1.1  General

Constantly rising fuel prices and environmental consciousness have forced communities

to  consider  alternative  transport  solutions.  In  the  past,  electric  cars  have  not  been  a

noteworthy alternative for cars with an internal combustion engine due to poor batteries.

Lately, batteries and electric cars have developed to become a respectable alternative to

gasoline  powered  cars.  Although  battery  prices  are  high  and  driving  ranges  are  low

compared to the gasoline cars, electric vehicles entail several direct and indirect benefits

to  the  society. Numerous  projects  concerning  electric  transportation  around  the world

are in operation. Since most of these projects are at the initial phase, actual results are

not available yet. The electric vehicle technology and business are, however, developing

rapidly. Thus, it is vital to keep up with the pace and develop innovations and concepts

further. After all, the Finnish industry has advantageous business opportunities after the

transition really commences. 

1.2  Scope and aim of the thesis

This Master’s Thesis is a part of the SIMBe (Smart Infrastructures for Electric Mobility

in Built Environments)  project,  started  up  in  January  2010. The  project  is  introduced

further in Section 1.4. Chapter 2 presents the history, technology and features of electric

cars. Additionally,  battery  technology  is under  study. The present  state  of  the  electric

vehicle  industry  is  assessed  in Chapter 3. The primary  aim of  the  thesis  involves  two

points; to outline the possible charging solutions, and the feasible billing and metering

methods for the electric cars in the Helsinki region. The fist aim is covered in Chapter 4

and the latter in Chapter 6. These solutions can be utilized at the implementing phase of

the SIMBe project. The scope of the billing and metering evaluation was to consider this

issue from the end-users viewpoint. Helen Sähköverkko Oy provided the research data

used in Chapter 5 that handles the secondary target – to examine the effects of electric

vehicle  charging on  the medium voltage network.  In  addition,  the  increase of an individual

household’s electricity consumption was assessed. At the end of the thesis, pro-

posals  for  the basic  solutions of  charging  are  introduced. Also, convenient billing and

metering methods from the user’s viewpoint are suggested.

1.3  Methods

The thesis was started by familiarizing with the subject and gathering basic understanding

 about the state of the industry worldwide. After the introductory phase, a preliminary

table of contents was prepared. Based on the table of contents, more accurate data about

the  chapter  at  issue was  explored. The  initial phase mainly  included  literature  survey.

Later, concepts  from  the world and  ideas  from the SIMBe project were partially modified

 and utilized into basic charging solutions. The billing and metering solutions were

evaluated by assessing the current means of payment and ways of metering the electricity

 consumption. The effects of electric vehicle charging to the power grid based on the

data  received  from Helen  Sähköverkko Oy. By  including  own  impressions  about  the

charging load into the received data, a conception about the effects to the medium voltage

 network was acquired.

1.4  The SIMBe project

The  overall  aim  of  SIMBe  is  to  accelerate  sustainable  electric  mobility  in  Finland.

SIMBe aims to prepare Finnish industrial parties and consumers for transition towards

electric transportation. The project covers the state and opportunities of the industry in

its entirety. The project focuses on built up environments and Helsinki will be the initial

pilot city. Electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) lie within

its scope, but not hybrids without plug-in capability. The scheduled time for the whole

project is from January 2010 to December 2011 and the total budget is 1 M€.

 

SIMBe starts with a stakeholder value analysis including industry, public authorities and

end  users.  In  the modeling  and  simulation phase, market-,  traffic-  and  technology  assessments

 as well as new and existing services will be integrated into concepts for strategic

 business models and earning logics. Further outputs include an infrastructure blueprint

 and guidelines for transition, uncertainty management and market entry.

 

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