Robert Poorten/AdobestockWhere will all the electricity required for the increasing number of electric cars come from? The Shared Charging project aims to provide an answer to this common question. The research team is developing a novel approach to public charging systems that can be seamlessly integrated into renewable energy systems. The goal is to create a comprehensive, user-friendly network of charging points that is as accessible as today’s parking spaces – but powered by solar, wind and other renewable sources.

The growing number of battery-powered vehicles has significant environmental benefits due to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, this shift presents new opportunities and challenges for energy grids, particularly due to the availability of large amounts of solar energy at certain times of the day. Electric vehicles can make a major contribution to reducing the strain on the grid through grid-friendly charging – but they also require the necessary infrastructure to do so. After all, the increasing share of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics and wind power allows for the intelligent coupling of clean energy generation and e-mobility. Angelika Wiegele, a Professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Klagenfurt, underlines this point: “Electromobility places complex demands on our existing systems, particularly due to changes in energy consumption. To overcome these challenges, the application of mathematical optimisation methods is essential.” We can build on what already exists, as Wilfried Elmenreich, Professor of Smart Grids at the Institute of Networked and Embedded Systems, explains: “The building blocks for researching electric mobility scenarios are available in the form of models, data and data sets. Now we need to put these building blocks together to see which solutions are best.”
The project is being carried out and developed by a consortium of scientific, industrial and public organisations led by go-e GmbH. The University of Klagenfurt is working with other partners on a Digital Energy Sandbox for Carinthia, which will enable research into various future scenarios in the field of electromobility. “This Shared Charging Sandbox allows us to model not only the current situation, but also to simulate a wide variety of future scenarios: from climate change and the growth of renewable energy sources to autonomous vehicle fleets and regulatory adjustments,” says Fabian Schober, a doctoral student at the Institute for Networked and Embedded Systems. His colleague Khalil Youssefi adds: “With the Shared Charging Sandbox, we can investigate extreme conditions and future-oriented scenarios that go beyond the limits of what is possible today.” To this end, the University is working with Lakeside Labs on applications of swarm intelligence as a solution for coordinated, grid-friendly charging. Joanneum Research’s mobility research on the Koralmbahn railway is also being integrated to map current and realistic scenarios for electric mobility in Carinthia.
The academic project partners are the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences, the University of Klagenfurt, Joanneum Research, Silicon Austria Labs and Lakeside Labs. The industry partners are go-e, Silicon Alps, Infineon, CISC, Kelag, Kärnten Solar and Kärnten Netz. The project is funded by the ‘Zero-Emission Mobility+ 2024’ call from the Climate and Energy Fund of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.
Der Beitrag Renewable energy for electric mobility – as accessible as parking spaces erschien zuerst auf University of Klagenfurt.