Q&A with Momentum Dynamics
Wi-fi charging is nothing new—Charged has lined wi-fi EV charging since no less than 2011—however it might be that its true worth is just coming into focus now, as increasingly industrial and transit fleets are electrifying.
There are lots of causes (security, reliability, legal responsibility) {that a} fleet operator won’t need their drivers getting out of the autos to plug and unplug charging cables. And if one thinks just a little deeper, it seems that wi-fi, performed correctly, might be really transformative, notably for a public transit fleet. What if going wi-fi enabled you to delay the lifetime of your batteries, to attain the identical vary with a smaller battery pack, and to cost the identical variety of autos with fewer charging stations?
These are the advantages Momentum Dynamics claims to supply, and Charged sat down with Bob Kacergis, Momentum’s Chief Industrial Officer, and John Holland, the corporate’s Industrial Director for Europe and the Center East, to listen to the small print.
Charged: Are you able to give us a quick firm historical past?
Bob Kacergis: Momentum Dynamics was based in 2009 by Andy Daga, who’s the present CEO. I’ve been an advisor to the corporate since 2010, and I joined as a full-time member of the group about two and a half years in the past.
We began from day one specializing in high-power wi-fi charging, and we developed a modular method. We’ve got a typical module that may serve any automobile from any OEM in any geography. Our charger on the bottom can cost any of our clients’ autos. I might drive a Class 8 truck over a light-duty charger, and it’ll activate one pad of that truck and nonetheless cost. I can drive a passenger automobile over a 300-kilowatt industrial charger, and if that passenger automobile has one pad, it’ll activate that one pad.
Charged: So, the identical charging station will work for all autos?
John Holland: Sure. We’re fully modular and interoperable, so we’ve got the identical system deployed throughout all automobile sorts and all fleets. We might take an Oslo taxi and cost it in a bus terminal in Wenatchee, Washington or vice versa. Beneath, EV electrical architectures share lots in frequent, and our integrations are literally very easy, whether or not it’s an aftermarket accent as a package or, as we’re doing with Volvo Vehicles, an OEM-installed answer.
Charged: What’s concerned with putting in the vehicle-side system?
John Holland: We fasten the receiver plate beneath the automobile. We join high-power communication strains into the DC charging system of the automobile. The battery administration system stays answerable for our pad. Then we faucet into the traditional cooling system loop of the automobile. We even have international object detection cameras to verify we’ve got no metallic objects falling into the magnetic discipline. And it’s so simple as that.
Charged: It might be put in in any current EV?
John Holland: I’ll generalize with a lazy “Sure,” nevertheless we have to research the actual software. We’d like an appropriate floor clearance, so the package deal house the place we set up is vital. We’re put in on the Volvo XC40 and the Jaguar I-PACE in public, in order that exhibits the bottom clearance isn’t a difficulty. Momentum is working by many new automobile integration tasks right this moment, together with buses, vehicles, industrial and passenger autos, plus some thrilling particular functions.
Charged: How does the switch effectivity evaluate to a wired system?
Bob Kacergis: The switch is just a little bit higher than a plug-based system. Lots of people don’t perceive how that may be, but when you consider the topology of a charger, there’s the facility electronics which are related to the grid—that’s the place the cupboard is—then there’s a cable going from there to the place the automobile is, after which there’s automobile coupling. On the cupboard finish, we’ve got a bonus over plug-in charging as a result of one of many key energy switch phases within the energy electronics is an isolation transformer, an air-gap transformer, which is defending the automobile from the grid and vice-versa. If there’s a lightning strike, for instance, there’s a bodily separation. We don’t want that element as a result of the air hole between the automobile and the bottom charger serves as our isolation transformer.
We’ve got extra environment friendly energy electronics. Switch out to the pad, the automobile web site: parity. The automobile coupling, we do have some losses within the pads, each on the bottom and the automobile, however it’s not as massive because the achieve we get for lacking that element within the energy electronics cupboard. The air hole itself operates at 99.99% effectivity between the pads.
Individuals say, “Oh, you’re wi-fi. You have to be radiating EMF.” In reality, we aren’t, we’re recycling that magnetic discipline and containing it throughout the pads, as a result of it’s a resonant, extremely coupled and formed magnetic discipline. If we had been appearing like an antenna and radiating out, we’d have excessive EMF emissions, and we must warn individuals about magnetic security round our gear. That’s why we imagine we’ve got a bonus over different [companies]. We’ve got decrease EMF emissions than the people who find themselves attempting to do low-power wi-fi. They’ll’t work out how we do what we do.
