Public Funding for Franklin EV Limited

The project aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative and game-changing smart public fast EV charging system, EnSmartEV. The government has made commitments to reducing CO2 emissions but current public EV chargers use peak power to charge EVs and still require burning of large amounts of fossil fuels, so the problems are being moved elsewhere - to the point of power generation rather than the vehicles themselves. Our vision is to provide a smart, public, fast EV charging solution to truly enable low/zero carbon transportation and encourage purchase of EVs, particularly for those without off-street parking and business users. EnSmartEV offers fast DC and AC charging for CCS standard EVs, such as BMW i3, and fast AC charging for other standard EVs with Type 2 inlet, such as Nissan Leaf. It is designed for all EV models (including cleaning and delivery vehicles, i.e. not only passenger vehicles) in the UK/EU. EnSmartEV integrates lithium batteries and is designed to charge EVs with ~100% off-peak or low tariff power or renewable electricity at highest power efficiency and lowest grid connection costs, which enables high penetration of renewable power with the grid infrastructure. EnSmartEV enables re-use of after-service EV batteries, and which extends EV batteries life-span. EnSmartEV system includes a Battery Container and three slim/simple Charging Posts. The Battery Container houses all the equipment and can be screened to be embedded in a space away from the street/pavement. The Charging Post has very small footprint on street/pavement, is designed for all users (including disabled drivers), and considers other road users, particularly the blind and wheelchair users. Each Charging Post is designed to serve two electric vehicles charging simultaneously and provide multiple uses, such as mobile phone top-up charging, lighting the street/pavement while indicating drivers the status of the charger. EnSmartEV is designed to provide supporting services (i.e. balancing and frequency support) to the grid at zero extra cost, and which is well beyond V2G (vehicle to grid) and demand response. EnSmartEV is truly the next generation smart EV charging solution which enables low carbon transportation and addresses climate change. EnSmartEV can be used for all public locations, including but not limited to on-street, community parking hub and car parks when there are spaces available for the Battery Container. EnSmartEV will facilitate rapid growth of EVs, stimulate road transport electrification, enable re-use of after-service EV batteries, enhance air quality and hence quality of life.

"The project aims to deliver a creative design of a disruptive and innovative on-street smart EV (electric vehicle) charging solution for EV owners without off-street parking. The on-street smart EV charger is based on European Standard CCS (Combined Charging System) and can provide both DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current) fast charging for electric vehicles with CCS inlet, and AC fast charging for electric vehicles with Type 2 inlet, typically electric vehicles with Japanese Standard CHAdeMO, such as Nissan Leaf. This means the on-street smart EV charger is future proof and can charge almost all electric vehicles in the UK/EU market. The on-street smart EV charger integrates lithium batteries and is designed to perform smart charging electric vehicles, i.e. enabling charging electric vehicles with low tariff electricity and balancing the grid. The on-street smart EV charger enables re-use of after-service EV batteries and which is an ideal solution extending the life-span of EV batteries. The on-street smart EV charger enables both active V2G (feed power to the grid) through the integrated batteries and reactive V2G through demand response management, i.e. managing electric vehicle charging. The V2G solution does not have any negative impact on the electric vehicles, i.e. does not jeopardise electric vehicle manufacturer's warranty. The project will provide a few creative designs of the on-street smart EV charger, which will be embedded in the street environment with some popular street furniture, such as street lighting and AD/PR boards, etc. The project will develop practical business models for operators and build in future proof payment method for EV owners/users, conduct comprehensive financial analysis for both operators and EV owners/users, engage/consult local councils and residents/businesses, EV owners/users and the public, prepare planning application for pilot installation in selected street/locations. The on-street smart EV charger can be used for on-street, community hub, workplace and open car park applications, and is deemed to be favoured by all stakeholders, including electric vehicle manufacturers, EV charging network operators, EV owners/users, electricity grid, local councils, environment agencies and the public. It will provide local councils with a promising option, make a step change for charging electric vehicles, particularly for those without off-street parking, and provide great experiences for all users, both private and public. It will facilitate rapid growth of electric vehicles, stimulate road transport electrification, enable re-use of after-service EV batteries, enhance air quality and hence quality of life."

"Ownership of electric vehicles (EVs) is significantly increasing within the UK with the number of new registrations increasing from 3,500 in 2013 to 107,000 in 2017\. In turn, this will place significant pressure on the demand for charge infrastructure as well as the grid network, whereby it is estimated that by 2025 up to 700,000 electricity users could suffer from blackouts due to the increased pressure on the grid, stemming from EV charging. In turn, Powervault, the UK's first provider of cost effective distributed battery energy storage solutions (BESS) to domestic homes (lowering consumers' electricity bills whilst reducing peak grid demand), and Franklin Energy, a UK based e-mobility charging provider that provides turnkey electric vehicle charging solutions, wish to form a partnership in order to supply the domestic market with truly intelligent charge-posts, which allow the export of energy from the EV to the home/grid by connecting to the BESS. This will have the key advantages of allowing for energy from the EV to be balanced against other sources of supply/demand within the household and reducing a household's reliance on the grid. This project is a feasibility study that seeks to develop technical specifications to allow the integration of a Franklin Energy charge point with Powervault BESS, as well as developing the business case for this offering, which will underpin future development of the concept."