Skip to main content

e-smartConnect: Volkswagen Conducting Research on Automated Quick-Charging System for Next-Generation Electric Vehicles

  • Automated direct-current charging with robot assistance
  • Intelligent combination with automated parking (Valet Parking)
  • High-capacity traction batteries enable a range of 500 km

Volkswagen AG is once again underscoring the leading role it plays in electric and automated drive systems — and is already looking ahead to the next generation of electric vehicles. The improvements Volkswagen has achieved with the energy density and capacity of its traction batteries will enable a range of more than 500 km in the foreseeable future. This will lead to “true electrification” of personal transport with a large volume of vehicles. In order to make charging times for such vehicles as short as possible — and the charging process as efficient and convenient as can be — engineers in Wolfsburg are working on an automated direct-current charging system, a so-called automated e-filling station “e-smartConnect.”

The next generation of electric vehicles will be equipped with higher-capacity batteries. Very high charging capability (from 80 to 150 kW or more) is needed if such energy storage devices are to be charged quickly. This can be achieved with rapid DC charging technology, but this approach also requires the use of thick cables. The weight and stiffness of such cables makes them difficult to handle. The research goal of the e-smartConnect project is therefore to automatically couple a DC connector to the vehicle. When such charging is carried out in conjunction with an automated parking feature, the process takes only a minimal amount of time and is extremely convenient and reliable.

The actual link between the DC connector and the vehicle is created via a low force/moment cable arrangement and the use of the “LBR iiwa” lightweight robot from Kuka. The robot’s seven drive axles and integrated torque sensors ensure a precise, force sensing, and reliable connection.

Automated parking: down to the last centimetre

The automated charging process begins with communication between the vehicle and the charging station. The electric vehicle transmits its profile data to the charging station, which then tells the vehicle’s automated parking system where it should park. In order to achieve the necessary precision (the DC outlet on the vehicle must be positioned within an area measuring 20 x 20 centimetres), the surrounding infrastructure is supported here by the vehicle’s own assistance systems. In addition, a camera mounted on the robot’s gripping device calculates the exact position of the socket down to the last millimetre. The robot then removes the DC connector from the charging unit and inserts it into the outlet. After this is done, the robot is automatically transported via a conveyor system to the next electric vehicle that needs recharging.

e-smartConnect ensures safe and reliable human-robot collaboration (HRC)

Once the charging process is complete, the robot receives a command to remove the DC connector. After this is done, the vehicle automatically leaves the charging area, making it available for the next car. This ensures optimal utilisation of charging station capacity.

The system is perfect for public use because e-smartConnect technology also monitors the entire process to ensure there is no danger of any harmful physical contact between the robot and people. Human-robot collaboration is thus made possible without any need for additional safety barriers.

The post e-smartConnect: Volkswagen Conducting Research on Automated Quick-Charging System for Next-Generation Electric Vehicles appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/1HttUzZ
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Project SportWagen: Going Stage 2 with APR

    When we last left you, the humble little SportWagen was fresh from the development process with our friends at AWE Tuning, sporting a new downpipe, exhaust and intake, allowing things to breathe a bit easier.  The car sounded great, but there was no getting around the fact that our wagon was still quite, well, slow.   While we realize that nothing we do to the Golf SportWagen at this point will make it a race car, we still felt compelled to do something .  To put it bluntly, we had a fever, and the only cure was more power. Flash forward a few hours, and we found ourselves at Waterfest, staring down APR’s palatial spread and the numerous tuned vehicles surrounding it.  Earlier in the year, APR had hinted to us that their 1.8 TSI files would be quite impressive, and based on what they were able to do with the 2.0 TSI found in the new GTI and our time in their Golf R, we knew it’d be worth the wait.  So with this in mind, we lined our G...
Post a Comment
Read more

2025 VW Taos gets styling tweaks, power bump

Filed under: Volkswagen , Crossover Continue reading 2025 VW Taos gets styling tweaks, power bump 2025 VW Taos gets styling tweaks, power bump originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Sep 2024 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog https://ift.tt/5syqkoQ
Post a Comment
Read more

Novitec, Unsatisfied with Aventador SV, Adds More Veloce

The Lamborghini Aventador SV is no slouch, but if you’re into Lamborghinis, chances are you’re into big numbers. Whether it’s in the bank or under the hood, a big number could, and perhaps should, always be bigger, which is where Novitec steps in. Novitec has been modifying Italian cars for years, and their Torado line is dedicated to making ridiculous Lamborghinis even more ridiculous. Their latest effort takes the Aventador SV and remaps the engine to give it 786hp and 544 lb-ft of toque. They’ve also fitted the car with a new exhaust system that cuts 50 lbs off the car. Other mods include a carbon fiber aero package, spoiler, front splitter and air intake, all of which helps it shed even more weight. The Aventador also sits on 21 (back) and 20 (front) inch Vossen wheels. So if you think that a regular Aventador is just a little too pedestrian, give Novitec a call and they’ll hook you up. The post Novitec, Unsatisfied with Aventador SV, Adds More Veloce appeared first on VWVor...
Post a Comment
Read more