Testing innovative solutions
ElaadNL tests the charging of all types of electric vehicles, from passenger cars to electric buses and trucks and the associated charging infrastructure. We test in the ElaadNL Test Lab in Arnhem, a meeting place for new models and innovations in the field of charging electric vehicles and research into the interaction with the underlying power grid.
Would you like to know more about the possibilities of testing in the Elaad Test Lab? Please feel free to contact me, I will be happy to tell you more about the possibilities.
Producers of electric cars, buses, trucks and other forms of electric mobility and all associated charging infrastructure and ICT communication services are welcome in our open test lab. Together we can improve products and services to enable a smooth transition to smart and sustainable charging of electric vehicles.
When testing in the Elaad Test Lab we do six types of tests:
Would you like to have a vehicle, charging station or battery tested in the Elaad Test Lab or would you like to add a charging station to our test setup? Which can! Contact us using the form below and we will be happy to discuss the options.
Can every vehicle charge smoothly at every charging point? Or are there certain models that have problems with certain types of charging points? Elaad strives to have all public charging points represented on its charging plaza so that vehicle manufacturers can tour the Netherlands with us with new or modified models.
We then test whether any adjustments are necessary or whether all combinations run smoothly. And where necessary, we look for solutions together with manufacturers. For example, a software update is often sufficient. With all new types of vehicles going electric, from buses to tractors and airplanes, and with the fact that developments in communication standards are underway, this is a very important fact.
Learn more about the importance of interoperability.
Discover which charging stations are available for interoperability testing at the Elaad Testlab.
Charging electric vehicles can affect the voltage quality. If the conversion required to convert alternating current (from the grid) to direct current (for the batteries in the car) is not carried out properly, disruptions will occur that can affect the mains voltage.
Conversely, poor voltage quality can have consequences for the charging of electric vehicles, because disrupted voltage results in disrupted currents. It is therefore important that the inverters do not generate too many disruptions, but are also immune to certain disruptions to the voltage. We test both aspects at Elaad’s Test Lab. In collaboration with various knowledge institutions, we also conduct the necessary research into the specific impact of charging EVs on voltage quality and thus work on new standards and better voltage quality.
View more background information about Power Quality testing.
This brochure contains, among other things, the tests that the Elaad Testlab can perform for you.
We also test smart charging at the Elaad Test Lab. The core of smart charging is that the car is plugged in, but the charging is controlled. Charging can therefore be postponed or stopped and then restarted. Charging can also be done at an adjusted (lower or higher) speed because there is a lot or little supply of locally generated sustainable electricity, to respond to energy prices or a lot or little space on the power grid in your neighborhood. With the use of smart charging, more charging stations can also be connected to the current power grid.
We test how charging stations, vehicles and smart energy systems at home deal with these types of control signals. Can they follow this properly and quickly? Can the charging station or car easily start charging again after a period of non-charging? And how low can the charging speed (power) be reduced before the car stops charging? In many cases, a software adjustment can significantly improve performance in this area after the test, if the test gives reason to do so. In addition, more and more manufacturers are working on making bi-directional charging possible. This creates the possibility of not only charging a vehicle, but also having it supply electricity to the household or the power grid. This way, for example, you can use your vehicle to store solar energy from your panels during the day and have it delivered back to appliances in your home in the evening, such as a heat pump.
The 2019 climate agreement agreed to make smart charging the standard. In addition to technology, legislation and organization are also examined here. Various projects in the Netherlands have laid an initial foundation for smart charging and this will be scaled up nationally in the next few years. In addition, ElaadNL is coordinator of a European project for further international scaling up of smart charging.
More information about Smart Charging can be found on the corresponding page.
Charging infrastructure is usually connected. This applies to all public poles, but also to home charging points. For example, payment must be arranged via a back office system or by updating the software. The fact that the charging station is connected is very useful because you can also control the charging.
But it also means that cyber security is crucial, you don’t want the charging of large numbers of electric vehicles to be able to be hacked. Not only because this can be very annoying for the consumer, who, for example, cannot charge and therefore cannot drive, but also because all those electric vehicles together have a large capacity and if this is controlled incorrectly, the power grid can be seriously disrupted. At ElaadNL, we have drawn up requirements with ENCS (European Network for Cyber security) that public and private charging stations must meet in order to create a safe charging infrastructure. We test the application of this at the Test Lab.
Discover more about the importance of cyber security.
During the chain tests (end to end tests), we test the mutual coordination and communication between devices throughout the chain: electric vehicle – charging point – systems of charging station operators and charging service providers. Or possibly in combination with a smart energy system at home (home energy management system) – any other power consumers and suppliers within the local network such as heat pumps and solar panels – and the underlying power grid. How does this coordination take place and where do digital language confusions arise, for example because existing standards and protocols are not exactly met? Or perhaps the language still needs to be developed?
New standards offer more possibilities, for example, new standards make it possible to communicate more relevant information about smart charging between vehicles and systems, to authorize directly by simply plugging in (without cards / apps) and to charge bi-directionally. To do all this safely, security standards must be well established, but access to the market must also be guaranteed for all market parties. Our idea is that if all devices in the smart charging ecosystem can communicate with each other, optimal coordination can be achieved.
To ensure that such a chain functions optimally, we test whether communication within the chain runs properly (according to standards), that the various systems actually allow communication with other systems and whether this exchanged information is used correctly. Optimal mutual communication is complex, but essential, so we test this in chain tests.
Just like in residential homes, public charging stations have a meter cupboard and a connection to the grid operator’s electricity grid. Only a charging station differs from a private home, the space in a charging station is of course much more limited.
To guarantee the safety and reliability of the electricity grid, ElaadNL has developed connection specifications together with the grid operators. This sets out the requirements of the grid operators that public charging stations must meet before they can be connected to the electricity grid. For example, consider sufficient space so that the meter and fuses can be mounted and so that the technicians can work properly.
In the ElaadNL Test Lab, the grid operators inspect all new charging stations based on the connection specifications. This not only concerns conventional charging stations but also new applications such as a charging lantern. ElaadNL coordinates these inspections of the joint network operators so that they immediately apply to the entire Netherlands and the charging station can therefore be installed and connected in every municipality.