Future Electric Vehicle Energy Networks supporting Renewables (FEVER)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Engineering

Abstract

Transition to low-carbon is one of the key goals for this century to ensure the effects of man-made climate change are limited, and perhaps, mitigated. Through the electrification of transport, polluting fossil fuels and the harmful emissions generated by their consumption can be significantly reduced. The E-transport paradigm is challenging due to the introduction of large energy demands on the electricity supply grid, requirement for the installation of a national charging infrastructure, limited battery capacity leading to range anxiety, uncertainties around cost and user experience, including the expectation that vehicle fuels can be replenished within just a few minutes, to name but a few. These issues span the whole of society and have wide reaching implications: if the Electric Vehicle (EV) experience is not "satisfactory" then consumers will be reluctant to make the switch.

To address this challenge, an EV charging solution that can deliver fully grid-independent, renewably powered charging is required. This solution should stand to: (i) facilitate the deployment of new renewable generating capacity for the purposes of EV charging; and (ii) overcome existing national grid capacity constraints for growth in the EV charging-load. Such a solution could also underpin the creation of localised smart grids, that can flexibly support energy demand in communities under-served by the current infrastructure, further alleviating pressure on the existing electricity grid.

Through the "FEVER concept" devised in this programme grant, the investigators will design, develop and demonstrate such an EV charging solution. FEVER will use renewable generation, within an innovative off-vehicle energy storage (OVES) system, to offer a secure, year-round, grid-independent charging for EVs. Moving beyond the state-of-the-art technologies a cost-effective and socially-acceptable 'hybrid' OVES will be developed, that is suitable for both urban and rural deployment and use.

This interdisciplinary project unites a diverse team of academic scientists and engineers (mechanical, electronics and electrical, computer science) and social scientists (psychology, economics and management) across three research-led UK universities: Southampton, Sheffield and Surrey. The expertise embodied by this team reflects the fact that it is a combination of technological viability, financial cost and social acceptance (including socio-political, market/end-user, and community acceptance) that typically determines the operational and commercial success of a given innovation. Only utilising a platform like the programme grant scheme, can this wide range of expertise and backgrounds be brought together with key industrial partners from the sector (including Shell, Cenex, Siemens, Hive Energy, Wood Clean Energy and Yuasa) to address such a complex problem and provide an integrated research and innovation solution.

Through the programme, the team aims to:
(1) Understanding the problem context by investigating the current barriers and drivers affecting the development of fully grid-independent, renewables powered OVES based EV charging stations.
(2) Design, develop and trial viable, low-cost, and socially-endorsed solutions to this problem via the novel combination of energy storage technologies (including different battery technologies, and supercapacitors).
(3) Construct two functioning demonstrations of an optimised OVES concept (i.e. FEVER), to verify and validate its real-world performance as an EV charging solution, and to explore opportunities to use the technology to support wider local demand for electricity from homes, industry and business (via the creation of local 'smart-grids').
(4) Investigate key factors affecting social approval of the FEVER concept and specific demonstrators among key groups and individuals likely to affect the commercial success of the technology (e.g. policy makers, the public).
 
Description EPSRC IAA: Development and User Validation of an AI-based EV Routing System Prototype
Amount £74,193 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2023 
End 09/2024
 
Description ICURe Exploit Funding - 'SOLead Energy'
Amount £15,989 (GBP)
Funding ID EXSEP23ss-11 
Organisation SETsquared Partnership 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2023 
End 03/2024
 
Description ICURe Explore Funding - 'SOLead Energy'
Amount £34,977 (GBP)
Funding ID EXSEP23ss-11 
Organisation SETsquared Partnership 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2023 
End 12/2023
 
Description UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Sustainability
Amount £8,787,058 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/Y030702/1 
Organisation United Kingdom Research and Innovation 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2024 
End 09/2032
 
Description "Energy and Environment" session at TAS Showcase 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seb Stein chaired "Energy and Environment" session at TAS Showcase 2024. Elnaz Shafipour contributed as panelist to this session.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description "Southampton University app may become the Sat Nav of electric driving" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Interview with Prof Seb Stein re: "Southampton University app may become the Sat Nav of electric driving", which is related to the FEVER
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23141288.university-southampton-app-may-revolutionise-electric-driv...
 
Description 'Electric Vehicle Charging on Long Journeys - Current challenges and how artificial intelligence can help?', AI event for EV charging, @ Royal Society, London, 29th June 2022. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact 'Electric Vehicle Charging on Long Journeys - Current challenges and how artificial intelligence can help?', AI event for EV charging, @ the Royal Society, London, 29th June 2022.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Article in 'The Engineer': FEVER to relieve EV charging demands on grid 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Article related to the announcement of the FEVER project in 'The Engineer' online magazine.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/fever-to-relieve-ev-charging-demands-on-grid
 
Description Co-production Workshop 1 Report - external stakeholder workshop event with FEVER, held at the University of Sheffield, 13/6/23 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact The aim of this workshop - held at the University of Sheffield (13/06/23) - was to bring the FEVER academic team together with non-academic stakeholders in EV charging in order to (a) discuss the technical, socio-political and socio-technical challenges facing the EV charging sector; and (b) openly consider the viability of the FEVER technology concept as a part solution to these challenges.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.fever-ev.ac.uk/publications
 
Description Interview on BBC Radio Solent re: EV charging infrastructure 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Interview with Pat Sissons (standing in for Alun Newman) on BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show, discussing how the FEVER project can deliver new EV charging infrastructure (from 1:55:00 in recording)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f2v0gh
 
Description Interview on BBC Solent Breakfast Show about use of AI for personalised routes for EV charging 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Interview with Prof Seb Stein on use of app for personalised routes for EV charging, which is related to FEVER.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d9nr8q
 
Description Interview with Dr Chris Jones, BBC Solent Breakfast Show about FEVER 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr Chris Jones (Portsmouth University) was interviewed as part of the Alun Newman BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show re: the FEVER project on 15th Nov 2022.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0d89qcb
 
Description Public Policy|Southampton - announcement of FEVER project 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Announcement webpage of Public Policy|Southampton involvement within the FEVER prject.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/support-for-policymakers/policy-projects/Current%20projec...
 
Description The Policy Pod - Podcast on "FEVER - Future Electric Vehicle Energy networks supporting Renewables" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact In this illuminating episode of 'Policy Pod', Giles engages in a captivating conversation with Professor Andrew Cruden, who is a member of the Institute for Life Sciences, Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, and Energy Technology Group. Professor Cruden introduces to us their groundbreaking FEVER project, which is dedicated to the development and demonstration of a fully autonomous, cost-effective, and socially embraced electric vehicle charger powered by renewables.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://publicpolicy.podbean.com/
 
Description University of Surrey - Announcement of FEVER project 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Webpage article on the University of Surrey website re: the start of the FEVER project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/surrey-researchers-are-set-tackle-biggest-problems-facing-electric-veh...
 
Description Written evidence submitted by Professor Andrew Cruden on behalf of the Future Electric Vehicle Energy networks supporting Renewables project team - "Keeping the power on: our future energy technology mix" Call for Evidence 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Response to the Call for Evidence to the UK Government "Keeping the power on: our future energy technology mix".
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7832/keeping-the-power-on-our-future-energy-technology-mix/pub...