes, based on experimental measurements and validations.
The new approaches of the MOBICUS project include:
- non-linear coupling between the two ageing methods,
- validation on a broader temperature scale, in particular when cold
- the distribution of characteristics of the cells in the pack,
- the use of real-time HIL (Hardware in the Loop) testing to reproduce the behaviour of the vehicle, validation on a fleet of vehicles.
Partners in the MOBICUS project: Renault, Valeo, EDF, LMS, Institut Français du Pétrole et des Energies Nouvelles, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, IFSTTAR-LTE and IMS-Bordeaux.
EVER project
Funding: AMI-ADEME
Duration: June 2012 – June 2015
Partners: Véolia Environnement, Citelum, Bertin Technologies, Evtronic
The EVER project’s main objective is to evaluate on a real-life scale what could be the business model of a charging infrastructure operator in the specific environment of self-service electric vehicles such as Yelomobile, Autobleue and Autolib.
The project starts by designing a pilot platform around building blocks:
- intelligent charging stations open to all that communicate and allow a continuously variable load;
- the software that controls the terminals (to even out power demand on the network);
- the energy storage station which has a dual role: spread power demand evenly on the network to prevent overload and store carbon-free energy;
- the use forecasting module.
The module builds an economical, efficient solution that meets the demands of local authorities and businesses who want to develop electric vehicle car-sharing services and who face the problem of cost. The investments include the cost of buying the electric vehicles, the construction of the charging infrastructure and the installation of the management system.
The EVER project aims to demonstrate that a virtuous circle is caused by the rapid rotation of the fleet and therefore it is important to have quick charging stations perfectly integrated into the distribution network.
The EVER project has two other advantages:
- the tools developed will not be limited to self-service vehicle applications. They can be used in other electromobility applications;
- it is designed as a key component of “local smart grids” and can therefore be considered an “infrastructure aggregator.”
Partners in the EVER project: Veolia, Citelium, Bertin Technologies, EVTronic
PROXIWAY project
Funding: Proxiway
Duration: 1 year
Partners: PSA, Proxiway, MIA, Gruau
La Rochelle has been a pioneer community in the field of electromobility for more than 20 years, making silent, zero carbon emission electric cars a key factor in urban mobility. As part of a project to renew and develop its fleet of electric vehicles (cars, transporters), La Rochelle wanted to better understand the powertrains of these vehicles, identify their performance in the context of the intended uses and estimate the longevity of the various components.
The Proxiway project aims to determine the performance of electric vehicles for particular applications.
As part of this project, La Rochelle must also develop new business models combining customer satisfaction, appropriate pricing and optimization of the energy used. To this end, EIGSI developed an experimental design suitable for these vehicles and their use context.
LOC2 project
Funding: Alstom
Duration: 4 years
Partners: Alstom
ALSTOM wanted to optimize energy storage on shunting locomotives used in train stations . Today’s diesel locomotives have high maintenance costs, high fuel consumption and high pollution levels.
Alstom’s objective is to validate the concept of a hybrid shunting locomotive based on generators, batteries and energy management systems that could be installed in current and future shunting locomotives.
The project headed by EIGSI will investigate the value of using lithium battery technology for hybrid locomotives.
To do this, ALSTOM asked EIGSI to:
- design the experiments to validate this technology
- perform tests on several types of batteries.