We’ve got a cable transmission effectivity benefit due to our modular structure. In operating a cable, there are warmth losses attributable to resistance by copper. We’re modular, so if we’ve got a 300 kW charger, we’re truly operating 4 units of cable from our charger to the facility electronics. We’re not rising the amperage of our system after we go to greater energy, we’re merely placing one other low-power charger subsequent to it. The resistance loss in a cable is the present squared occasions the resistance of the wire, in order our energy ranges go up, for instance if we do a 4x enhance in energy, we’re simply placing 4 of the identical charger. Whereas operating a single cable, going to 4 occasions the facility, I must enhance my amperage 4 occasions, so it’s 16 occasions much less environment friendly for a single-cable system to do this similar run.
I’ve but to see a single plug-in charger firm discuss their grid-to-battery effectivity. Everybody assumes it have to be 100% environment friendly, however the actuality is that these programs are anyplace from 88 to 94% environment friendly. We’re someplace within the 90 to 92% vary. We’ve measured it as much as 94%, however in case you do it at any given day, you’re not going to seek out that, as a result of it is determined by [several things]. Are you operating it at full energy? Is the battery in the appropriate state of cost for truly accepting full energy? As a result of it’s all non-linear, proper? The battery doesn’t demand full energy the entire time, so that you’re hardly ever operating your charger at full energy. And effectivity numbers that individuals declare are operating it at full energy beneath ultimate circumstances.
Charged: You say utilizing wi-fi charging can lengthen battery life. How does that work?
John Holland: Lithium-ion batteries degrade with use. In a single day or deep-cycle discharge damages batteries, and excessive C charges degrade batteries due to the temperature created. What we do is cost autos steadily and by doing so, we preserve a forty five to 75% state of cost (SoC), so the battery sees a a lot gentler method. The proof, based mostly on our analysis and a few educational analysis, is that it may possibly result in 4.5 occasions extra life expectancy for a battery versus a deep-cycle charging method.
What we do is cost autos steadily and by doing so, we preserve a forty five to 75% state of cost (SoC), so the battery sees a a lot gentler method.
All industrial EVs ought to have an extended, productive life, nevertheless if in a high-utilization software and obligation cycle the batteries degrade with a non-viable state of well being and vary, then there’s a main situation. If batteries are usually not surviving the lifetime of the automobile, I personally discover that an obscene place to be in as we drive ahead with our environmentally-focused revolution.
Bob Kacergis: Partial State of Cost (PSOC) administration considerably prolongs the lifetime of battery packs, as a result of the total cost biking [charging all the way to 100%] is inflicting bodily injury to the person cells. We’ve got on our advisory board a battery skilled who advises the battery producers, and he described it to me as calcification of your veins in an irreversible approach. That’s what occurs if you absolutely cost your lithium-ion batteries.
A few of our extra superior clients perceive this—our oldest operator will usually attempt to preserve their batteries between 35 and 85% state of cost. We allow them to remain [in that range] all day lengthy, as a result of each cycle of that bus, they’re sitting on a charger at a switch station for 5 minutes, seven minutes, they usually mainly have perpetual-range autos.
Charged: What are another advantages of your system?
Bob Kacergis: You will have a longer-range automobile, so that you get rid of downtime losses. It’s absolutely computerized, so that you don’t have to go away your automobile to cost, you don’t have tripping hazards. There’s ease of operations, ease of upkeep advantages. The opposite profit, which we aren’t realizing but, however we’re getting individuals asking about, is: “Hey, if I can preserve my batteries in that fifty to 80% vary on a regular basis, can I eliminate some battery off the bus?” You probably have a lighter automobile, it has extra capability, extra power effectivity, since you’re not driving lifeless weight mass round.
John Holland: By eradicating 2.2 metric tons [in battery weight] from a bus, we saved a fleet operator $24 million in power prices. The power requirement of propelling 1,000 kilograms of car for 100 kilometers is often 10 kilowatt-hours, greater in high-gradient landscapes. So in case you take away 2,200 kg of weight, you take away 22 kWh for each 100 km pushed, which over the lifetime of a fleet of 28 buses will prevent $24 million in power prices simply since you’ve bought a lighter automobile. That’s at right this moment’s power costs. The financial savings from light-weight autos are completely staggering.
Bob Kacergis: When you have a look at the bus market, the technique of those [OEMs] is what I name the large bus technique. They preserve saying, “Let’s placed on extra battery, as a result of our guys want extra vary.” And the extra they try this, the autos are literally not road-legal—they’re violating the axle weight limits. They’re bodily damaging the autos as a result of they’re so heavy. They’re decreasing passenger capability, decreasing power effectivity, they usually nonetheless can’t make vary in wintertime, as a result of industrial autos can lose between 40 and 60% of their vary in cold-weather operations.
