LIEV: smart charging on a grand scale
1 May 2024 - 30 April 2026
While we can certainly say that EVs are here to stay, there is no denying that they exacerbate grid stress. With the LIEV project, AUAS is helping municipalities and grid operators to investigate which smart charging technologies can help solve this problem at scale.
Smart charging technology
The growth of electric transport presents municipalities and grid operators with a challenge: building up sound public charging infrastructure with the spectre of severe grid stress looming. The solution is smart charging. Smart charging can help to alleviate grid stress. For instance by spreading the demand for power through charging EVs during dips in demand, which will help ease the pressure on the grid. But which smart charging methods are best used by public parties?
The aim of the LIEV project is to evaluate different smart charging methods to narrow down the choice for municipalities, regional authorities and grid operators.
Rick Wolbertus
Associate professor of Smart Energy Systems
Methodology
We need to ease grid stress now, but the various methods and techniques for doing so are at various stages of development. As part of this study, researchers are therefore investigating the potential of various techniques over time by analysing several real-life smart charging projects. These projects harness a wide range of techniques, including stationary batteries, integration into local energy grids and the large-scale application of smart charging. By evaluating the insights produced by these projects, the researchers hope to provide public parties with actionable advice.
Education
AUAS students can also take part in the LIEV project, for instance by doing internships or graduation projects. Case studies are also being developed for the Data Science minor, the Positive Energy City minor and the Master's programme in Urban Technology. In the Energy Lab, researchers are developing an experiment on a smart grid test rig to introduce students of Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Technical Business Administration and Logistics to issues of system integration and the energy transition.
Team
- Rick Wolbertus (project leader)(opens in new window)
- Elgin Blankwater
- Edward Heath
- Robin van Schie
- Renee Heller
- Pieter Bons
- Frank Kuipers
Partners
In this project, AUAS is working closely with the municipality of Amsterdam, the municipality of Rotterdam, Equans, Liander, Vattenfall, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Elaad and TU Delft. MRA-elektrisch and the National Knowledge Platform for Charging Infrastructure have joined as supporting partners.
Energy and Innovation
This project is part of the Smart Energy Systems research line and the Energy and Innovation research group at AUAS, which contributes to the energy transition with applied research on renewable energy and energy saving.
LIEV builds on previous smart charging projects:
Future Charging (2019-2024): in this project, AUAS investigated the charging infrastructure of the future with 18 project partners. How can municipalities, charging operators, energy companies and grid operators facilitate the explosive demand for charging stations in time? View the final publication(opens in new window).
Flexpower (2021-2022): AUAS investigated whether the charging speed of electric cars at public charging stations could be modulated throughout the day, depending on the amount of energy available. View the final publication(opens in new window).
SIMULAAD (2017-2020): using a database of charging sessions across the Netherlands, this project investigated different smart charging strategies and their effects on the charging infrastructure. View the analysis(opens in new window).
SEEV4-CITY (2016-2020): using a technology called Vehicle2Grid, EV batteries can be used to briefly store solar energy. SEEV4-City explored ways to scale up this smart charging concept. Visit the SEEV4-City website for all publications(opens in new window).
IDO-LAAD (2015-2019): this project harnessed data analysis and modelling to support professionals in the field in rolling out public charging infrastructure. View the final publication(opens in new window).
Me2 (2016-2018): me2 was a European Smart City project aiming to create a new energy marketplace in an urban environment. View the final publication(opens in new window).
Monitoring EV charging infrastructure (2015): for more information visit evdata.nl(opens in new window)