Denmark frontrunner for European Electric Vehicles

Open standards combined with the strengths of the successful Danish electricity network are to give Denmark a technological head start. The company Cleancharge has now set up chargers in Copenhagen, Kalundborg and Malmö, and with amongst others Mercedes’ electric vehicles they can develop the smart-grid system for electric vehicles throughout Europe.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) which in minutes can communicate with both the charger and the grid and recharge all over Europe are compatible with the charging technology, which Cleancharge has developed. Cleancharge is a Danish company, which was the first in Denmark to link EVs to the electricity grid and the charging infrastructure, making green power possible in all EVs in Denmark. The open system enables EVs to run longer - and across Europe - which Mercedes-Benz/Daimler has helped to develop. This system also makes it possible to see how much renewable energy is used to recharge the EV in relation to the total electricity mix, which is an important feature to ensure that EVs do not end up becoming a burden to the entire electricity grid.
 
- We easily forget that in Denmark we should not develop the technologies ourselves. We would be two years behind right from the beginning and would spend too much money on something that already exists. Therefore, neither the technology nor the EVs are something Cleancharge has developed, but we can provide a connection to a comprehensive European network of charging stations. Denmark has a clear advantage in regards to the electricity grid because we produce a lot of renewable energy and can make considerable progress in the development of smart-grid, using common standards. Here, Cleancharge's technology plays a part, because we have taken something that already has been developed and tested by electricity companies and which now can be integrated in Denmark. This integration is more easily made in Denmark with our well-functioning electricity grid, and thus we have an advantage over other countries. These technologies will be popular, Director of Cleancharge, Nils Dullum, explains.  

Open standards for all

According to Dullum, the way forward is the open standards European car producers use today. The standards ensure that all EVs can communicate with all chargers and electricity systems throughout Europe, and so far, Cleancharge has placed two chargers in Denmark - in Copenhagen and Kalundborg - and one in Malmo, which is to be included in the test project.

- If the individual countries develop their own network, own technology and own plugs for cars, we will never have an efficient market for EVs, because they would only be able to run in their home country. Therefore, large amounts have also been invested in creating open standards that all countries can use, and thus we have an intelligent EV, which precisely via standards can communicate with the network and power supply, Nils Dullum explains.