Fast charging is the goal and the challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Elec\u00adtric vehi\u00adcles (e\u2011vehicles) are shaping today\u2019s urban land\u00adscape. Charging sta\u00adtions are now more common on com\u00adpany premises and in shop\u00adping cen\u00adtres. Elec\u00adtric charging is also part of the green vision of the future for HGV fleets. The common goal: to reduce emis\u00adsions. The common chal\u00adlenge: how to imple\u00adment a modern parking system, including charging sta\u00adtions, which is safe and effi\u00adcient for everyone involved? And what automa\u00adtion and safety tech\u00adnology must be behind it?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the W.E.B site, the planned size of a charging module was based on a DC output capacity of 10 kW. The automa\u00adtion system PSS 4000 from Pilz guar\u00adan\u00adtees safety. \u00a9 W.E.B AG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
To charge e\u2011vehicles, you need elec\u00adtricity \u2013 that\u2019s log\u00adical. How\u00adever, when it comes to the ques\u00adtion of whether to use alter\u00adnating cur\u00adrent (AC) or direct cur\u00adrent (DC), tech\u00adnical opin\u00adions vary. One thing is absolutely clear: both work. Nev\u00ader\u00adthe\u00adless, DC charging has some key advan\u00adtages over AC charging. The main argu\u00adment: faster charging in higher power ranges. A safe cir\u00adcuit, con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of all safety com\u00adpo\u00adnents and modern con\u00adtrol tech\u00adnology are all pre\u00adreq\u00adui\u00adsites. The safety con\u00adcept must also include all pos\u00adsible safety aspects and the safety require\u00adments must relate to both the DC cur\u00adrent net\u00adwork and the AC cur\u00adrent net\u00adwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cTogether with Pilz, we decided on the automa\u00adtion system PSS 4000, which meets our require\u00adments and fits per\u00adfectly into the system.\u201d <\/p>\nDominik Hart\u00admann, Depart\u00adment of Energy Data Man\u00adage\u00adment & Inno\u00adva\u00adtion<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
DC charging has consequences for safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This is where Pilz, the automa\u00adtion and safety tech\u00adnology expert and long-standing partner of W.E.B, joined the party. In the \u201cMADELAINE\u201d demo system (Multi-Adap\u00adtive DC Elec\u00adtric Vehicle Charging Infra\u00adstruc\u00adture Net\u00adwork), the PSSuni\u00adversal PLC con\u00adtroller from the automa\u00adtion system PSS 4000 acts as the cen\u00adtral instance for safety. One of the main argu\u00adments for using it was the option to use the Struc\u00adtured Text pro\u00adgram\u00adming lan\u00adguage in the safety sec\u00adtion. The PSSuni\u00adversal PLC also offers two basic func\u00adtions: it min\u00adimises the like\u00adli\u00adhood of errors occur\u00adring in the system and, in the event of a mal\u00adfunc\u00adtion, ensures that the system is brought to a safe state. Both are essen\u00adtial aspects when charging e\u2011vehicles. This safety con\u00adcept reli\u00adably ensures that the safety devices take into account the charging mod\u00adules on both the AC net\u00adwork side and the DC side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Control all-rounder guarantees safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In the MADELAINE parking charging system, the PSSuni\u00adversal PLC also mon\u00adi\u00adtors the power dis\u00adtrib\u00adutor: it is needed to con\u00adnect the switching matrix in such a way that the defined, selected charging mod\u00adules for charging are con\u00adnected to the cor\u00adrect charging points. In addi\u00adtion to estab\u00adlishing these cor\u00adrect power con\u00adnec\u00adtions, the safety PLC must also manage the other safety devices, such as the emer\u00adgency stop cir\u00adcuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim of the parking charging system is to pro\u00advide a future charging solu\u00adtion, which will allow charging to be as flex\u00adible as pos\u00adsible via a large number of delivery points, i.e. charging sta\u00adtions. Secure switching of the DC con\u00adnec\u00adtions is a core ele\u00adment of the MADELAINE project. The spe\u00adcial factor: the five charging mod\u00adules used in the parking charging system can be con\u00adnected in par\u00adallel and the respec\u00adtive charging mod\u00adules can be oper\u00adated indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adally. This means that five parking spaces can be charged with 10 kW each. It should be remem\u00adbered that behind each charging module that is con\u00adnected in par\u00adallel, there must be a DC con\u00adtactor. PSSuni\u00adversal PLC is on board for exactly this pur\u00adpose: it can be used to con\u00adtrol the switches safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MADELAINE had sev\u00aderal project stages: the first saw the devel\u00adop\u00adment of the entire net\u00adwork archi\u00adtec\u00adture and asso\u00adci\u00adated wiring, plus an analysis of the optimum ratio between the number of charging mod\u00adules and parking spaces. A demon\u00adstra\u00adtion system with five charging mod\u00adules and ten charging points at the W.E.B site was the next stage, where the planned size of a charging module was based on a DC output capacity of 10 kW. By con\u00adnecting five charging mod\u00adules in par\u00adallel, up to 50 kW can be pro\u00advided on a single parking space. The demo oper\u00ada\u00adtion focused on load man\u00adage\u00adment and opti\u00admi\u00adsa\u00adtion of the site\u2019s own require\u00adment. Then an exten\u00adsive test phase for the parking system under lab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtory con\u00addi\u00adtions was started in 2023. Firstly, testing was car\u00adried out without power, i.e. only the soft\u00adware was tested. Then switching enables were pro\u00advided and par\u00adallel oper\u00ada\u00adtion was exam\u00adined under power. The data was logged, analysed and doc\u00adu\u00admented within the frame\u00adwork of the project require\u00adments. Finally, at the end of Sep\u00adtember 2023, the first charging oper\u00ada\u00adtion could be car\u00adried out with the vehi\u00adcles.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe automa\u00adtion system PSS 4000 for safety and automa\u00adtion is ideal for appli\u00adca\u00adtions in the energy sector and its require\u00adments. \u00a9 Pilz GmbH & Co. KG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Another essen\u00adtial fea\u00adture in this con\u00adtext is a ded\u00adi\u00adcated charging app. The automa\u00adtion system PSS 4000 solu\u00adtion scored points here too, because the PSSuni\u00adversal PLC con\u00adtroller can be pro\u00adgrammed in the stan\u00addard\u00adised IEC EN 61131 automa\u00adtion tech\u00adnology lan\u00adguages, so that users don\u2019t have to learn a new lan\u00adguage. That really makes the work easier, the project team at W.E.B con\u00adfirms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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