The Technology Collaboration Programme on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles HEV TCP (formerly IA-HEV) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) enters the 5th phase 2015 - 2020.

 

The HEV TCP includes altogether 31 Tasks. There are still 18 Tasks active which where published in "Hybrid and Electric Vehicles - The Electric Drive Commutes." This IA-HEV Annual Report 2015 is now ready for download:

 

 

 

Task 23, written by Hannes Neupert (Executive Director EnergyBus e.V./Operating Agent HEV TCP Task 23).

 

The rapid growth in recent years in the usage of Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs) including electric scooters (E-Scooters), electric bikes (e-bikes), and especially the hybrid pedal/electric bike called the pedelec, requires addressing issues related to parking and charging infrastructure. 

 

This includes the development of harmonised charging standards which are embedded in a public parking space management solution. Task 23 seeks to ensure that these issues are addressed at a governmental level, so that the outcome is as applicable as possible to both local and global policies. Task 23 will also encourage the development and establishment of both pedelec sharing schemes and private pedelec usage. 

 

 

Following up the IEC/ISO/TC69/JPT61851-3 standardization activities which started the development of harmonized international standards for LEV charging and parking infrastructure, based on the Mandate of the European Union No 468 were published in the year 2010. The standardization group on Light Electric Vehicle standardization (system architecture, infrastructure, interfaces, batteries) is mainly driven by members coming from the following countries: Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Austria, China, USA and from time to time additional participants from further nations. Participating parties who take part regularly are from the following companies: Yamaha, Honda, KTM Motorcycle, Piaggio, BMW Motorcycle, Panasonic Cycle Tech, Shimano, Bosch eBike Systems, and EnergyBus.org.

 

A key objective of Task 23 is to discuss the specific requirements from the governmental side (especially at the local level) as regard LEV charging and parking infrastructure, and deliver these requirements to the IEC/ISO/TC69/JPT61851-3 committee. This is to be done by the operating agent EnergyBus.org, which is also leading the German mirror group of the IEC/ISO/TC69/JPT61851-3 committee. 

 

Blueprint for Public Tenders for LEV Infrastructure 

When IEC/ISO/TC69/JPT61851-3 is published as a TS (Technical Specification of the IEC), which is scheduled to happen within the Summer of 2016, the next step will be to create a blueprint for public tenders, with reference to the IEC/ISO/TC69/JPT61851-3 standard for acquisition of public infrastructure, for parking space management for two-wheelers, and for charging infrastructure, which could be used for all kinds of two-wheelers, such as mechanical bicycles, combustion engine motorcycles, electric scooters, electric bicycles of all kinds, including both public rental two-wheelers and private vehicles. Such tenders would also include a section on the requirements and specifications of bicycles, pedelecs and electric scooters for public use. The first Version of the public tender blueprint should be presented by November 2016. 

 

Organising events such as expert workshops and conferences, on the subject of LEV infrastructure as well as suitable vehicles.

Involving governments, city planners, public transportation experts, operating companies, consumer organizations, standardization bodies as well as the vehicle and infrastructure industries.

Activities have been organized until now at: Taipei (TW), Tianjin (CN), Cologne (DE), Kirchberg (AT), Antwerp (BE), Malbrok (PL), Istanbul (TK), Oslo (NO), Essen (DE), Tanna (DE), Grenoble (FR), Nantes (FR), Frankfurt (DE), Prague (CZ), Shanghai (CN), Chengdu (CN), Rostock (DE) just to name some of them.

Best Practice Sharing Study Trips 

 

Gathering of experts at locations where local governments have established successful LEV infrastructure systems.

Sharing of findings and summarizing the positive and negative experiences – distilling the findings into easy-to-follow recommendations.

In March 2015 an international group traveled around China for 8 Days. x In June 2015 an international group traveled in Europe (DE, SE, & DK). 

Publications with Recommendations on LEV Infrastructure 

 

Creating publications summarizing key findings and listing recommendations on how to establish the most suitable LEV infrastructure.

Several lectures have been held during the course of 2015 on the subject of Task 23. 

Promoting the Needs to Potential Suppliers 

 

Making joint presentations at relevant trade shows and conferences, and, using suitable methods, explaining the requirements for local governments of potential manufacturers and providers of LEV infrastructure and rental vehicles. 

