BPL Global Participates in Innovative Electric Vehicle Project

PARIS, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BPL Global®, Ltd. (BPLG), a smart grid technology company, announced today that it has joined forces with Freshmile, The Hager Group, FAM Automobiles and the University of Technology in Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM) on the "Alsace Auto 2.0" project. The project will provide electric cars to end-users on a subscription basis, an electric mobility service. The service is designed to optimize the impact of electric vehicle charging on the electrical grid by aggregating the load and storage capacities of the batteries and managing their charging patterns.

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The Alsace Auto 2.0 project will demonstrate the benefits of electric mobility applied to rural commuting in the Alsace region of France. The project will roll out the electric mobility service for 50 electric vehicles. Connection points will be installed at home and at work for each commuter subscribing to the service. The cost of vehicle operation will be reduced by monetizing the load and storage capacities of the batteries, lowering the monthly subscription fee for each electric vehicle. The project also aims to validate the technical and economic approach behind the electric mobility service, validating the business model.

"Freshmile and BPL Global share the same vision for the value of mass market adoption of electrical vehicles without compromising the electricity distribution grid," said Pete Londa, CEO of BPLG. "Innovation in electric vehicles and advances in distribution automation technology as well as Freshmile's pioneering service offering should accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles."

BPLG's Connected Energy™ smart grid solution suite for advanced distribution automation will be used to manage the electric vehicle fleet as distributed load and storage resources on the electrical network. A distributed virtual power plant is created by managing both supply (vehicle-to-grid) and demand (grid-to-vehicle). Our software allows the electric vehicle load and storage capacities to be managed as ancillary services, peak shaving and valley filling for the local electric utility. Effective management of electric vehicle charging reduces the energy cost and minimizes potential disruptions to the electric grid. This makes operation of electric vehicles more affordable and supports a greater number of vehicles connected to the electric grid.

"Testing consumer acceptance for mobility as a service is one of the important objectives of this project," said Arnaud Mora, CEO of Freshmile. "We think that the trailblazing of grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid capabilities are crucial to providing cost effective services and demonstrating the distributed virtual power plant approach. Success of the electric vehicle for the mass market is only possible by ensuring smooth integration into the electrical grid and by removing acceptance barriers for users."

Leading the project, Freshmile operates the electric vehicle fleet and manages the battery charging cycles with BPLG's Connected Energy™ software solution, adapting to the needs of the energy market. Intelligent charging stations are from The Hager Group. The electric cars are provided by FAM Automobiles. The Transport & Systems Lab at the University of Technology in Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM) brings it skills in automation and mobile data management and distributed computing. All components of the project are designed with an open architecture to facilitate integration into a collaborative system, achieving a distributed virtual power plant.

Delivering intelligent grid solutions to many of the largest utilities in the US, Europe and China, BPLG is a leading provider of smart grid technology from substations through customer premises. BPLG's substation solutions include our market leading transformer monitors as well as substation automation. The company's distribution solutions integrate management of distributed energy resources (DER) including managed load, energy storage, renewables, electric vehicle charging and distributed generation.

About BPL Global

BPL Global® (BPLG) provides electric utilities with a suite of smart grid solutions for advanced distribution automation from substations through customer premises. Electrical networks are transforming with a growing array of distributed energy resources (DER) at the edge. The DER Buildout™ underway includes managed load, energy storage, renewables, electric vehicle charging and distributed generation. Our solutions collaborate across the grid to enable the DER Buildout, helping utilities increase efficiency and reliability to improve their financial, operational and environmental performance. BPLG combines our experience in applying smart grid solutions with our market-leading technology to successfully serve leading utilities around the world. www.bplglobal.net

About Freshmile

Freshmile is an electric mobility operator and load aggregator. Freshmile develops technologies enabling the integration of electric vehicles into the electrical grid, in order to reduce the cost for users and to minimize the environmental impact of electric mobility.

Headquartered in Strasbourg, Freshmile has developed the "Alsace Auto 2.0" demonstration project, pioneering the approach of mobility as a service.

Freshmile's team relies on strong competences acquired in the fields of power plant development, cleantech and financial mathematics.

Freshmile®, Auto 2.0® and Car 2.0® are registered trademarks of Novae Alsace.

Read more: www.freshmile.com  

About FAM Automobiles

Design of new parts, chassis modification, engine improvement, product procurement, range management, commercialization: FAM Automobiles' range of skills meets the needs of motor car manufacturers and importers. The company is involved at all stages, from the design to the distribution of parts / cars and assembling.

Located at Etupes and Colombier-Fontaine (Doubs) and Amilly (Loiret) FAM Automobiles group has developed its business and located its plants and subsidiaries close to motor car manufacturers, in order to provide partnership services for the production of specific limited editions.

2010 was a turning point for FAM Automobiles, which became a fully-fledged car manufacturer thanks to its range of pure electric vehicles, most notably around the F-City, an original EV designed on strict specifications of reliability and safety.

About Hager

The Hager Group is an independent, owner-led family enterprise and a leading provider of systems, solutions, and services for electro technical installations. The range of services extends from energy distribution to wiring and to intelligent building controls and security technology. The area of application extends to private residences, commercial real estate, and industrial facilities.

The Hager Group employs a total of 11,200 people, has distribution branches in over 55 countries, and manufactures at 20 sites around the world. The group had total sales of 1.42 billion Euros in 2010.

About UTBM

Created in 1999, UTBM is a university with scientific, cultural and professional objectives. A member of a group of universities of technology, UTBM was formed from the merger of two universities: the Engineering University of Belfort (l'Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs de Belfort founded in 1962) and the Polytechnic Institute of Sevenans (l'Institut Polytechnique de Sevenans - founded in Sevenans in 1985).

UTBM trains engineers to be quickly operational and particularly suited to technological evolution and to changes in society. Furthermore, the courses offered are enhanced by industrial research activities.

The University of Technology implemented a policy favoring the convergence in the activities of the 7 research departments around the subject of terrestrial transport and energy. These research departments are: Battery Systems for Transport Applications, Surface Engineering Research Laboratory, Systems and Transport Laboratory, Mechatronics, Methods, Models and Skills, Automatic Control, Energy, Applied Mechanics, Micro Nano, Optics, Time Frequency, Research in industrial, Technological and Scientific Choices, Metallurgy and Cultures Laboratory.

UTBM has been involved in many European projects (FP6, FP7), and plays an important role in the economic society by providing expertise to industries and authorities related to intelligent transport systems and energy.

SOURCE BPL Global, Ltd.