Dubai: Private electric vehicle owners in Dubai – there’s more good news for you.
Already, those registered for the Green Charger services can charge their vehicles at public charging stations for free until December 31, 2021, while commercial vehicles can do the charging for 29 fils/kWh. Now, in a major milestone, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that it has come up with a universal smart system for electric vehicle charging stations. Essentially, the system can charge all kinds of electric vehicles, whether they use AC or DC, with a single cable and plug.
The user-friendly charging station, for which a patent has been registered, simplifies the charging process and makes it as easy as possible for drivers of electric vehicles to charge their cars. Drivers do not need to bring their own cables. Instead, the charging station is a one-stop point for all types of electric vehicle, as it automatically adapts the plug and the charging to the vehicle’s requirements.
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According to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, “The new patent registered by DEWA will provide a seamless and innovative experience that is consumer- and environment-friendly. It will also raise DEWA’s position as a pioneering world-class utility.”
How it works
Hamad Mohamed Albeshr, a researcher in smart grids integration at the R&D Centre, explained how the auto-adaptive universal charger system works.
To charge electric vehicles, Electric Vehicle Green Charger subscribers must scan a special card issued by DEWA.
Connect the cable to the charger, and then to the vehicle to start charging.
The new system includes an optical identification system, a camera, a microprocessor unit, and an AI programme that can recognise the vehicle plate number and identify the appropriate type of plug for the vehicle through the stored database.
The system then automatically activates the required charging system.
“This entire process takes place without any external interference, and during an easy process where all what the customer has to do is to pull the cable and connect it to the vehicle,” said Albeshr.
“Our researches focused on integrating all of these charging methods, creating a single cable and plug compliant with all the methods. Additionally, the process has been automated,” said Dr Endika Bilbao Muruaga, senior researcher at DEWA R&D Centre and co-inventor.
DEWA’s R&D Centre has published 65 scientific papers in clean energy. The R&D Centre’s studies highlight four major operational areas: electricity generation from solar energy, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency, and water.