 

Members of Task 23 can participate in events such as best practice sharing study trips, exhibitions, and conferences. They may also host their own local events on the subject of Task 23, and invite international experts to share their insights. They may create tenders and joint tenders with other cities or regions for LEV infrastructure. They may create supplier lists, and share experiences with suppliers and their products, with other local governments and operators interested in acquiring similar components. 

 

It started with Antwerp (Belgium) and Barcelona (Spain), followed by Istanbul (Turkey), and talks about active involvement in Task 23 have subsequently been conducted with various local governments and stakeholders from around the world. To name just a few: Malta, the DIFU Institute representing most German cities, Karlskrona and Växjö (Sweden), Hangzhou (China), Taichung City (Taiwan), Kyoto and Osaka City (Japan), Copenhagen (Denmark), Warsaw (Poland), Graz & Bregenz (Austria), Indonesia, Delhi (India), Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Münster, Rostock, Hannover, Berlin, Merseburg, Tegernsee (Germany), Grenoble (France) – and these are just the most significant. To date, the active phase including the preparation of the blueprints for tenders to acquire LEV infrastructure has not yet started: this is expected to happen by October 2016. 

 

A central event for Task 23 was the joint booth within the framework of the G7 Traffic minister meeting held in conjunction to the Frankfurt Auto show IAA on 17 September 2015. The EU Commissioner for Transport Mrs. Violeta Bulc visited the IEA HEV Task 23 special Exhibition presented at IAA with a wide display. There Mrs. Bulc was introduced to the results of the EU Mandate 468 of 2010. 

 

The Gobike system is station-based, but can also offer free-floating service, and it should not have to pay back the investment in establishing the infrastructure alone. Between the years 2011 and 2013, the first functional version of the EnergyLock was trialled in the Tegernsee region, Germany. The idea was proven to work. But a clear finding was that the locking system, based around a heavy duty locking mechanism and steel-reinforced cable, was considered as too heavy by users. This necessitated a complete reconsideration of the anti-theft concept. As a result, the mechanical safety layer was downgraded to a mild level, whereby the locking action is just good enough not to be unlocked easily by manual force, but it will pop open before it is damaged when pulled strongly. The anti-theft function is moved to the digital realm, in that all electronic components on the pedelec will deactivate themselves in the event of unauthorized disconnection. This would make removing a vehicle that has this safety strategy implemented very unattractive for a thief. 

 

On 18 March 2015, the next generation of the charge & lock cable was presented to the public for the first time as a working model at the Taipei Cycle Show 2015 where it was received enthusiastically. It is based on discussions held within the IEC/ISO joint project team on LEV Infrastructure in November 2014 in Taiwan and Japan, as well as in Germany in December 2014. It has changed on the electrical side, too: instead of 6 conductor contacts it now has just 2 or 3. CanOpen communication as well as transfer of the 12V auxiliary voltage is transferred to an induction-based system which is not sensitive to corrosion.

 

The female socket would be always of a universal shape. But the male plug attached to the vehicle would be available in 3 different versions, catering appropriately to the specific needs of all 3 types of two-wheelers. This would allow a single infrastructure to cater for all types of two-wheelers: the system can be used both to manage the use of public space for two-wheeler parking, and to provide free two-wheeler electrical charging. Charging power can be up to 6,000 Watts in the case of the 3 pin 120V/60A connector version intended for large electric scooters and electric motorcycles. 

 

Further acquisition of members, cities and regional governments to create as large a public tender base as possible for the procurement, with high purchasing and negotiating power, of LEV infrastructure and LEV rental fleet solutions. 

 

For further information, please contact the Task 23 OA:

 

Mr. Hannes Neupert

 EnergyBus e.V. / EnergyBus Operations GmbH Koskauer Str. 100

 07922 Tanna

 Germany

 E-Mail: hannes.neupert@EnergyBus.org

 

Mr. Carlo Mol

 VITO – Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek Boeretang 200

 BE-2400 Mol

 Belgium

 E-Mail: carlo.mol@vito.be 

 

Text: Hannes Neupert

 

Picture: IEA

 

30 June 2016