Jema, a key partner in the European ASSURED Project with a high-power, interoperable opportunity charger
Electric public transport plays a key role in the transformation of urban mobility towards cleaner and more sustainable cities. Designing interoperable charging solutions and smart infrastructures with the capacity to accelerate this change and optimise urban fleets is key to achieving the desired decarbonisation and electric mobility goals.
Due to our comprehensive knowledge of the sector, more than 60 years of experience in the design and manufacture of energy conversion systems and commitment to interoperability and standardisation solutions, JEMA is one of the driving forces in this process of electrification of urban fleets. These strengths are precisely those that have led us to be one of the partners participating in the European project ASSURED (acronym for fast and smart charging solutions for full size urban heavy duty applications); a project that addresses the integration of electrified urban commercial vehicles with fast charging infrastructure.
But what exactly is the ASSURED project? It is an initiative co-funded by the European Commission to promote the electrification of urban commercial vehicles through the design and creation of innovative fast charging solutions, capable of charging various types of vehicles and optimising urban fleets. The ultimate goal of this European project is to move towards interoperability and standardisation of fleets to boost electric public transport in cities.
The consortium has the participation of 40 members from 12 European member states and represents all competences in the field of urban transport and infrastructures. From JEMA, we have participated in this project as a provider of charging solutions to verify the interoperability between buses of the TMB fleet, the municipal public transport company of Barcelona, and our chargers. The result could not have been more satisfactory for both parties: validating the compatibility of the chargers. In this post we tell you more details about this success story and our participation in ASSURED together with TMB’s testimony.
Challenges of the ASSURED project
Among the general objectives of the ASSURED project, the main challenges to which we responded from JEMA Energy were:
Analysis of the needs of cities to drive the next generation of electrically rechargeable heavy-duty vehicles and move towards sustainable mobility.
Development of interoperable and scalable high power charging solutions up to 600kW.
Standardised charging infrastructure and vehicle interfaces to achieve interoperability between different brands.
Demonstration in 3 cities of interoperability between chargers and heavy electric vehicles in real operating conditions.
Solutions proposed by JEMA Energy for the ASSURED project
Faced with the challenges posed in the project, JEMA’s participation and contributions in Assured were as follows:
Design of a 600kW high-power, interoperable opportunity charger, following the criteria defined in the project.
Participation in the validation tests of the charging infrastructure in the test facilities of the engineering and homologation company IDIADA.
Operational testing of the solution on the TMB line in Barcelona.
Design of a fleet simulation tool to facilitate analysis to obtain the best solution in the electrification project (number and type of chargers, power required, etc.) for a specific operation (number of buses, timetable, type of buses, etc.).
New battery temperature management system.
Feasibility study of a multi-protocol Vehicle Charging Control Unit (VCCU), including both power line and Wi-Fi communication.
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Results and experience of JEMA
Today, our high-power charger provides uninterrupted service to the line that TMB covers in Barcelona, offering charging to vehicles and buses from different manufacturers. Specifically, in the ASSURED project, vehicle brands such as Irizar, VDL, Volvo and Alstom have been validated, and chargers from different companies, such as Heliox and ABB, as well as JEMA, have participated.
In terms of our experience and the difficulties encountered in the project, JEMA made some changes to the proposed solution. For example, we had to modify small details in the control card control and interoperability. However, these were very generic changes and the result could not have been more satisfactory.
And what does TMB think?
TMB is the main public transport operator in Catalonia and one of the national and international benchmarks for citizen mobility. Following their participation in the ASSURED project, they wanted to give their testimony on the objectives achieved and the work carried out together with JEMA. Thus, Josep Ariño, Management Maintenance and Infrastructures Projects at TMB, states that JEMA’s collaboration and participation during the tests “went smoothly”, highlighting the agility with which we supplied the ECI600 charger with transformer for low-voltage connection. “Once the charger was delivered, it only took them a day to send the technician to set it up. From then on, it started operating immediately”, Ariño points out.
TMB also points out that one of the objectives of this project, which was to confirm the compatibility of our charger with different makes of vehicle, has been achieved. TMB explains that the charger was tested with the vehicles available at the time: Solaris, Irizar and Volvo, and worked without problems from the outset and without the need for adjustments. It was also found that no distortion was generated in the network during charging. Despite being installed in the street, TMB states that no reduction in power was perceived during use, due to temperature or other factors.
Finally, the Catalan transport company highlights the reactivity and professionalism of JEMA in this project. “They had a quick response when it came to starting up the charger once the connection had been made. Moreover, the management of the project, even after the end of the test, was impeccable, as they collected the equipment immediately after the end of the test period”, concludes Josep Ariño.
Conclusions of JEMA’s participation in the ASSURED project
Thanks to JEMA’s experience as an infrastructure provider, we were able to provide solutions for the different needs of the ASSURED project.
From JEMA, we provided the project with comprehensive knowledge of the different technologies required, such as power electronics, PLC communications, grid quality and connection to the electricity grid.
Undoubtedly, our commitment to interoperability made JEMA a key player in this project that aims to pave the way towards cleaner cities with sustainable mobility.
