Fostering, encouraging, promoting the spread of e-mobility in Europe through innovative actions with the end user as the absolute protagonist.
This is the objective of the European project USER-CHI – Innovative solutions for USER centric Charging Infrastructure – a partnership of 23 organisations from 6 European countries (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Hungary), representing the entire project value chain: from research to technology providers to end users.
The project starts from the various needs expressed by current and potential users, which in particular concern the timing of recharging the electric vehicle, the alternative sources of energy used and the offer of additional services, aimed at fostering wide market penetration of this type of mobility.
One of the strategic aspects of USER-CHI is to implement charging solutions that fully meet the needs and expectations of users from multiple market segments.
The project envisages actions with a strong European impact to accelerate the widespread use of electric mobility and aims to implement high added-value solutions, including:
- charging systems designed according to user needs;
- development of a platform and the definition of a common regulatory framework to ensure the interoperability of charging operations;
- deployment of modular charging infrastructure, and integration with smart grids;
- development of innovative, cost-effective, user-friendly, and readily marketable charging systems;
- co-creation of new business models that are sustainable;
- regulatory and governance recommendations for large-scale deployment of electric vehicles.
FIT Consulting, partner of USER-CHI, is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the impacts generated by the products and solutions and implemented during the project. This translates into defining a common methodology and related metrics to quantify the technical, environmental, economic and social benefits of the USER-CHI tools through testing in real-world scenarios, such as those represented by the five demonstration sites:
- CLICK – Charging location and holistic planning kit: an online tool for planning the placement of new charging infrastructure in cities and TEN-T corridors;
- INCAR – Interoperability, charging and parking platform: a platform to provide roaming services and free access to charging stations, as well as other integrated and innovative end-user services;
- SMAC – Smart Charging tool: a technology enabling integration with smart grids and demand management services for different charging systems (slow, fast and ultra-fast);
- INSOC – Integrated solar DC charging for Light Electric Vehicles: a solution combining charging, on-site renewable energy production and anti-theft parking for light electric vehicles;
- INDUCAR – Inductive charging for e-cars: a highly automated, wireless charging solution for electric cars.
The solutions developed by USER-CHI will be tested in five urban areas across Europe: the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Rome (Italy) and Turku (Finland). Large-scale replication and transferability of USER-CHI results are the cornerstones of the project. Therefore, two European cities – Murcia (Spain) and Florence (Italy) – have the task of replicating some of the solutions developed.
Nel corso del progetto FIT Consulting has the task of designing new innovative and sustainable business models, aimed at the adoption of high value-added electric mobility solutions, also aimed at encouraging public and private investment in charging devices and infrastructure.
For more information, visit the USER-CHI project website: https://www.userchi.eu/
Contact our experts:
Fabio Cartolano, Innovation Manager FIT Consulting