Automobile producers don’t share that after they’re promoting autos, so [fleet operators] are shopping for autos and as quickly as winter comes round, they’re getting [only] 60 miles out of a automobile. A number of the recommendation of the engineering corporations, realizing this cold-weather affect, is to seek out simpler routes first and look ahead to bigger-battery buses [to serve the longer routes]. Or they’re saying you need to purchase [up to] two electrical buses to interchange each diesel bus due to this battery conduct affect. Economically irrational.
What we are saying is, we’ll change them on a one-to-one ratio and cost them extra intelligently. We give them a sip of power right here and a sip of power there as they’re doing their work. Similar factor in logistics yards with autos which are doing a number of back-and-forth routes from a port to a logistics heart. When you have a look at industrial autos, a variety of their time through the course of the day is dwell time. You simply have to determine the place that’s and learn how to plan for it. So, we take an operational method with our clients, going to observe their autos at work and discovering alternatives to seize just a little little bit of electrical energy within the regular course of operations. When you try this, you possibly can preserve your automobile at work all day lengthy, so that you’re rising the income availability of your automobile.
Whether or not you’re carrying items or our bodies, in case your automobile’s sitting hooked up to its plug, it’s not creating wealth. We’re doing the identical factor around the globe. In our Gothenburg and Oslo taxi tasks, the chargers are on the taxi stands. They’re sitting over the charger whereas they’re ready for fares. They’re grabbing incremental electrical energy whereas they’re sitting there, and we all know they’re coming again, as a result of their dispatch mannequin is from a taxi stand. And the concept is that they’re in income service on a regular basis. When you do the mathematics from the automobile proprietor’s perspective, we’re giving them 20 to 30% extra income alternative.
Right here’s our charging consumer handbook: You drive to the charger and put the automobile in Park.
And after they’re at a cease, they’re charging the complete time. They don’t must get out, register, plug in and unplug. In two minutes we give them two minutes of charging time, minus 4 seconds, as a result of authentication, identification and the initiation of charging are all completely computerized. One of many issues that John posted this week was humorous. He mentioned, “Right here’s our charging consumer handbook: You drive to the charger, and put the automobile in Park.”
Charged: That seems like what a Tesla supercharger or the brand new Plug and Cost system does, however that is your proprietary system that does all this, proper?
Bob Kacergis: Yeah. These are high-power chargers, and it’s computerized just like the Tesla course of. We’re speaking between the automobile and the charger, asking the community, “Is that this a licensed consumer?” If sure, we begin charging based mostly on the automobile’s request. The pad is definitely speaking over a wi-fi near-field communications community.
Charged: We noticed the case research video of the system you put in for Hyperlink Transit in Washington in 2018. Have you ever upgraded your system since then?
Bob Kacergis: I might name them a beta consumer of our gen-one system. That was a four-pad system with a complete energy stage of 200 kW. That was truly embedded within the pavement, so not straightforward to interchange—it wasn’t as modular as our present system. With our present system it’s very straightforward for us to swap pads out and in and improve. We’ve had a few our first-generation customers which are upgrading.
One other gen-one buyer is CARTA down in Chattanooga. They’re changing to new expertise. As we evolve {our capability}, we’ll both be sure that it’s backward-compatible or in some circumstances we’ll truly swap out the elements on the automobile and/or the bottom. It’s designed to be simply maintainable, swappable.
One other good factor about our multi-pad modular design: if there is a matter on the bottom or on the automobile aspect, the remainder of these programs will preserve working, as a result of they’re unbiased programs end-to-end, throughout to the facility electronics. We had an instance of this with one among our clients—within the wintertime, one among their pads failed, however the different three saved going. The software program will simply rebalance and supply what the automobile wants.
Charged: Are there another clients you possibly can inform us about?
Bob Kacergis: Our greatest one is IndyGo in Indianapolis. They’ve 31 wi-fi electrical buses, and one other 28 on order. Proper now, their first charger is put in they usually’re a pair months into driver coaching on that. We’re planning with them on their subsequent two chargers. They usually [have issued RFPs] for a further 40 to 50 buses.
The complete island of Martha’s Winery goes electrical bus with wi-fi. We’ve got two chargers on the airport and three of them on a residential avenue. Somebody just lately checked out {a photograph} of this venture and mentioned, “The place’s the charger?” And we’re like, “Yeah, that’s the purpose.” You don’t see it. It’s within the pavement at a bus cease in the midst of a residential neighborhood.
We’re working with about 15 transit companies within the US proper now, at numerous phases of planning and build-out. Grant Transit, which is in Moses Lake, Washington. We did a ribbon slicing for Kitsap Transit, which is true throughout from Seattle. We’ve got an enormous community in Northern California, which remains to be in design work—that’s a company known as the Solana Transportation Authority. It’s a community of 300 kW chargers, which is being constructed for the advantage of a number of transit companies in that area.
