On 12 January, SPGA and LTU, as well as a large number of partners, invited to the inauguration of a pre-commercial charging station for heavy vehicles. The basic motive for this pilot project is a rapidly growing interest in rechargeable vehicles on the heavy side. But the project will also, with support from the region, build new knowledge about the broad introduction of electromobility in society and, from a regional perspective, form an outline of ideas for future value chains in the said area
The charging infrastructure inside the test facilities significantly exceeds the public charging infrastructure in Norrbotten. But 5-10% of the test vehicles are driven on public roads.
"The region in the world that annually gathers the most automotive players should of course be the world's foremost, also when it comes to public charging infrastructure," says Robert Granström, Chairman. for SPGA and continues - "This is not the case today, but the RETRII work leads a development in that direction and also towards a test bed to study how a local electricity network is affected by charging".
In other words, the focus is on integration testing and vehicle testing at the same time.
- “We at Scania see a clearly growing need for adapted charging stations with very powerful chargers for heavier trucks and buses. However, the 350 kW chargers that are now being installed at this power level are only the beginning of meeting that need. Says Nils-Gunnar Vågstedt, research and innovation director at Scania ”.
During the inauguration, Nils-Gunnar will report on the current situation and future in the industry, together with Eva Kvist Östgren, head of ABB E-mobilty. Eva adds: - “The technology for charging is constantly evolving and today we have a broad portfolio of chargers that meet different needs. Demand is increasing at an ever-increasing rate of ultra-fast charging with high effects for both heavy vehicles and passenger cars. The chargers we lease for the sites in Arvidsjaur and Kiruna are specially built to be able to quickly meet the needs of the heavy sector this winter. We look forward to being able to collaborate with TestInfra AB in the coming seasons to continue to increase the charging capacity in the area ”.
There is already a reasoning about semi-public charging, with the overall goal of weaving the test operations' charging needs with the public charging in the region.
"We are very pleased with ABB's solution-oriented approach," says Michael Lindeman, Chairman. for the newly started company TestInfra Sweden AB. He continues. -We hope that more people will be inspired by the agreement between TestInfra Sweden and ABB. There is an incredible amount to be tested in a short time. A solution is in place for this winter, but then we only have 7 test winters on us until 2030 ”.
Norrbotten is currently a showcase to the rest of the world when it comes to the green sustainable transition. "Electrification of vehicles is part of this and crucial for reaching a fossil-independent vehicle fleet by 2030. This is a matter for the whole of Sweden and the world," says Linda Nilsson, Chairman of the Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce's Logistics Council.
The transition to green energy and added to this, the integration of electromobility in society, means that the transport sector offers both problems and opportunities. Sarah Rönnberg, bitr. Professor at dept. Energy science at LTU, exemplifies.
- “Charging power corresponding to the power requirements of 20-30 villas may not sound so remarkable. But the impact of a medium-sized data center on the electricity grid receives a lot of attention and when charging a heavy vehicle is at the same level, it becomes at least as interesting an area to study. We need basic data on charging patterns, electricity quality, disturbances, etc., in order to be able to smooth out power peaks in the long run. The winter test region's high proportion of rechargeable vehicles in the electricity grid is therefore very interesting ”.
Nils-Olov Lindfors, Regional Councilor at the Norrbotten Region sums up: - “This pilot project adds an additional structural basis to the electrification changeover led by Norrbotten and Västerbotten. It will be interesting to follow the test and vehicle industry's collaboration with players such as: El och Styr i Norr AB, KWatt AB, Elservice Kiruna, Arvidsjaurs Golfklubb, Jakobsson's properties, etc. In addition, very gratifying with the regional exchange from LTU's internationally recognized electric power expertise. A start of further infrastructure investments for the benefit of the test activities, the region's business community and the general public ”.
ANOTHER LIFE FOR THE ELECTRIC CAR BATTERY
Within the framework of the project TRE-m, with support from the EU's regional development fund, Sparbanken, Längmanska entrepreneurship fund and Region Norrbotten, a demonstration will be carried out, on 18/11, at 14.00-15.00 at Arctic Falls Test facility in Vitberget. The theme is the sustainable society of the future. The demonstration takes place in collaboration between SPGA, LTU and Norrbotten's car show.
Today, almost all lead in traditional starter batteries is recycled. The Battery Directive governs and the directive of course also applies to the handling of electric car batteries. In 2022, an upgrade of