Novel Concept for Automated Charging of Professional Electric Vehicle Fleets

Automated charging of electric car fleets has great potential to improve effectiveness of charging infrastructure. The development of an automated charging system for company vehicle fleets requires new approaches for realizing both, safe and convenient charging processes as well as efficient fleet and charging management. In this context, the present paper introduces a novel concept for automated charging of electric vehicles by use of a specifically developed robotic system. The charging station is combined with a comprehensive fleet- and charging management system to enable effective application within company environment. The system has been built on enhanced prototype level for testing under real life conditions to evaluate the potential of the technology.