The Netherlands setting up international EV charging test centre

The Netherlands will have a new international test centre where companies may test their electric cars, buses, trucks, and associated charging stations.
The Netherlands is thus taking another pioneering step in the sustainable transport domain. Benefiting the environment, fostering clean air, and good for our wallets. The international test lab will be located in Arnhem under the auspices of the Connectr energy cluster. The new ElaadNL test lab is expected to be operational by 1 September.
 

Charging vehicles of the future

Electric vehicles are gaining increasingly more ground: not only passenger cars, but also motorcycles, delivery vans, coaches and trucks, and, in the near future, heavy construction equipment, inland shipping vessels and small aircraft as well. As all these electric vehicles need to be able to charge, it is vitally important for them to be tested as power consumers, in addition to undergoing the standard vehicle tests administered by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority RDW. This has prompted ElaadNL, the knowledge and innovation centre of the collective Dutch grid managers, to embark on setting up a major new test lab in Arnhem.

International test centre a good move

The test centre is co-funded by the Province of Gelderland and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. State Secretary Van Veldhoven: ‘Great news that we will have this international test centre shortly. Faster charging will make e-driving more attractive. This centre will be a breeding ground for green innovations from which our business community, and ultimately all of us, will reap the benefits. Clean air, more green jobs, and less CO2.’
Ms Van der Wal, member of the Gelderland Provincial Executive: ‘A fine step for Connectr Energy Innovation and Gelderland. Not only will other companies and educational establishments be able to use these test facilities, the centre will also be joining forces with the education sector to train people for new jobs in the field of energy technology. The arrival of the Elaad international test lab will add an important link to the Connectr network, enabling faster marketing of energy innovations.’
 

Room for innovative Dutch businesses

Many Dutch companies are active in the field of zero emission transport. The Netherlands is leading the way when it comes to charging stations and innovative, smart charging solutions. And now we are embarking on the testing of electric coaches and trucks, and the associated charging infrastructure. ElaadNL managing director Onoph Caron knows that companies will be eager to use the new test lab: ‘At our current location, we have been testing electric passenger car charging for several years, in collaboration with car manufacturers. However, we do not have room for trucks and coaches. In this new, large hall featuring a charging plaza, we will be able to test many more, and also much larger and heavier vehicles such as coaches, e-trucks, and the associated charging infrastructure. On account of its impact on the power grid, being able to test this new wave of vehicle electrification is crucial for grid managers.’
The test lab will feature measuring equipment and special high-capacity charging infrastructure enabling fast high-volume charging. The new test lab will also be capable of performing a wide variety of tests: for example, to assess the IT communication within the entire chain, from vehicle and charging station to back office, and interaction with other elements such as solar panels and home energy management systems. The safety of all these forms of communication (cyber security) will be another focus area of the new lab.
 

Open

The new, large Elaad Test Lab will be an open meeting place, welcoming vehicle and charging infrastructure manufacturers as well as companies providing, e.g., energy services. In addition, it will be collaborating with such educational establishments as HAN University of Applied Sciences, in the purview of training new specialists. For that reason, ElaadNL is also joining the Connectr initiative.