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

  • Solar-powered traffic detection improves communication
    January 31, 2012
    Pete Goldin reports on a new wireless, solar-powered traffic detection system being used by Caltrans District 12. As more and more traffic data is necessary to satisfy the needs of traffic management centres and traveller information systems, and as traffic detection technology becomes more ubiquitous, transportation authorities are pressured to find more economical ways of expanding their detection systems. Caltrans District 12 is leading this push by deploying the latest detection system from Case Global
    Read More
  • Calgary selects Inrix roadway analytics for real-time road performance analysis
    May 17, 2017
    The City of Calgary, Canada, has selected Inrix to supply its Roadway Analytics to help the city manage its road network with access to on-demand data to analyse, visualise and understand performance without the need for additional technology investments. The city can also identify and compare locations that are operating sub-optimally to help prioritise road improvement efforts. In addition, Roadway Analytics allows city planners to perform before and after studies to quantify and communicate the impact o
    Read More
  • Smart Spanish city trials cell-based traffic management
    November 7, 2013
    David Crawford reports on an urban electronic nervous system. The northern Spanish city of Santander – historically a port - is now an emerging technology showcase attracting global attention as a prototype for a medium-sized smart city of the future. In a move to determine the optimal use of available data, it is creating a de-facto experimental laboratory for sensor and mobile phone-based urban traffic management and environmental monitoring innovations.
    Read More
  • GPS delivers accurate journey time data for UTC
    January 27, 2012
    A new solution developed as a consequence of the UK's Freeflow project fuses GPS and UTC loop data to give more accurate predictions of journey times, benefting network managers and travellers alike. By Matt Cowley and Gareth Jones, Trakm8 and John Polak and Rajesh Krishnan, Imperial College London
    Read More

Highlighted Content