The municipality of Utrecht and the Utrecht company ‘LomboXnet’ will install at least 145 public charging stations for electric cars in 2019. These innovative charging stations are suitable for storing solar energy in the batteries of electric cars and delivering them back to the neighborhood. The charging stations thus offer both the possibility of charging a car and discharging future cars. This ‘Vehicle 2 Grid’ technology is one of Iris Smart Cities’ 16 targeted solutions creating smarter, more sustainable cities.
‘LomboXnet’, together with various partners, has developed the technology in these charging stations in recent years. These charging stations are now being installed throughout Utrecht. Robin Berg (LomboXnet) explains: “The charging stations will make an important contribution to our future energy transition. By temporarily storing solar energy in electric cars, we can use this energy when it is needed. The charging stations are also suitable for charging at high power. This is great for electric motorists, who can charge their car quickly, but also favorable to use peaks of solar and wind energy for charging.”
A world first
For the first time these innovative charging stations are placed in a large urban charging network. A new international standard for communication between charging station and car is also being applied for the first time. In the future, different car brands can communicate with the charging station about how full the battery is and when charging or discharging can take place. Utrecht has a first. Deputy Mayor Victor Everhardt: ” I am proud that Utrecht has this world premiere and thus stays ahead with smart energy networks. It is an important step for the large-scale storage of sustainable energy in electric cars. Electric driving contributes to cleaner air in our city and a healthier living environment and brings Utrecht closer to an emission-free zone in 2030″.
Loading stations
The municipality is expanding the number of charging stations based on requests from residents with an electric car, and the intensity of the use of the existing charging stations. Residents of Utrecht who have an electric car can submit a request for one or more additional charging stations via www.030laadpaal.nl. Due to an increase in the number of electric cars, the number of charging stations will grow strongly in the coming years. It is expected that there will be around 500 to 600 public charging stations in the city by the end of 2019.
31 Jan 2019