My Electric Avenue, the ground-breaking electric vehicle (EV) project led by EA Technology and hosted by Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD), has now signed up more than enough customers to allow it to move to the next stage of customer-based trials.
With over 100 customers now signed up to the Technical trials, this milestone allows further roll out of electric vehicles to be used in the project. Once all the cars are delivered, we’ll be able to see what the electric vehicle street of the future could look like, and discover essential learning about managing the local electricity network for this ‘real life’ scenario.
Crucially, the recruitment for the trials has succeeded because of ‘cluster champions’ in local communities taking up the challenge of recruiting at least nine other neighbours through leaflet dropping, door knocking, and even holding community coffee mornings to drum up support.
My Electric Avenue is focusing on the potential problems that can arise when a large number of EVs charge in the same street at the same time, and is the first trial that directly controls domestic EV charging to prevent underground cables and substations being overloaded. The project aims to prove a solution that would avoid the costly, time-consuming and potentially disruptive alternative of digging up roads to install higher capacity electric cables.
The successful communication around My Electric Avenue has resulted in a large number of applications to take part in this innovative, ground-breaking project. Key to this successful customer engagement has been the right mix of project partners and a fantastic ‘hook’ (the Nissan LEAF) for those taking part in the trials. Under the Technical trials programme, each individual in a cluster (or one street in many cases) will lease an all-electric Nissan LEAF at a subsidised rate for 18 months, with the aim of trialling ‘Esprit’, a new technology developed by EA Technology to monitor and control the electricity used when the car is being charged.
EA Technology has developed and is delivering the £9m project, as well as providing the technology used as part of the trial. The project has also included a number of other Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including Fleetdrive Electric and Zero Carbon Futures (ZCF). This is the first time a private company, EA Technology, rather than an electricity company (i.e. a Distribution Network Operator or DNO) has led and managed an Ofgem Low Carbon Networks Fund project, showing that SMEs can deliver on such projects.
Although the Technical trials are now fully subscribed, My Electric Avenue’s Social trials are still open for business. The Social trials are designed to complement the information gathered during the Technical trials and participants can lease a new 100% electric Nissan LEAF at a specially negotiated rate for 18 months. Applicants can be individuals or groups and there’s no requirement to have any technology installed in the home. Spaces in the Social trials are limited and so the cars will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Commenting on the success of the project, Stewart A. Reid, SSEPD’s Future Networks Manager, says: “This project is critical for us as we move towards a world where electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are the norm. Learning how to charge a large number of EVs in the same street without having to replace the cables and substations is key if we are to keep customers’ bills down.
The efforts of the team in recruiting customers have been excellent, but for me the most significant learning point so far is the ‘relative’ ease with which these clusters have been created; to me this says that we are very close to the ‘tipping point’ in the UK where EVs will be a significant part of the mix.”
Dave A. Roberts, EA Technology’s Future Networks Director, comments “When we first presented the idea for this project there was much scepticism about whether it could be achieved. Thanks to an excellent combination of partners and effective communication about the project, we have exceeded the targets set by Ofgem. This means that we can now deliver over 100 electric vehicles to our trial participants, and we look forward to sharing the learning outcomes from the project.”
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Over 100 Nissan LEAFs are now being delivered to My Electric Avenue trial participants
About My Electric Avenue
My Electric Avenue project is led by EA Technology, a trusted third party innovation technology deliverer, with project partners Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited (SSEPD) (the host Distribution Network Operator, or DNO), Nissan (EV supplier), Fleetdrive Electric (EV rental programme management), Zero Carbon Futures (charging point network developer) and Northern Powergrid (participating DNO). In addition there are two academic partners, the University of Manchester (providing network modelling support), and De Montfort University (providing socio-economic modelling support). Ricardo is providing independent technical verification to the project.
The project set out to look for ten ‘electric avenues’ – groups or ‘clusters’, with seven groups of ten people or more – where each person will drive an electric car for 18 months to trial a new technology which will monitor and control the electricity used when the car is being charged.
The project has now opened its Social trials to individuals or groups, offering the opportunity to lease a new electric Nissan LEAF at a specially negotiated rate for 18 months. The Social trials are designed to provide confidence in the results of the Technical trials. People can live anywhere in the UK to take part in the Social trials, and there’s no requirement to have any technology installed to monitor and control charging at their home. Applicants can be individuals or groups. Limited spaces are available, so cars will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details on the social trials, and to register interest, visitwww.myelectricavenue.info/social-trials
As well as providing essential learning about managing the strain on the distribution network from the anticipated increased uptake of electric vehicles, My Electric Avenue project will also deliver a cost-effective solution to DNOs that reduces the need for network reinforcement and allows a faster uptake of EVs.
