Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Mobi (The Mobi Charger, a novel mobile Electric Vehicle charging station that requires no installation costs, offers easy scalability and utility bill savings for users.)

Teaser

Between 1st September and 31st December 2016, FreeWire Ltd using the Phase 1 funding undertook a full feasibility study of Mobi Gen, their intelligent system for mobile energy storage.The Mobi Gen is a battery-based alternative for portable and standby generators. Portable...

Summary

Between 1st September and 31st December 2016, FreeWire Ltd using the Phase 1 funding undertook a full feasibility study of Mobi Gen, their intelligent system for mobile energy storage.
The Mobi Gen is a battery-based alternative for portable and standby generators. Portable generators are internal combustion engines used to generate electricity. They are useful when temporary or remote power is needed, and are commonly used in the construction industry, or during cleanup and recovery efforts following disasters. Compatible with any electronics up to 30,000W max draw, Mobi Gen is an alternative generator powerful enough for film production, construction, emergency response, and more.
In industries heavily relying on portable diesel generators as construction, Mobi Gen cuts down 72% of the fueling costs helping users saving up to €4,490 per year . Moreover, less time and less money spent on maintenance of these battery systems results in an overall lower total cost of ownership. As no fumes are emitted, Mobi Gen systems are compliant with the latest Stage V air quality regulation. Noxious fumes, and running hundreds of metres of cable from diesel generators are all things of the past – the Mobi Gen can be used in-field applications and even indoor without permitting. Moreover, in Mobi Gen no sound attenuation is needed. Everything in the Mobi Gen is completely quiet and vibration-free, even when the battery system is running under full load. The indicator light is there to tell if the system is on.

For Mobi Gen, FreeWire has developed a proprietary method to test, grade, and repackage Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries into a purpose-built battery pack. Batteries are susceptible to time and age, with their life span depending on chemistry and use. In EVs, batteries are usually charged and discharged at very fast rates. Frequently, those batteries have to endure adverse circumstances of high and cold temperatures. Typically batteries capacity will decrease to about 80% of the original capacity after five to seven years, depending on a number of factors like their design, working temperature, charge protocol and state of charge. While an electric car battery with 80% capacity will significantly limit driving range, it will still retain enough capacity for use in other less stressful applications. Here it’s where FreeWire’s technology comes into play: FreeWire stocks its Mobis with repurposed batteries from EVs like the Nissan Leaf and is able to recapture up to 10% of the lost energy of the pack.

Work performed

The Feasibility Study showed that Mobi Gen is viable technical and commercially, and the determination of the business plan shown that it is also a profitable investment. The main achievements reported in the study were:
- The identification of Mobi Gen as Minimum Viable Product to be developed within the SME Instrument project. To date, FreeWire deployed the Mobi technology in two main product groups: the Mobi Gen and the Mobi Charger, a mobile charging system for EVs. Both products share the same form factor but the user interface and some of the built-in components are different. The definition of the business cases for both products showed a higher market readiness and growth potential for Mobi Gen in Europe.
- The analysis of the latest regulatory trends in Europe for mobile power generators.
- The business plan for the international commercialization of Mobi Gen. This included the definition of a reliable market price and the selection of the primary market (construction companies); meetings with some potential stakeholders as Enel with positive feedbacks; the definition of go‐to-market strategy (sales to equipment rentals);
- The definition of a workplan for the development of Mobi Gen units and for its demonstration with Enel (see attached letter of intent).
- The identification of High Tech Campus Eindhoven as location for the Company’s future operational activities. FreeWire Ltd is a UK based company with offices in London. The Company deemed crucial moving its future operations where access to high-level labs and scaling-up capacities is easier and more cost-effective. High Tech Campus offers great facilities and the ideal business environment for FreeWire.

Final results

The Mobi Gen project has clear and wide European and global dimensions. The Innovation Project addresses some of the main challenges identified by the Energy Union Strategy:
- A more flexible energy system: 25% peak load reduction from demand-response by 2030;
- Consumers & smart cities: 80% of electricity consumption to be managed by conumers;
- Sustainable mobility: 70% cost-reduction for Lib by 2030;
- N°1 in renewables: development of the next generation of renewable technologies, and their integration into the energy system.