On 7 November 2024, eCharge4Drivers hosted its Final Event in the city of Barcelona, marking the culmination of over four years of collaborative work to revolutionise the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging experience. Project partners and stakeholders from diverse fields, including the EV industry, smart mobility, and sustainable mobility gathered to celebrate this important milestone and explore practical and innovative solutions to enhance EV charging.
Participants had the opportunity to learn about the innovations developed and tested in the ten demonstration sites across Europe, which aim to deliver a seamless charging experience for EV drivers, and take part in valuable exchanges of knowledge and experiences with the project partners.
An important aspect of the event was its focus on the user experience and the benefits for users. Feedback from EV drivers was integral tour vision to ensure that our services and solutions address real needs. For instance, the two user surveys we launched revealed positive results, with most participants finding the tested solutions easy to use and expressing a willingness to adopt them, underscoring the importance of engaging users to ensure widespread acceptance.
Two interactive sessions highlighted some of the keys solutions developed and demonstrated in the project, which included:
- An enhanced route planner, booking service tool, and real-time navigation tool: These tools are designed to help EV drivers plan long-distance trips based on their preferences. The route planner proposes multiple routes, while the real-time navigation assistance ensures drivers can adjust their plans if needed, for instance to find an alternative charging station if one is occupied. The enhanced booking service enables users to easily reserve charging slots thanks to detailed information before, during, and after charging. Together, the tools simplify EV journeys and encourage wider adoption of electric mobility.
- Smart charging: A Smart Charging Energy Management System (EMS) with an intuitive interface was developed, integrated, and tested in five of our demo sites in Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Austria. This system allows for more efficient management of energy use, taking user preferences into account. It also optimises costs by balancing grid demand, reducing peak loads, and maximising the use of locally produced renewable energy such as solar power.
- Charging network development tool: This planning tool assists administrations and operators in developing the charging infrastructure. Tested in Barcelona, Luxembourg, and Northern Italy, the tool generates demand models and scenarios tailored to user demographics, accessibility requirements, and existing infrastructure. The tool provides a robust framework for forecasting demand and optimising investments, ensuring the charging infrastructure is deployed where it is most needed.
- Battery swapping for Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs): Tested in Barcelona and Berlin, this service offers a convenient and cost-effective solution for LEV users by reducing the vehicle cost and offering ultra-fast charging. Batteries can be swapped in under 30 seconds at dedicated stations, available 24/7 and located in strategic areas such as gas stations or underground car parks.
- Plug and Charge (PnC) service: The PnC technology represents a significant step toward making EV charging more convenient and accessible by enabling seamless, secure charging without apps or cards. Drivers can charge and pay effortlessly, thanks to automated processes that simplify transactions and improve interoperability. Our partners conducted conformance and interoperability testing to prepare service providers, operators, and OEMs for adopting the technology.
The concluding session of the event focused on recommendations for policymakers and investors to guide future charging investments. These recommendations, based on project partner experiences and a European survey of public authorities and operators, highlight the need for tailored design guidance, improved grid connections, and streamlined planning processes. They also stress the importance of interoperability, user-friendly interfaces, and political support to maximise the impact and accessibility of innovative EV solutions.
A roundtable discussion with experts from the INCIT-EV, USER-CHI, and TIPS4PED projects provided further opportunities to exchange experience and knowledge and reflect on the future of EV charging infrastructure and the policy frameworks required to support the transition to greener mobility. Engaging discussions with the participants followed the roundtable to reflect on remaining challenges and outline the way forward.
As we conclude this transformative journey, we thank all partners and stakeholders for their collaboration and support. Together, we have paved the way for a more user-friendly, efficient, and sustainable EV charging network.
Couldn’t attend our Final Event? You can download all presentations here.
Want to learn more? Download our Final Brochure for a summary of our key results and watch our Final Video to see our solutions in action.
Download our Final Brochure Watch our final video
