NEWS ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
Complete EV charge point solutions
VERSINETIC LAUNCHES CHARGING BLOX TO ACCELERATE EV CHARGE POINT ROLLOUT. NEIL TYLER REPORTS
Electric vehicle (EV) charging consultancy,
Versinetic, is making available a suite
of bespoke charging solutions aimed at
accelerating the rapid rollout of smart
charge points.
Despite growing EV adoption, there is
still a need for more rapid development of
EV charging solutions, which Versinetic’s full
suite of hardware and software solutions,
called Charging Blox, looks to address.
The suite comprises of versatile
conceptualised product and service modules,
which allow manufacturers to build a
totally custom EV charging solution and
includes: the MANTARAY Smart Charge Point
Communications Controller for seamless
control of charging stations, and management
of all aspects of a charge point using Open
Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) for maximum
compatibility. MantaRay gives manufacturers
the versatility to manage AC and DC charge
points with OCPP 1.6 or 2.0 and their own
back-of ce solution.
The LINKRAY Passive Local Controller sits
between the charge station management
system and charge points allowing onsite local
control of charge points without interfering
with back-of ce control and billing and the
EEL EV AC Charge Controller is an integrated
printed circuit board (PCB) that works as the
real-time interface for manufacturers’ charge
points, delivering energy directly to an electric
vehicle’s battery. EEL speci cally forms the
part of the charging station that delivers
energy to the electric vehicle and can be
adapted for a number of functionalities.
In terms of Smart Charging Software and
Software Licensing, Versinetic has developed
and can provide several options, including
Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP 2.0 & 1.6)
software, along with an application solution to
communicate with back-of ce cloud servers.
Commenting Versinetic Director, Dunstan
Power, said, “Manufacturers need effective
solutions from OCPP software stacks and local
controllers, to smart charge communication
controllers and a number of other EV charging
system essentials, which Versinetic can now
deliver quickly. Our exible, tailored solutions will
be key to ensure current off-the-shelf offerings,
aren’t the only options available for smart charge
point development and research projects.”
CPI joins quantum sensors project
CPI, the independent technology innovation
centre and founding member of the UK
Government’s High Value Manufacturing
Catapult, is participating in a collaborative
project – termed the Quantum Sensors project.
The project is intended to develop
sensors that will help to revolutionise quality
assessment and battery grading in the
manufacturing line and help advance electric
vehicle battery manufacturing in the UK.
By 2030, it is anticipated that 50% of
vehicles produced will be partially or wholly
electric, however there are still challenges in
battery and lithium cell technology that need to
be addressed.
Cell age testing is used to determine if a
cell meets quality standards and can provide
an indication of its state-of-health. This process
traditionally involves storage for two weeks
at elevated temperatures, creating energy
inef ciency and elevated costs, so there is
an urgent need for rapid, continuous and
non-invasive monitoring of the cell on the
production line.
The Quantum Sensors collaboration,
between 11 partners in the supply chain, will
look to develop a pilot scale system capable
of continuous end-of-line testing of battery
cells using optically pumped magnetometers
(OPMs). The system will feature an array of
OPMs, which act as quantum sensors to
detect the small magnetic eld given off by
healthy lithium cells. This technique can be
used to monitor the quality of battery cells
on the production line in order to quickly
reject faulty cells and provide detailed quality
assurance and has the potential to save
millions of pounds.
This project will involve the development
of a UK supply chain for the manufacturing
of OPMs, including vapour cell production,
laser manufacture, optical packaging,
magnetic shielding, electronic control and
data processing systems. The end goal is
the creation of a pilot scale battery testing
system that can be implemented within a trial
production line.
CPI joins a UK-wide consortium that includes
lead organisation AMTE Power, alongside
the Universities of Strathclyde and Sussex,
Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC), Alter
Technology, Kelvin Nanotechnology (KNT),
Magnetic Shields Limited (MSL), and CDO2.
Academic partners will provide and further
develop sensor know-how and conduct
validated measurements on battery-cell stacks.
A set of industrial partners will establish the
value chain, from component production and
assembly to prototype packaging and market
application.
CPI will provide electronics integration and
process testing for packaged optoelectronics
at its Photonics Centre in County Durham, UK.
Additionally, CPI will be involved in upgrading
the speci cations for up-scaling production of
the sensors and will play a critical role in the
assembly and systems integration aspect of
the project.
8 26 January 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk
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