EV Update: We hear a lot about ‘smart EV infrastructure’ these days. How does this idea translate in practice?
Olivier Paturet: This is a very important factor for us. We don’t want to add any strain on the grid. We’re far from reaching the type of EV volumes that would put any type of strain on the grid today, but for the future it’s something we want to avoid. What concerns us today is the experience of the EV user in the home. Charging at home is the primary mode of charging and the most efficient one. So smart charging at this particular point in time of deployment is mainly looking at home charging for the customer.
There are three main steps in developing the intelligence in the smart charging environment. Firstly, we’re trying to come up with a solution whereby the customer can take advantage of the best [electricity] rate available and disconnect the charging when the demand is at the highest point. In other words, the car and the house can communicate so that the user can take advantage of the best rates available. Secondly, we’re looking [at ways that] that the charging of the vehicle can take place while there is ample supply in the house.
Going forward, we’re also looking at implementing vehicle-to-home, which is an important step that was initiated in Japan. This bi-directional charging will bring a more intelligent charging infrastructure into the home. And once we’ve finally reached a critical mass of EVs on the road for the regions in Europe where renewable energy is progressing, then these EVs will provide the capacity to use and store the renewable energy that is being produced.
EV Update: An online survey by EV Update found that most readers think the AE J1772 ‘combo’ standard will become the norm in Europe, over the CHAdeMo's fast charging standard. Is that your prediction too?
Olivier Paturet: No, it’s actually a surprise to me. The view in our case is that one doesn’t exclude the other. What matters to us is the availability of charging points. The driving factor is the number of vehicles on the road. Most investors looking at one or other [of these standards] will be looking at how many customers there are to service and whether the revenue will be generated. Since we are first in the market, we have to make our way and make sure that the quick charging network is visible. I am sure that the CHAdeMO solution will be part of the picture.
EV Update: An improvement in battery technology is often cited as the single biggest factor that will create a breakthrough in the EV industry. Do you agree?
Olivier Paturet: What we find form our own research is that this range issue isn’t really an issue for our customers. Anyone who is using EV on a regular basis today would agree with that. In my view, a breakthrough will come from a broader consensus among the parties in Europe, especially when it comes to the deployment of zero-emission [initiatives] in city centres and cities in general. Our view is that we share a great deal of common objectives between metropolitan areas and our zero-emission initiatives. Most cities in Europe are facing an air quality improvement task, in terms of reducing CO2 and other pollutants as well.
If we are talking about a breakthrough, if we are able to seat around the table people working on air quality improvement as well as public health, and [get them to] share their experience, then this to us will bring a revolution in the EV industry. Why do we think that? Look at the example in Amsterdam. The basis for their success in the deployment of electric vehicles is air quality improvement and a broad consensus around this approach. That is what is missing at the moment. There is a sense that everyone is looking at their own corner of the industry. This isn’t helping. What’s helping is general agreement on direction in the longer term.
EV Update: Wireless charging has been tested by many OEMs now. How do you think it will affect charging deployment across Europe?
Olivier Paturet: Wireless charging will be part of the picture going forward, no doubt. We announced it in New York on one of our vehicles on the Infiniti model. So it will be part of the landscape. However, there are a few things we need to fix on conductive charging before we move onto inductive. One of the main drivers in my view will be the cost of the infrastructure. We started on conductive charging about three years ago and we created the environment for charging at home. In Europe, this has proven to be quite a challenging and interesting adventure. Even today, many of our customers don’t fully appreciate the value of conductive charging at home and the installation of a Mode-III box, although the price has come down significantly since we started. So I’m not underestimating the cost issue of installing any kind of charging infrastructure and convincing customers that this is the best way.
Having said that, one has to recognise that the convenience of inductive charging is very attractive, especially after witnessing the charging of EVs in winter in Norway and seeing frozen cables and so forth. So I think there is a good future for inductive charging, although there are challenges on the cost side of things.
