CHARBOT
Autonomous EV charging robot & system
The global electric vehicle (EV) market is expected to grow up to about 34,756 thousand units by the end of the decade. Many countries have started the phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles. Low and zero-emission vehicles such as EVs have a clear role to play in helping the global transition to cleaner transport and reducing our everyday emissions. However, the popularity of EVs is not matched by the infrastructure, so the required charging stations aren’t as widespread to instigate a larger fan base to adapt to the new form of eco-friendly transportation. One of the important concerns that influence the purchase of electric vehicles by automobile consumers is recharge. On the one hand, the lack of charging infrastructure is stopping consumers to purchase electric vehicles. On the other hand, if the market demand is not big enough, neither government nor commercial providers want to take the risk of investing in these infrastructures. It is like a chicken and egg dilemma. Apart from the accessibility of recharging, the time and location are also factors that affect the user experience. It is possible to install a recharger in the garage if you own and live in a house and recharge the vehicle at any time. However, the recharging experience can be more difficult for people who live and work in apartments and high-rise building where does not have enough recharge facilities. In this project I develop and propose an autonomous charging robot as a solution to the urban apartment buildings and car parks.
As the EV industry develops, new innovations and technologies of sustainable EV battery and charging systems will be valuable incentives. It will help to promote and accelerate the advance of EV development. My design project focus on phase 1 of the EV transitioning era, which aims to fill the gap of lacking charging facilities in old apartment buildings. However, the design is not just limited to city apartments. The system was structured based on apartments residents as the primary user, while the robots are designed to suit most types of common area indoor car parks since they all have similar environments, standards, and aspects. The project can be extended to operate as a destination charging point. It can be implemented in contexts like shopping centers, hospitals, office buildings, or even commercial car parks. The possibilities are considered in this design.
Project of June 2022
