E-Mobility Engineering 014 l InoBat Auto dossier l In Conversation: Brandon Fisher l Battery monitoring focus l Supercapacitor applications insight l Green-G ecarry digest l Lithium-sulphur batteries insight l Cell-to-pack batteries focus

Ferries to launchwith fast charging Five electric ferries are set to operate around the clock across the North Sea Canal in Amsterdam using a fast charging system developed by ABB (writes Nick Flaherty). They will replace a diesel-powered fleet that dates back to the 1930s, and will be used on three busy North Sea Canal routes that transport more than 350,000 cars a year. They can carry up to 400 passengers each, and 20 cars or four trucks, but have only 3 minutes for battery charging after each 20-minute round trip. That makes fast charging a critical factor in maintaining a reliable service. They are a plug-in hybrid design that is intended to run on 100% electric power from their 680 kWh batteries. They will only use the generator in conditions above Force 8 winds. To ensure safe, efficient charging and optimise battery life, the 750 V DC supply from the chargers has to be unaffected by fluctuations in the power grid. The chargers, installed by BAM Infra Rail, use three ACS880 supply modules from ABB. These provide the power conversion based on IGBT technology, and contain a rectifier, DC link and an inverter to provide a stable DC output with minimal grid distortion by reacting to network events and compensating for any voltage drops. “The fast-charging solution delivered by BAM and ABB is fully automated and can easily be integrated into the ferries’ timetables,” said Alain Asin, project manager at the ferries’ operator Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf. “Electric operation means there are no particulates or CO 2 emissions. When all five ferries are in service and the old diesel vessels are retired, we will save 800,000 litres of diesel a year, eliminating over 2400 tonnes of carbon emissions.” SURFACE VESSELS Roverwill o ermission lexibility Venturi Astrolab has developed an electric lunar rover with a flexible payload architecture to support a range of regular missions for astronauts (writes Nick Flaherty). The company plans to offer a fleet of these Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rovers to support a sustained human presence on the Moon. The FLEX’s four-wheel crab steering capability allows it to keep a 3 m² solar panel array pointed towards the Sun while driving to keep the internal batteries topped up. The array can be stowed during highly dynamic operations to avoid it being covered in lunar dust. A removable standing crew interface allows larger payloads to be robotically transported during teleoperations from Earth, orbit or an outpost on the surface. In addition to the two top-deck payload interfaces used to attach modular elements such as the crew interface and robotic arm, an underslung payload interface will provide up to 3 m³ of payload for the crew’s tools, instruments and sample containers. The rover has metal wheels and adaptive suspension to support operations on the Moon’s surface. Heavy-duty rocket launchers have been commissioned by NASA to land hundreds of tons on the Moon each month. This requires a new approach to surface operations. “For humanity to truly live and operate in a sustainable way off Earth, there needs to be an efficient and economical transportation network, all the way from the launch pad to an outpost on the Moon,” said Jaret Matthews, founder and CEO of Astrolab. “Currently there is a gap in the ‘last mile’, and Astrolab exists to fill it. “We’ve designed a mobility platform that is payload-agnostic, so it can work within an ecosystem of transportation systems, vehicles and tools. The rover achieves a wide range of utility by being able to collect, transport and deposit any payload that conforms to what will be a standard and open interface.” SPACE VEHICLES The electric ferries will replace a s diesel-powered Åeet The FLEX lunar rover’s capabilities have been tested in a desert on Earth Summer 2022 | E-Mobility Engineering 7 TheGrid