Somos FCC - Nº5

I N N O V A T I O N 51 I N N O V A T I O N Smart electric vehicle recharging installation, FCC’s fleet park in Barcelona. The Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Automóvil (INSIA) is a research institute of the Universidad Politécnica Madrid (UPM), attached to the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales and integrated in UPM’s Scientific and Technological Park. lable on the network and the hours when the cost of energy is lower. The term “transport electrification” refers to the development and inte- gration of systems and components enablig the use of electricity for transport purposes. The challenges of electrification include providing the automobile with demanding le- vels of safety and reliability, durabi- lity, on-board and packaged energy density, and cost of new components and control algorithms. Electrification of transport also esta- blishes a new link between the ener- gy sector and the transport sector, as well as an interesting field of services related to the management of elec- tric mobility that links supply com- panies and network operators with car manufacturers and users. This approach is only feasible if new ener- gy and power routing solutions are developed from power generation, via an electrical grid infrastructure, to the individual vehicle and particu- larly its accumulators. Innovation in components and the development of information and communication te- chnologies will be essential in all the links between and within sectors. At present, the interest of companies and public authorities, both at natio- nal and international level, is focused on electric and hybrid vehicles, both sharing a large number of technolo- gies, including those corresponding to the storage of electrical energy with batteries that best combine high storage density, short recharging times, reduced weight and a large number of recharging cycles without suffering damage. A term increasingly used is “zero emission vehicle” (ZEV), which de- signates cars that produce zero po- llution at the point of use. Examples of such vehicles are electric vehicles and vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells stored in the vehicle itself. It is important to point out that the ze- ro-emission characteristic refers to the point of use, since pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions are pro- duced during the production of the fuels used by these vehicles (elec- tricity and hydrogen). Only when electricity is produced from renewa- ble sources can electric vehicles be regarded as genuine ‘zero-emission’ vehicles. The new power system te- chnologies currently being worked on are electric vehicles, hybrid vehi- cles and fuel cell vehicles, as well as the different alternative fuels that are substitutes for conventional fuels: biofuels, LPG, natural gas and hy- drogen. In the coming years, the automotive industry will have to face the techno- logical challenges that are deman- ded, with particular efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pollutant and noise emissions, as well as to increase performance, the use of re- newable energy sources, safety and a sustainable life cycle from the well to the end of its life, by using renewa- ble and recyclable materials. All this should be achieved while maintai- ning consumer comfort and reducing operating costs. See brochure