Abstract
As the number of electric vehicles and EV customers increases, there is a need for charging infrastructure operators to provide increasingly excellent service. In fact, the charging network is becoming a critical infrastructure that must demonstrate reliability closer and closer to 100% without having any service interruptions that may undermine the perceived value to customers.
Enel X Way is looking for innovative solutions to optimize charging infrastructure maintenance, speeding up the operation and helping operators to find the best solutions to solve technical problems as quickly as possible.
We want to associate each technical issue that occurs in our charging infrastructure with a possible solution, using image and video processing tools or similar tools that are able to recognize the most common problems, and link each one to a specific page in the O&M manual or a common resolution procedure.
Description
SCENARIO
The goal for Enel X Way is to make electric mobility dominant over conventional technologies; we want to make the UX even better than a customer would have with a conventional vehicle.
Unfortunately, as with any technology infrastructure, the outcome of 100% service reliability is never attainable, but must be approached asymptotically.
One of the key elements is the time necessary to recommission infrastructure that temporarily has technical issues due to acts of vandalism, electrical failure or telecommunications failure. In this regard, it is Enel X Way's intention to equip its technicians and contractors with technological solutions that will help operators quickly interpret and deal with issues arising from temporary failures of charging infrastructure.
THE CHALLENGE
Enel X Way is looking for solutions that allow the operator to view the charging infrastructure as a whole (internally, externally and through its HMI), through a common device (such as a mobile phone or tablet), and immediately receive instructions contained in the manuals or specific suggestions left by other operators in previous interventions.
SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS
The solutions proposed by the inventors should be able to speed up the process of technical troubleshooting by operators, possibly with the help of technological tools such as augmented reality.
The aim is to give the operator an immediate view of possible problems with the charging infrastructure by having sections of the manual available immediately.
In this way, in addition to decreasing the intervention time needed to resolve technical issues, the costs related to second-level assistance from Enel X Way would also decrease.
Enel X Way is open to any possible technology proposal that can increase the level of true reliability of its infrastructure in line with its open innovation approach.
PROJECT DELIVERABLES
- The overall idea proposed by the inventor;
- Detailed description of the proposed device/SW and/or technique, including (but not limited to):
- advantages and weaknesses of the proposed solution;
- information about proposed solution applicability;
- information about costs (i.e., components, maintenance).
- Data, case studies, patent and journal references or any additional material that supports the proposed solution.
- A description of the technological components associated with the idea;
- A practical demonstration of how the proposed idea should work;
- A plan for developing and integrating the idea including related activities and costs or an already developed HW and/or SW solution.
This challenge contributes to the following sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure;
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Challenge rules
All proposers are invited to read carefully the challenge and the Regulations of this challenge, attached below in the Attachments section, before submitting a solution.
By submitting a solution, they automatically accept the attached Regulations in addition to the Terms of Use of this platform.
Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (Max 5 files, 35MB for each one. PDF, JPEG, ZIP formats supported) if needed.
ELIGIBILITY
Universities, research centers, researchers, PHDs.
CHALLENGE, AWARD, IP RIGHTS, DEADLINES
The winning proposal will be awarded €10,000.
The Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker. If the proposal is evaluated as the winning proposal, the Solver undertakes to irrevocably assign to the Seeker – upon payment of the Award – ownership and any and all intellectual property rights related to the Proposal.
Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on November 27, 2022.
Late submissions will not be considered.
Specific regulations attached at the bottom of this page.
Regulation
What happens next?
After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions.
The seeker will evaluate the proposal using the following criteria:
- Overall scientific and technical feasibility of the proposed solution;
- Economic potential of concept (e.g. Total Cost of Ownership);
- Business potential for the Seeker;
- Novelty and non-obviousness;
- Potential for proprietary position (i.e., is the technology novel or protectable);
- User’s capabilities and related experience;
- Realism of the proposed solution;
- Maturity level of the proposal.
At the end of the assessment, you will receive feedback.
In case of success, an Enel contact person will get in touch with you to discuss the next steps.
ABOUT THE SEEKER
Enel X Way is the Enel Group’s new Global Business Line; it is fully dedicated to electric mobility and currently manages around 319,000 public and private charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) in Italy, the US, Spain and several other countries worldwide. As a global platform for e-Mobility, Enel X Way focuses on scaling up EV charging infrastructure to meet the needs of the rapidly growing electric mobility market, while developing advanced charging technologies and flexible solutions to improve customer experience and support the electrification of transport for consumers, businesses, cities, and public administrations.