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The seven elements of the e-filling station of the future

Battery swap in max. 1.5 minutes

The battery swap in max. 1.5 minutes (technical swap time: 20 seconds!) eliminates waiting times that occur with the plug-in system. This means safe e-mobility without the expensive loss of time. This component can be used alone or in combination and ensures productive fleet operation.

Battery swap leads to higher user frequencies (up to 1000 swaps per day) whereby e-filling stations can then offer discount prices, classic convenience, dual-use storage service as well as in-system grid relief (system-controlled charging instead of grid problems due to permanent battery aggregation).

Plug-in hubs with flexible charging

Centralized plug-in systems guarantee controlled charging with more than 24 plug-in connections. This includes normal plug-in (AC charging) and fast plug-in (DC charging). The energy storage system (usually: 2 x 0.7 MW containers) is charged in line with the grid and thus controlled. This can eliminate the charging station dilemma (see extreme allocation, over-supply obligations) in many places.

Additional information on the standard plug-in hub:

The Standard Plug-in Hub is an energy unit with two 20-foot containers that can be charged at low cost overnight or by container swap. In cooperation with large wind farms, self-charging e-container trucks transport filled battery containers from nearby wind farms to the "7 in 1" stations, where the empty containers are immediately replaced. This enables very low plug-in prices due to the minimal cost of excess green energy.

Dual-use storage for energy regulation

In superhubs, recycled used batteries can be provided as storage for secondary and tertiary control power and for redundancy, and active vehicle batteries can be enabled with the help of power converters, transformers, and energy and battery management systems to largely meet the increasing demand for balancing storage systems (connecting the grid and mobility).

This balancing power is part of the compensation required in the context of energy provision to cover energy losses and minimize feed-in-related power fluctuations (Section 3 EnWG). It is purchased by the transmission system operators and its costs are passed on to those responsible for the energy deviations (balance responsible parties).

It is remunerated at a capacity price (in €/MW) that rewards the available provision of the balancing power; in the case of secondary or tertiary balancing power, a decentrally defined additional price (in €/MW) is paid for real use (exception: primary balancing power per ENTSO-E).

A battery charging time of ≤ 0.5 C (2 hours) through our system-immanent, storage-based stationary charging technology (flexible charging) offers additional cost benefits of up to tens of billions (see Germany). Positive storage effects for the smart grid, which permanently needs control energy for its volatility problems, can be ensured by the superhubs. They thus become essential system-securing elements of the targeted renewable energy supply and the future operation of virtual power plants (see volatile sources).

 

 

Energy cost savings

Due to the very high nominal user frequency of practically up to 1000 e-cars per day and the volume advantage of the e-filling stations (superhub), the required electricity quantities can be purchased at 5-6 cents/kWh in the best case, if the additional costs from electricity generation, electricity distribution and traditional taxes/duties can be contained. Furthermore, additional revenues are generated by the provision of balancing power, so that all these factors together could enable a kWh price of about 20 cents for the consumer. Thus, in the medium term, the system offers lower electricity supply prices than any standard plug-in (AC and DC) pillars or ordinary AC and DC house connections, and becomes competitive with "fossil" drive types.

A standard swap station requires a maximum of 3 million kWh per year. A network of 30 normal swap stations requires more than 80 million kWh per year. These quantities are exceptionally high and ensure optimal electricity purchase prices.

Convenience of traditional gas stations

The Super Hub offers an attractive vision for future gas station use, including familiar convenience and services that are common today, such as car washing, night shopping, etc. Heavy use could also ensure sufficient revenue in additional service areas.

Long battery life

The lithium-ion batteries currently in use are exorbitantly conserved in the super hub if they are not charged quickly but gently in ≤ 0.5 C (2 hours) after a battery swap and then used for continuous grid stabilization (see control power).

Due to the system-immanent, storage-based stationary charging technology (flexible charging), punctual loads are comprehensively avoided, and the car batteries are kept efficient by the use of control power (overall lifetime effect: factor 4-5 compared to fast charging).

