Clean-tech innovator wins government funding to revolutionise wireless EV charging with efficient cable

4th October 2019 — Leading UK clean-tech innovator Enertechnos has won government funding to develop a more efficient charging cable, potentially revolutionising electric vehicle (EV) charging times. The funding comes from Phase 7 of the government’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (EEF).

The project uses Enertechnos’ Capacitive Transfer System (CTS) technology, which dramatically reduces energy losses and boosts efficiency by up to 70% compared to conventional cables. CTS has the potential to reduce costly energy losses not only in the UK power grid, but also globally.

A CTS-enabled cable boosts efficiency, speeding up the charging process by connecting to rapid charging technology, including contactless charging, without overheating. The technology not only promises to revolutionise EV charging but has many other applications, including boosting the output of offshore windfarms by up to 25% and getting more energy to customers’ homes.

The world is on the cusp of an EV revolution and the annual sale of vehicles is expected to exceed 53 million by 2040, leading to an installed base of 540 million units globally. Enertechnos’ £665k EEF7-funded project could dramatically speed up the way EVs are charged, helping to keep pace with global demand. The delivery of this vital infrastructure will be an important route towards achieving the government’s net zero ambitions, which Enertechnos fully supports.

Enertechnos was chosen in Phase 7 of the £10 million EEF fund, which is being administered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The project will last for 18 months and initial results are due to be published in December 2020.

Dominic Quennell, Managing Director of Enertechnos, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded funding from the EEF, which is an endorsement for our revolutionary cable and acknowledgement that new and innovative approaches to EV charging are a real possibility. The world stands on the cusp of an EV revolution and we believe demand can be met in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. This project is an important first step towards delivering dynamic, large-scale EV charging which could dramatically change the way we deliver and charge this new generation of vehicles. We’re delighted to be working with the government on this project and are excited to get started.”

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For further information please contact Caitlin Fordham at [email protected] or on 020 7227 1649.

Notes to editor:

• Since 2012 there have been 7 phases of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. Over that time, we the government has invested around £75 million of grant money in over 130 companies. Further details about the EEF can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-entrepeneurs-fund.
• Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show power lost in the transmission and distribution systems totalled 26,554GWh, representing a 1.8% increase from 2016 and accounting for 7.5% of total electricity demand in 2017.
• Based on the ‘societal cost of losses’ set by Ofgem at £48.42/MWh, losses cost the UK £1,285,700,000 in 2017.
• 5 per cent of the UK’s total carbon emissions are as a result of electrical losses, according to Ofgem. CTS could help to reduce these emissions by making the UK network infrastructure more efficient.
• National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios 2018 report shows the massive increase in energy demand that the uptake of electric vehicles will place on the UK’s infrastructure. Annual energy losses make up a significant proportion of the extra demand required to meet the UK’s growing electric vehicle infrastructure needs.
• Embedded CO₂ in copper is 6.6tCO_2eq/t. Reducing copper usage cuts the entire distribution line’s overall embedded carbon per unit of power.
• A case study of an island connection 60km away from the grid produced by Enertechnos shows using the CTS would reduce the project’s capital CO₂ footprint by 965 tonnes, use 17% less copper and deliver up to 70% more power.
• The CTS is capable of being run subsea to offshore windfarms, and because of the lower resistance and impedance in CTS, modelling indicates that using the cable could increase the duty-cycle of wind farms by as much as 25%. This means an improvement in the economic performance of a typical 450 MW farm by nearly £270 million over the farm’s 25-year life time.
• The CTS’ new cable geometry is inherently more efficient than conventional cabling, yet it looks like, and is compatible with, conventional cabling, meaning it can be deployed seamlessly across transmission and distribution networks. It can also be manufactured using conventional machinery with minimal adaptation.