Swedish automaker Volvo has announced it is participating in the Electric Vehicle Intelligent Infra-Structure (ELVIIS) project in Europe. Together with Ericsson, utility company Göteborg Energi, and the Viktoria Institute, Volvo is helping to develop the future of electric vehicle charging. The project is working on advancing smart charging technology beyond simply plugging in and forgetting about the vehicle. One of the benefits of electric vehicles is being able to do other things while your vehicle is charging. Smart charging will keep drivers updated on the charge status without sitting in or staying near their vehicles.
The ELVIIS system uses GPS to verify the charging location, and then using settings given by the user, the vehicle will communicate with the power grid to ensure the vehicle is charged when you return, and even time the charge to use the lowest energy prices. If the charging is interrupted, the driver is informed.
Volvo is currenctly testing the ELVIIS system with the 2012 Volvo C30 electric vehicle. The C30 Electric vehicle is equipped with a 7 inch touch screen to allow the driver to set charging requirements. Vice president of Volvo’s electric propulsion systems says “The owner of an electric vehicle shouldn’t have to sacrifice any of the properties he or she expects from a luxury car.” The ELVIIS concept is being developed on a generic platform to make it globally applicable.
The 2012 Volvo C30 Electric is currently available in Europe – hopes are it will make it to North America in 2013.
