BAMBI: Near field communication solution for EV charging
Bluetooth Access Modules for Broad Integration
Fund
Bambi was funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Project status
Feasibility study completed in February 2019.
Challenge
E-Car Club found through a member survey that accessing the vehicles and the charging infrastructure was difficult and cumbersome. A key pain point identified was engaging with the charge post, removing and replacing charge cable as the approach differed depending on what type of chargepoint it was and the process required multiple keys, fobs, cards etc to access the car the chargepoint and unlock the charge cable.
Project approach
The project aimed to address the pain points by investigating the feasibility of a control system design for accessing charge points using Bluetooth technology that would:
- Provide one device for accessing the charge point, the vehicle and unlocking the charge cable
- Clear instructions integrated into the E-Car customer journey to support easy access/use
- Universal across cars/charge points
H19 role
Hangar19 designed and developed a Bluetooth Access Module and supporting user friendly app to enable E-Car members to access the charge point using only their phone. The solution was successfully trialed with Harbury E-Wheels and found that it reduced they key access pain points.
Consortium