My Electric Avenue is the public-facing name for the project which is officially titled ‘I2EV’. The I2EV name references that there are two strands of innovation to this electric vehicle project: technical and commercial. The technical innovation is the technology which monitors and controls the demand on the local electricity network from the recharging of electric vehicles. The commercial innovation is that this is the first time a non-Distribution Network Operator will lead and manage a Low Carbon Networks Fund project, and it will create a blueprint for how DNOs and third parties can work together in the future.
For more details on the Social Trials, and to register interest, visit www.myelectricavenue.info/social-trials
About My Electric Avenue’s Ofgem targets
EA Technology has met and exceeded the criteria set by Ofgem for the customer engagement aspect of the Technical trials as part of My Electric Avenue (9.5.1 in the Project Direction).
The criteria for customer recruitment was as follows: sign up of 100 customers, with 7 clusters of at least 10 customers in each, and 10 cluster groups overall, within 12 months following approval of the Customer Engagement Plan and Data Protection Strategy. Approval of these documents was provided on 12 March 2013.
My Electric Avenue has exceeded the requirements on recruitment and customer engagement by:
- Achieving 111 signed lease contracts overall in the technical trials; 100 were required
- Recruiting 8 clusters with 10 people in each; 7 clusters of 10 were required
- Recruiting 11 clusters overall in the technical trials; 10 clusters in total were required.
Project partners
EA Technology
EA Technology is an employee-owned organisation offering high-tech instruments, software, electrical services and technical consultancy to the operators of power networks around the world. Through its Future Networks division it delivers innovative end-to-end solutions to facilitate the introduction of low carbon technologies to future proof electricity networks, resulting in lower cost connections, prompt adoption and reduced risk to business.
www.eatechnology.com
Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution
Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited, and its subsidiaries Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, Southern Electric Power Distribution and Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, are all members of the SSE Group. Through its Power Distribution business, it transmits and distributes electricity to over 3.7 million businesses, homes and offices in central southern England and the north of Scotland. It owns and is responsible for maintaining one electricity transmission network and two electricity distribution networks, comprising 106,000 substations and 130,000 km of overhead lines and underground cables across one third of the UK. Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited is also delivering a range of innovative projects, notably the £30 million Thames Valley Vision project, which aims to ensure the UK has a high quality and affordable electricity network in the future.
www.ssepd.co.uk
Nissan
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year, Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 528,000 vehicles – including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Japanese brand in Europe.
www.nissan.co.uk
Fleetdrive Electric
Fleetdrive Electric is the UK’s leading lease provider of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. It is a division of Fleetdrive Management Ltd which provides cars and vans and associated services to SMEs in the UK. With five years of experience, Fleetdrive Electric is an expert in the evaluation and implementation of EVs right through to charging solutions, training and vehicle whole life cost modelling.
www.fleetdrive-electric.com
Zero Carbon Futures
Zero Carbon Futures is a recently established consultancy in North East England set up to deliver a range of local, national and international programmes all geared up to advance the region as a European leader in the production of low carbon vehicles. The company has a range of experience in the low carbon sector and is currently developing a centre of excellence for the LCV sector in Sunderland, North East England which will house pioneering research in energy storage and smart home technology.
The company successfully managed the North East England’s Plugged in Places programme, Charge Your Car, which has installed the UK’s most comprehensive regional EV charge point network throughout North East England, and is now developing a national UK Pay as You Go EV charge point network with its partner Elektromotive. For more information on our work, contact us at zerocarbonfutures@gateshead.ac.uk.
Northern Powergrid
Northern Powergrid is the electricity distribution business for Northeast England, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. The company is responsible for delivering power safely and reliably to the 3.9 million electricity domestic and business customers in this area and operates through its subsidiaries, Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Ltd and Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc. Northern Powergrid is a wholly owned subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. Northern Powergrid’s network consists of more than 31,000 substations, 29,000 kilometres of overhead line and 62,000 kilometres of underground cable, covering an area of more than 25,000 square kilometres. Northern Powergrid is leading moves towards a low carbon electricity network through the UK’s largest smart grid project, ‘the customer-led network revolution’. Information on Northern Powergrid is available at www.northernpowergrid.com.