R&D PROJECTS

IBIL’s technology department carries out a range of tasks: developing its own terminal designs to improve ergonomics and usability; analysing vehicle behaviour via charge curves; determining software upgrades for new models on the market; designing interoperability processes with other charge managers; and optimising fleet consumption with tools such as power management.

IBIL is currently taking part in a number of EU projects, including the E-VIA FLEX- E ultra-fast charging project and CIRVE, which seeks to promote EV use through the deployment of fast and ultra-fast charging infrastructure.

The UFC (Ultra Fast Charge) project is the first electric vehicle charging station capable of providing the maximum power level permitted under the CCS ultra-fast standard, to give the highest power charging points in Europe. The facility is located at the REPSOL Group’s Ugaldebieta service station, in Abanto-Zierbena and marks a major innovation in several aspects: ​

• Vehicles capable of taking the maximum power can be charged in 5–10 minutes (comparable to conventional refuelling times). ​
• The four terminals are each capable of delivering up to 400 kW with the CCS standard, and 100kW with the ChaDeMo standard.​
• The facility’s DC bus architecture allows optimum distribution of available power to up to four vehicles.​
• The technology allows for the incorporation of renewable distributed generation and power storage. In other words, solar panels and storage systems can be used for a range of purposes, such as optimising the power required from the power grid, stabilising the power system with large-scale use of renewables and injecting energy into the grid as required, while still providing an ultra-fast charging service. ​

IBIL has led conception, definition, and installation of the project and is now in charge of operating and maintaining the infrastructure. In the electrical and electronic area, the inverters and charging terminals were manufactured by Ingeteam and the transformer centre and medium voltage switchgear were supplied by Ormazabal. All technology and suppliers for this pioneering facility are Spanish.

Download: Guide to the UFC project​

The E-VIA FLEX-E project involves roll-out of a pilot network of 14 ultra-fast charging facilities in European transport corridors in Spain, France and Italy. IBIL, the only Spanish participant, is among the trailblazers in this type of technology.

The project is also intended to share best practice on deployment and technical experience with installation, maintenance and operation of the infrastructure during the pilot stage.

For the launch of this project, IBIL contacted various suppliers of ultra-fast charging systems capable of supplying power equipment at over 300kW.

Project co-financed by the European Union through CEF funds (Connecting Europe Mechanism).

Pilot study to deploy 40 multi-standard fast charge points located along Iberian EU corridors (Mediterranean and Atlantic) with particular emphasis on crossborder areas between Portugal, Spain and France. In this project IBIL is leading the following activities, among others:

• Activity 1: Coordination: IBIL is in charge of coordination, with the aim of ensuring proper technical, administrative and financial implementation of the project.
• Activity 2: Technical requirements: IBIL has made a meticulous study of the current state of the art of fast-charge products on the market and has established the technical requirements needed for the chargers to be used in the CIRVE project.

Project co-financed by the European Union through CEF funds (Connecting Europe Mechanism).

The main objective of the AIGeCo project is to research and develop technologies that will enable a group of Basque companies to cover the entire value chain in this energy management process (aggregator, charge manager, communications operator, electronic equipment manufacturers, software developers). It will allow them to position themselves to provide new power supply services within a scenario in which consumers take control of their own electricity supply, producing their energy locally, renewably, transparently and safely, and Will facilitate the interchange of energy surpluses by way of virtual aggregation mechanisms.

Project financed by the Department of Economic Development and Infrastructure of the Basque Government (HAZITEK Program) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).

The Aigeco II project (Smart Power Generation and Consumption Aggregator with Active Customer Participation II) takes as its starting point the activities and results of Hazitek’s strategic Aigeco project (2017-2019).  The aim of the project is to develop a new smart aggregation system that will enable partners to provide new services for power supply in a customer-centred energy framework, with distributed resources and electrification of other energy consumption, particularly vehicles.

Project financed by the Basque Government’s Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures (HAZITEK Programme) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The overall objective of the project is to conceive and develop innovative technology and new business opportunities that will enable Basque industry to transition towards a new future scenario of sustainable mobility and maintain its leadership with new industrial capacities.

This overall objective can be divided into a number of specific goals:

1. To fit the best industrial processes to produce systems and components for vehicles and energy supply.
2. To develop new products and business models that will facilitate EV-charging and make it cheaper, more convenient and more efficient.
3. To be capable of proposing innovative solutions in products and production,.
4. To have the option of developing complete systems and thus position companies as Tier 1 organisations.
5. To have a rolling platform and product that will act as the basis for more advanced business models.
6. To design renewable generation and storage-based energy systems that are capable of catering to the energy needs of mobility systems and processes flexibly and adaptatively.
7. To develop products and services linked to vehicle connectivity and interaction with other public and private elements, in order to ensure a comprehensive improvement in mobility.
8. To manage valuable key data from the dynamic of mobility in order to provide advanced information and services to mobility-related systems and actors and at the same time facilitate the emergence of new business opportunities.

Project financed by the Department of Economic Development and Infrastructure of the Basque Government (HAZITEK Program) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).

This project will offer cities a new environmentally-sustainable waste collection service. Based on research into new electric transport technology, a new hybrid truck will be developed using smart algorithms to guarantee 100% electric operation within urban areas. And thanks to the introduction of public-access charging infrastructures, the project will also promote urban development based on sustainability, efficiency and clean energy, all fundamental pillars of the Smart City concept.​

At the same time, the development of this project will provide us with essential knowledge for deploying electric charging stations for heavy industrial vehicles at a national and international level. The following goals should be achieved:​

1. Development of technologies to obtain a hybrid industrial vehicle with more durable storage systems, more efficient engine control and an optimized tractor and HW system.​
2. A new managed, public, interoperable and on-demand charging system that increases and improves charging power, with optimised energy management coordinated with fleets.​

Project financed by the Basque Government’s Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures (HAZITEK Programme) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).​

The main purpose of this project is to research and develop an open protocol end-to-end solution that will enable the use of Plug-and-Charge (PnC) technology for charging electric vehicles (EVs). The developments will include, on the one hand, the EV itself, and on the other, the charging station and the operators of the charging and mobility infrastructure (the latter to make the process easier for EV users to use and manage).​

It will enable a relationship of mutual trust to be established between the different agents exchanging information in the charging ecosystem, through:​

• Creation of an open, neutral Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for handling digital certificates in the area of EV charging​
• Establishment of an exchange mechanism between these certificates.

​This will ensure securitization of communications, which in turn will pave the way for new forms of usage in the future. This project will focus on PnC (Plug and Charge) functionality.​

PnC will provide users with a “clean” experience, where their only interaction with the charging terminal will be to connect their vehicle.

A consortium is being formed to implement the Multihub project, which aims to encourage electromobility by providing users with access to new, available, efficient, sustainable and safe multi-vehicle charging infrastructures. The following objectives have been established for the Multihub project:​

1. ​To promote sustainable transportation and the use of zero-emission public and private vehicles, by providing users with access to multi-vehicle charging points.​
2. ​To optimise the energy operation of the charging station using demand forecasting and local power generation.​
3. To encourage the creation of new business models for charging stations and services related to electromobility, such as Vehicle-as-a-Service models.​
4. ​To boost energy efficiency by 15% through development of new chargers with advanced technology, integration in a microgrid with distributed generation and optimized power management.​
5. To achieve early detection of 80% of cyber-attacks with impact on service.​
6. To facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles by the public by offering secure solutions tailored to users’ needs.​