Within the preparation of the semi-operation a total of 2 prototype assemblies smelvee.HUB were made. For the test deployment, two suitable locations in Ostrava were selected, to which the parties involved in the project had access and it was possible to set up an electrical connection. The subject of the semi-deployment is both testing the functions of the charging HUBs themselves and testing the concept of an intelligent infrastructure for charging and sharing small electric vehicles.
The first smelvee.HUB was installed in the premises of VŠB-TUO at the entrance to the CPIT TL3 building, the second one in front of the entrance to the “D” building in the headquarters of ELVAC a.s. Both HUBs are equipped with 12 boxes for folding electric scooters and 3 stands for larger electric scooters, where each stand can be equipped with 2 single-track or one multi-track electric scooter. Each HUB is powered from a 3x400V AC / 16A electrical connection, while the assembly located in the VŠB premises is additionally equipped with a small photovoltaic power plant, which is able to cover part of the consumption of the HUB itself. A mobile application (Android OS) connected to a central system server is used for control, i.e. (free of charge for the duration of the semi-operation) automatic rental of boxes and stands for charging private e-cars, or (free of charge for the duration of the semi-operation) rental of shared e-cars. The central server then communicates with the HUBs via a mobile data network. For the purpose of the semi-operation, a total of 12 shared e-scooters were inserted into the HUBs.
In order to attract user interest and in accordance with the project conditions, the services provided by the charging HUB infrastructure are offered free of charge; charging for these services will only occur in future live operation. The benefits of the semi-operation include both the verification of the functionality of the prototype HUBs, gaining operational experience and suggestions for subsequent design improvements for series production. Another benefit is the statistical data on system usage and feedback from early users, who can also be considered as future clients for live operation. Semi-production HUB assemblies are also useful for demonstrating their features to potential future operators (who will purchase the HUBs) or manufacturers (who will enter into a licensing agreement).
