On July 2nd and 3rd, Slovenian, Greek, Danish, and Portuguese partners from the EV4EU consortium gathered for a two-day meeting to discuss results and key conclusions from over two years of activities. Six months after the last General Assembly (GA) in Athens, the 5th edition was hosted by EDA – the electricity utility of the Azores – on the island of São Miguel, where the Portuguese Demonstrator is located.
The event was attended onsite by 33 participants from the 16 Institutions of the EV4EU consortium, and over 15 who participated remotely: ABB inzeniring, Bornholms Energi & Forsyning (BEOF), Campus Bornholm, Circle Consult, Citroën Hellas, Elektro Celje, EDP NEW, Electricidade dos Açores (EDA), Gen-I, HEDNO, INESC ID , Public Power Corporation (PPC), Smart Energy lab (SEL), University of Ljubljana (UL), The Azores Directorate for Energy (DRE).
To launch the meeting, Hugo Morais, Project Coordinator at INESC-ID, shared insights about the project, highlighting the need to start discussing final objectives and results: “Now that all demos are active and we are only 16 months from the end of the project, we should start thinking about the value we can present to the Commission. We must talk about conclusions and results, so where should we start?”. The question guided the entire General Assembly discussion and activities.
The round of presentations began with an overview of the dissemination and management progress by INESC-ID, followed by updates on each work package (WP), including milestones, deliverables, and guidelines. With all four demonstrators now active, the two-day meeting also served as an opportunity for partners to share the latest outcomes, address key technological barriers, enhance user experience, and discuss the regulatory framework.
Following the WP presentations, participants were divided into four breakout sessions according to each demo – Portuguese Demo led by EDP NEW, Slovenian Demo by GEN-I, Greek Demo by HEDNO, and Danish Demo by Circle – and had the chance to discuss the latest developments at each site and then present their conclusions to the group.
The afternoon of the GA was dedicated to two workshops:
- Innovation Strategies led by Andreja Smole from Gen-I, providing an update on some of the project latest outcomes. Divided into groups per Demos, the partners worked to map the expected innovations of their Demonstrator. At the end of the activity, it was possible to map the expected innovations and their progress, providing a clear roadmap for technological advancements within the project.
- Exploitation Workshop led by Catarina Rocha and Renata Pires from SEL. The main goal of this workshop was to identify all key exploitable results to be explored in their respective demo countries. After the collaborative session, SEL promoted an open discussion on the usefulness of the Exploitation Plan, gathering insights on how each partner intends to use the Exploitation Plan and identifying any additional needs or suggestions.
To wrap up the day, Hugo Morais, promoted a roundtable discussion on some key topics to assess some barriers but mostly solutions and key messages to be discussed among the consortium. This discussion aimed to reflect the project’s position on relevant topics for the EU Commission, such as: the advantages of V2X compared to Smart Charging, the most interesting use case for V2X, how to choose between AC or DC Charging Stations, and three main actions to promote Electric Mobility.
The debate provided a unique opportunity for partners to share insights and start defining strategic guidelines for these topics in the upcoming months.
Day 2 of the General Assembly was dedicated to Visits to several EDA’s facilities:
- A tour to the new BESS – Battery Energy Storage System – facilities, a project developed by EDA to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, making the island’s renewable production profitable.
- A visit to the São Miguel Geothermal Plant with a great overview of the geothermal impact on the island energy system.
- A Visit to EDA’s headquarters where the Portuguese demonstrator is based. EV4EU has 6 charging points at EDA’s facilities that will be used, at least, by a fleet of around 32 vehicles (Nissan Leaf & e-NV200).
To close the GA, INESC-ID and EDA hosted a final Session with an overview of the latest updates of the Portuguese Demo charging stations and the EV management for companies.
The General Assembly in the Azores was a productive two-day meeting to define the project’s next steps and outline strategies to implement in the next months. The next General Assembly will take place in six months in Portugal hosted by INESC-ID.
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