IBM and ESB partner to deliver electric vehicle charging for Ireland

IBM and Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) are set to work together to deploy more integrated charging IT system for electric vehicles in Ireland. With 1,000 such public charging points now installed around the country, drivers will also be able to access all charging stations using an ID card. ESB Networks, which is currently rolling out the public charge points around Ireland, will be using IBM's Intelligent Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform to operate and manage these charge points. Apparently,
October 2, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
62 IBM and 6647 Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) are set to work together to deploy more integrated charging IT system for electric vehicles in Ireland.

With 1,000 such public charging points now installed around the country, drivers will also be able to access all charging stations using an ID card. ESB Networks, which is currently rolling out the public charge points around Ireland, will be using IBM's Intelligent Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform to operate and manage these charge points. Apparently, Ireland will be the first country globally to implement such an integrated platform.

IBM says that the cloud platform will connect ESB Networks with energy retailers and the charge points, allowing all three to communicate energy usage and financial data directly.   

One of the aims of the new system will be to provide analytics so that ESB Networks will be in a position to better forecast and balance the load on the power grid, helping to improve smart grid operations.  ESB Networks will also have the capability to maintain customer and charge point data, such as energy consumption, charging location and settlement data.

"This project has the potential to significantly improve efficiencies in electric vehicle charging, streamline management services and contribute to the overall reduction of CO2 emissions," said ESB chief executive Pat O'Doherty today.

For electric vehicle (EV) drivers, IBM said its platform will allow people to select payment options and access all charge points using one ID card. The idea is to help users to aggregate usage costs and simplify billing.  Drivers will also be able to use their mobile devices to locate their nearest charge point and check its availability.

IBM said the platform will also give ESB Networks the flexibility to add charge points, as well as integrate new functionality and support more electric vehicles as the market grows.

As part of its energy policy, Ireland has a goal to produce 40 per cent of the country's current electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020 and for every tenth car on Irish roads to be electric.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    February 2, 2012
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel
    Read More
  • Electric cars – do zero emissions add up?
    August 9, 2013
    Buying an electric car may seem to be the green option when the energy label states Zero CO2 emissions. But that’s not the whole story when you factor in the electricity required to charge the batteries, and associated CO2 emissions created in electricity generation; the green benefits then become less clear. According to Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the latest Renault Clio 4, dCi 90 ECO, emits 83 grams of CO2 per kilometre travelled. In comparison the Electric Nissan Leaf, requires 173 Watts of elec
    Read More
  • Panasonic offers EV charging service in India
    May 31, 2019
    Panasonic has launched an electric vehicle (EV) charging service in India with the aim of helping fleets owners manage their vehicles more efficiently. Panasonic says its Nymbus service combines physical components such as charging stations, swap stations, on board charges, telematics systems and the virtual components like cloud service, analytics, intuitive dashboard, and artificial intelligence. Initially, Panasonic will provide the charging service for 150 electric three wheelers offered by SmartE an
    Read More
  • VTS and Bestpass platform unifies fleet and toll management reconciliation
    January 5, 2018
    Vehicle Tracking Solutions (VTS) has joined forces with Bestpass to form a combined fleet management and toll management reconciliation platform to offer companies full visibility nationwide into all fleet, driver, and toll management operations. The solution is said to provide commercial fleets access to Bestpass’ national toll coverage network, including 100% of the major U.S. toll roads and more than 40 tolling groups. The platform combines VTS’ fleet management platform Silent Passenger and
    Read More

Highlighted Content