BMPU, the Smart Electric Ecosystem Muscle
Keywords: Porto Santo, V2G, Smart fossil-free island, the Netherlands, Electrical ecosystem, Bidirectional, Charging point, European standards, Grid stabilization, AC/DC power flow, SiC
The EV chargers of tomorrow will have to be bidirectional. Many car manufacturers are testing this technology for their innovative projects, such as the “Smart Fossil Free Island” in Madeira, Portugal. Watt & Well supplies its Bidirectional Modular Power Unit (BMPU) in the V2G fleets initiated by Groupe Renault. A high-added-value technology for a smart electric ecosystem.
Supporting e-mobility pioneers in the energy revolution
The benefits are both economic and environmental as vehicles can stock and supply energy to the electrical grid - which may include a whole island (Madeira, Portugal) or city (Utrecht, The Netherlands). Aside from the mobility function, all battery-powered vehicles can now support the needs of a grid with ancillary services such as reactive power compensation, voltage regulation, and peak shaving. The foundation of this new ecosystem is built upon V2G applications – a synonym for bidirectional charging.
At Watt & Well, we made the bet of becoming the premium supplier of bidirectional chargers for e-mobility pioneers. This is how the BMPU came to life. A bidirectional modular power unit of 11 kW (3 phases, 16 RMS) integrable into a 150 kW and 300 kW high-power system. An embedded solution, a discrete revolution. It unfolds a tremendous opportunity to stabilize the grid thanks to energy flow management. A real kicker for zero-emission future.
BMPU, the advanced solution in the V2G era
The BMPU was designed and supplied by Watt & Well to its partner Groupe Renault for the iconic Zoé. If the first European EV market leader selected Watt & Well technology for their V2G fleet projects, it is because of its unrivaled core expertise in power electronics conversion.
Yasmine Assef, Program Director for New Energy Business at Groupe Renault says: "The V2G ZOEs, equipped with Watt & Well reversible on-board chargers, will be installed in several sites in Europe, in order to show and validate various business cases of V2G in the electrical market. Through this development, Watt & Well has proven their technical skills and expertise in the development of such high-performance chargers, needed to provide Energy Services to Grid Operators."
The engineering team managed the design of the bidirectional conversion between AC (grid) and DC using Wide Bandgap technologies. The BMPU is high-density electronics all embedded to the trunk of the vehicle out of users reach. An on-board solution with state-of-the-art features both in shape and efficiency, compatible with 50 Hz and 60 Hz AC.
The next step ahead is to dream bigger. After the Netherlands and Portugal, the V2G fleets tests are expanding to Germany, France, Switzerland, and Belgium. “It was very exciting to take part in such projects that can change our future by helping us managing in a more efficient way emerging renewables,” says an electrical engineer involved in the design of the product. The goal is to set up a smart electric ecosystem, one BMPU at a time.
