https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Aviation|Business|Efficiency|Energy|Freight|generation|Infrastructure|Innovation|Marine|Power|Services|Solar|Storage|System|Systems|Technology|Testing|transport|Infrastructure
Africa|Aviation|Business|Efficiency|Energy|Freight|generation|Infrastructure|Innovation|Marine|Power|Services|Solar|Storage|System|Systems|Technology|Testing|transport|Infrastructure
africa|aviation|business|efficiency|energy|freight|generation|infrastructure|innovation|marine|power|services|solar|storage|system|systems|technology|testing|transport|infrastructure

All mobility heading to electric future; solar and storage seen as key enablers

2nd October 2019

By: Schalk Burger

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

The Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI’s) electric mobility initiative uYilo director Hilten Parmar on Tuesday highlighted that worldwide all forms of mobility, including personal, freight, aviation and marine transport, were moving towards the use or inclusion of electric systems.

The use or inclusion of electric systems in mobility will help to improve their efficiency, as well as to lower, and in some cases eliminate, emissions.

In South Africa, electric mobility infrastructure is being developed mainly in the urban areas and along major highway networks.

The uYilo programme, which is hosted in the DSI’s Technology Innovation Agency, is supporting the testing of battery and electric mobility technologies alongside its industry partners, with a focus on localisation of these technologies.

“Since uYilo’s inception in 2013, we have scaled up the investment in and growth of the local participants in battery technologies and electric mobility software. We run yearly funding calls to drive local development of these technologies.”

Additionally, key technologies required will include distributed solar electricity generation and storage systems to support charging infrastructure. Global charging and electric mobility communications protocols are being developed and should be adopted by all automobile manufacturers by next year, he added.

“The energy ecosystem is changing from single generation, transmission and distribution channels to a much more complex ecosystem of multiple sources of generation and different patterns of distribution and consumption.

Electric mobility will fit into new smart electricity grids, and electric vehicles (EVs) consume and distribute energy, making it critical that a holistic and complete communications system be established to manage the complexity of the grid.

EVs can also help to regulate the voltage and frequency of the grid by providing power during times of peak demand or to stabilise variable sources of electricity generation.

“When idle, the vehicles can contribute to grid services and these also require new business models and provide potentially new revenue streams for the transport industry and consumers. The use of EVs in such a smart grid can also help to reduce the amount of fixed storage required, such as to provide power for homes when consumers return.”

Personal vehicles are typically only used between 5% and 7% of the time and, therefore, can provide storage and grid services while standing idle. Even marine transport and freight vessels can provide grid services while anchored, and can provide such services to islands, added Parmar.

This is known as the vehicle-to-everything model and requires that EVs be able to interface with infrastructure, homes and, eventually, smart cities.

The advances towards electric mobility are part of the disruption of the transport industry, and will affect all aspects of the industry, from high-end motor sports, commuting and public transport, to marine and aviation transport.

Parmar was speaking at the Smarter Mobility 2019 conference, held in Waterkloof Glen, Tshwane, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Alco-Safe
Alco-Safe

An unmanned breathalyser that is made to be tough and simple to use. Can be used in any environment for operator-free breathalyser testing.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
GreaseMax
GreaseMax

GreaseMax is a chemically operated automatic lubricator.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.133 0.195s - 161pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now