Blackout prevention

Through controlled recharging (at least ≤ 0.5 C) and the provision of storage capacity (see control energy), the e-filling station of the future itself contributes to blackout prevention. The mobility/grid sector coupling creates a win-win situation: the battery units are used to offer storage capacities for the smart grid, which needs a permanent storage reserve to compensate for the negative effects of the volatilities of the green power supply (see primary reserve, secondary reserve and minute reserve) and to relieve the smart grid. Thus, switching stations and virtual power plants should be managed as a common system.

With the successively growing infrastructure of the super hub system, several billion euros in grid expansion investments can be saved nationwide without risk. These would be available above all to the municipalities for other tasks in connection with the energy and mobility turnaround.

A graphical visualisation of the blackout risc by e-mobility plus 5G installation you will find here.

 

The advantages at a glance

• Efficient coupling of mobility and energy for the storage needs of future virtual power plants.
• Securing the functionality and efficiency of smart grids.
• Lower battery demand due to overcompensation and frequent evaluation of batteries in the process of replacement/recharging/replacement.
• Preservation of traditional fueling stations.
• Billions in savings and low investment costs by foregoing charging piles expansion and associated grid investments.
• Attractive low kWh prices compared to AC/DC charging
• Higher frequencies than AC/DC charging
• Reduction of recycling costs for batteries
• Direct use of end-of-life batteries as backup storage as part of managed smart grid storage provision (1 MW of backup storage for every 2 MW of normal storage).

 

The SWAPTOPUS®

Our product of the future is called SWAPTOPUS® and uses the freshly charged batteries of the swap station for 100 MWh and more per day to provide storage energy for the volatile power grid of the future. The SWAPTOPUS is an energy station for mobility and the grid. The e-filling station becomes a car battery storage power plant without loss of function, e.g. for balancing energy or "peak shaving".

The battery swap station storage potential is used for:

• the control energy demand
• load management
• balancing group management
• grid-serving operation of local micro grids
• the highest possible use of batteries (incl. recovery effects and cost minimization)

The additional demand for batteries can be far more than compensated for in the "SWAPTOPUS®" system through greater efficiency and long battery life.

The operation of the SWAPTOPUS® can be seen in the diagrams:

 

 

We see express battery swapping as a central component of future dual service station concepts: normal e-service stations can be additively transformed into energy stations or hubs of a flexible and decentralized renewable energy supply infrastructure.

INFRADianba's battery swapping, in combination with renewable energy purchasing through price minimizing balancing groups and with battery power plants for primary control power and peak shaving, is the Archimedean point for a fast, efficient dovetailing of mobility and energy turnaround, for a logistics of sustainability. Specifically, this implies:

• For instance, in Germany, the existing service stations simply need to be equipped with battery swap stations; the time- and resource-consuming renewal of the 900 local networks and the installation of up to 30 million charging points is largely unnecessary (complexity reduction: factor 3,000).
• With battery swapping, e-car drivers will get a freshly charged battery in 1-1.5 minutes (20 seconds technical swapping time). This will never be achievable with plug-in fast charging! This provides more useful time sovereignty and reduces the often stressful constraints of mobility. Overly long routines of refueling and driving will be significantly reduced through the speed of swapping.
• With up to 1,000 swaps per day, an optimal operating size is created for sustainable electricity purchasing (e.g. PV power, wind power surplus power), for other filling station services and for a battery storage potential (50 MWh throughput per day), which locally enables the economically attractive operation of battery storage power plants. Supported by auxiliary storage units, the silent storage reserves of the battery swap station can keep power plants of 10-20 MW running, primarily to provide reliable and highest-value primary control power for the smart grid. This will also provide a sustainable integrating contribution to the abolition of two expensive battery worlds for the for grid and mobility.
• Battery swapping with battery leasing takes away the main part of the risk, the often time-consuming stress (see among others operational safety or disposal) and the costs associated with an installed battery from the individual consumer. Battery leasing requieres the operator to assume the main responsibility, who is then compensated by the fact that he can optimize the battery in dual use as an available valuable production resource and derive a sustainability-supporting entrepreneurial benefit from the now possible quadrupling of its service life.

If you would like to learn more about our projects, please feel free to contact us.