Electricity grids face many challenges: among other things, power grid fluctuations and energy bottlenecks have to be compensated. This is where the batteries of electric vehicles could play a major role. A current open innovation ideas competition is looking for ideas on how intelligent charging can be organised for the benefit of all and how users of e-vehicles can profit from it. Attractive prizes await the best ideas.

The share of renewable energy is increasing and leads to fluctuations in electricity generation depending on sun and wind. The number of electric vehicles has also increased sharply worldwide in recent years, leading to rising energy demand. However, e-vehicles could also be part of the solution to bridge power grid fluctuations and energy shortages in the long term.

The batteries of electric vehicles can make an important contribution here: through intelligent flexible charging, the charging process can be controlled so that the vehicle is charged during times of favourable grid or market conditions. When conditions are unfavourable, the charging process is stopped. In addition, bidirectional charging also allows energy from the battery to be fed back into the grid when needed. This helps to keep the entire power grid stable and to store surplus electricity for times when consumers:inside need it.

“The combination of bidirectional charging and car sharing could create synergies that promote the decarbonisation of the energy and mobility sector,” says innovation researcher Diana Wieden-Bischof from Salzburg Research. “That’s why we are now using open innovation to look for ideas on how this can succeed and what incentives and synergies could be conceivable.”

Open innovation ideas competition for more sustainability through smart charging

We are looking for ideas, solutions and examples on the following questions, among others:

• What motivates owners of e-vehicles, company/car sharing fleets, e-charging stations or mobility hubs to make their batteries available for smart/intelligent charging?
• How can consumers be supported so that they align their flexible, smart charging behaviour more closely with the needs of the electricity grid?
• What (new) services, cooperation opportunities or business models will emerge from smart charging?

Shape the future and win

The ideas competition runs from 15 November 2022 to 15 January 2023 on the online platform https://www.openinnovation-salzburg.at. All ideas are welcome!

After the submission phase, the online community will evaluate the ideas. In the so-called arena, two submitted ideas are always juxtaposed and compared and evaluated by the registered users.

After the community evaluation, the ideas are presented to the expert jury. The jury is made up of representatives from organisations, science and business from the fields of mobility and energy. The ideas are evaluated and awarded prizes according to predefined criteria. The ideas will flow into research and business model development on this topic.

Attractive prizes await the winners, which will be handed over at a final event in February in MOONCITY Salzburg.

Research project GAMES

This idea competition takes place within the framework of the research project “GAMES – Grid aware mobility and energy sharing“. GAMES focuses on the question of how, by means of digitalisation of electric shared-vehicle fleets, mobility needs can be satisfied and at the same time new sources of revenue can be created by providing services to electricity grid operators and energy communities. GAMES will test whether such cross-sectoral exchanges can increase the efficiency of both the shared mobility and energy sectors and reduce their environmental footprint.
This project is funded under the ERA-Net SES Joint Call 2020 for transnational research, development and demonstration projects.