Go Eve has secured Innovate UK backing for an 18-month project worth over £500,000 to develop the next stage of DockChain – its technology for extending a DC fast charger to multiple parking bays.
DockChain assists operators to scale fast charging without installing a separate DC charger at every bay. Vehicles can remain plugged in while a compatible charger serves them in sequence, one at a time. Depending on the site, that can mean fewer chargers, less electrical infrastructure and a faster route to getting vehicles charging, it claims.
The project will develop new custom hardware with firmware and software to give DockChain more reliable control over starting, stopping and restarting charging sessions – without physically unplugging the electric vehicle. Existing DockChain units will be upgradable to incorporate this new technology, it added.
Experience with fleet installations has revealed vehicle behaviour varies, as some do not start charging on the first attempt, while others may not reliably restart after a session stops. Addressing those practical issues could make automated sequential charging more dependable, and give operators more flexibility to respond to changing vehicle priorities and schedules, it said.
The project will also investigate how the technology could support bidirectional charging and vehicle-to-grid services in future to generate revenue when the fleet is not being used.
Go Eve is inviting fleet operators to discuss trial sites, particularly where vehicles share limited charging capacity, have different departure times and charging priorities, or dwell-times that provide V2G revenue potential.
Trials would be planned around each site’s operation, with the new capability introduced and assessed as it becomes ready.
The project is supported through Innovate UK’s Growth Catalyst, Investor Partnerships programme.
John Goodbody, Co-founder and Marketing Director of Go Eve, said:
“We’ve already shown that fleets can serve more bays without multiplying the number of fast chargers,” said . “That’s where the immediate cost and rollout benefit comes from DockChain”.
“Working with fleets has also taught us that vehicles don’t always behave exactly as expected at the charging connector. Some EVs need another attempt to start; others can be reluctant to restart charging after power flow is paused for grid, or priority reasons. This project tackles those practical issues so we can make DockChain more reliable and more flexible.”
Image courtesy of Go Eve