John Holland: about our Oslo taxi tasks, and our Volvo taxi venture in Gothenburg, Sweden. I’m trying to lengthen our taxi tasks to cities throughout the UK, Europe and the Center East. We even have a grocery supply van with Waitrose in London. We’ve got an thrilling venture to cost a hearth truck within the hearth station, and a venture to cost ambulances on the [emergency room] drop-off level at a hospital. It’s an thrilling time. There’s immediately an enormous quantity of curiosity in wi-fi charging. In each software I work to take away battery materials.
Charged: Inform me about your Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport venture.
Bob Kacergis: They’re constructing a brand new terminal that’s going to open in 2023. There’s two of our 300 kW four-pad chargers on the curbside outdoors of bags declare. They’ve a fleet of 28 car parking zone shuttles which are biking full-time. We’re doing the power modeling with them and we imagine their complete fleet will have the ability to keep charged with these two chargers, as a result of it’s a comparatively quick route they usually don’t must cost each time they arrive round. The bus producer, BYD, is within the means of outfitting the buses proper now.
Charged: When a transit company is considering electrifying, I think about they usually make a listing of bus OEMs and request a proposal from each. How do you insert your self into that course of?
Bob Kacergis: That query applies in each market we’re working in—we’ve got to work with each the OEMs and the fleets. Within the bus instance, we’re a factory-installed charging possibility for Gillig, BYD and Inexperienced Energy buses, and we’re at some stage of integration dialogue with most likely each different bus producer that distributes within the US.
We’re all the time in discussions with clients to demand this functionality from the OEMs. I do know that works, as a result of I’m working with transit operations which are constructing wi-fi charging networks which have but to specify whose bus they’re shopping for, and they’re demanding from the OEMs, “Work out learn how to get this [system] in your bus.”
I’ve a backlog of about 70 autos which are ready for integrations. Ones which you can point out [include] Mack Vans and Orange EV. They’re the main producer of logistics yard vehicles, they usually’re designing us into their future mannequin automobile. We’ve bought one of many massive German auto OEMs we’ve been built-in with, however we will’t announce it but.
Charged: You’re additionally focusing on truck fleets?
John Holland: All varieties of autos—passenger vehicles, supply vans, Class 1 to Class 8 vehicles. We’re charging development autos, mining and agricultural autos. Additionally, marine functions to cost electrical boats, due to course we’re waterproof.
As a result of we’re fully waterproof and we’ll cost by all climate circumstances, lots of people are selecting us just because we’re a safer possibility. We’ve got no cable, no plugs and no naked terminals. We’ve bought chauffeur automobile functions who’re utilizing us as a result of within the quarter-hour it takes to valet the automobile, they will cost the automobile whereas washing it in a pool of water with none electrification danger.
Charged: I suppose upkeep can also be lower than with a wired system?
John Holland: We’ve got no transferring components, which is like nirvana for an engineer. Think about the upkeep necessities on transferring robotic arms, pantographs, catenary programs or cable-drop programs. For us, we simply must verify the coolant stage. Our upkeep schedule is minuscule. Lowest complete value of possession of any charging system. Interval.
We’ve got no transferring components, which is like nirvana for an engineer…Our upkeep schedule is minuscule. Lowest complete value of possession of any charging system. Interval.
Charged: How does your system relate to current requirements like CCS or the brand new megawatt charging system?
John Holland: First, any automobile that fees with our system would retain any cable-based chargers, so they’d nonetheless be obtainable on the automobile, though we envisage a time when the plug might be eliminated. Second, we talk from automobile to cost pad individually by our communication system, after which on the again finish, that info is made obtainable to any companions, cost level operators or billing companies that want that info. We’re OCPP 1.6 [compliant].
Charged: I suppose your system interfaces with software program programs akin to power administration and fleet administration packages.
John Holland: Sure, almost all of our shoppers want some back-end info administration system, which we port into by numerous means. All are searching for some type of power administration and back-office analytics, which is simple for us.
Charged: How does your worth evaluate to a traditional wired DC charging answer?
John Holland: Oh, we’re a lot cheaper. We’re the bottom complete value of possession. While our gear [prices] is likely to be marginally greater—and solely marginally—per floor charger, we’re akin to a super-fast charger for every of our cost pads. However then in fact, you need to have a look at complete lifetime value. We pay for our gear in buses by eradicating battery capability. We pay for the gear with taxi fleets by giving them uptime availability. The absence of any transferring components means we pay for the gear due to the considerably diminished upkeep, injury danger and cable theft danger. So, whether or not it’s productiveness or power financial savings, each software I’ve labored with, we’re the bottom complete value of possession of any system.
However on high of value, if I can take 2.2 metric tons of battery out of a automobile, then I’ve made a big environmental affect.
This text appeared in Concern 60: April-June 2022 – Subscribe now.
