German automobile manufacturer Opel has initiated the testing of its specially-equipped Ampera at the Technical Institute Karlsruhe (KIT) in Stuttgart, Germany as a part of the intelligent Zero Emission Urban System (iZEUS) project.
Through this project, the company is working on developing user-friendly integration of electric energy networks and transport in the fields Smart Traffic and Smart Grid.
For this project, Opel has collaborated with EnBW, ads-tec GmbH, Daimler, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, KIT, PTV Group, SAP AG and TWT GmbH Science and Innovation.
Under this project, Ampera is equipped with a specially-designed navigation system that enables it to calculate the most efficient route based on road conditions, topography, weather, battery temperature and performance of the air-conditioning system.
Opel power train electrification development head Christian Kunstmann said that the connection between mobility and sustainable energy supply has always been of key importance to Opel, so much so that they offer their customers green-energy electricity contracts for the Ampera.
"The iZEUS project is about bringing this experience to the development of simple and customer-oriented accounting systems for battery charging," Kunstmann added.
Besides Ampera, Opel will introduce Meriva battery research vehicles to the iZEUS project as part of its research into linking traffic and energy systems for intelligent driving.
New intelligent battery charging communication technology will be introduced through the iZEUS Merivas project based on current ISO 156118 standards.
It will also carry out tests on charging communications and bi-directional energy management at the KIT's Energy Smart Home Lab.
Image: Opel is testing its Ampera, specially-equipped with new electric driving technology in Germany. Photo courtesy: Opel AG.
