In the SEUL initiative UPS partnered with UK Power Networks Services (UK Power Networks Distribution Network Operator was the partner to FREVUE) and Cross River Partnership (coordinator of FREVUE project) and gained support from the UK government through Innovate UK to:
- Extend the number of electric freight vehicles at their central London depot by 20 Electric Freight Vehicles, bringing the number above the maximum that can theoretically be charged at any one time.
- Design and implement an innovative smart charging system at this depot together with an energy storage system.
- Design and implement a sophisticated network capacity assessment tool developed by UK Power Networks to take into account time of day variation in demand
- Develop a roadmap for how all of UPS’s 170 central London vehicles could be electric
- Deliver a scalable set of outputs, which other logistics and freight operators can implement.
By assessing the depot and gaining a further understanding of the vehicle charging requirements, a methodology for providing the infrastructure for EV deployment at this and other depots has been developed, using a combination of grid infrastructure upgrades, smart charging and onsite energy storage
The system developed adopts an ‘intelligent’ approach to charging. It spreads charging throughout the night so that the building can use the power it needs to run the business of logistics (lights, sortation machinery and IT), while also ensuring that all EVs are fully charged by the time they are needed in the morning, all while never exceeding the maximum power available from the grid.
The successfully commissioned smart charging system will now allow UPS to electrify and charge its entire central London fleet of 170 vehicles without further costly and disruptive physical grid reinforcements. The 20 project vehicles are already contributing to cleaner air, achieving estimated well-to-wheel CO2e emissions savings of 65% compared to diesel.
The system comprises of an Active Network Management system coupled with an Energy Storage System (ESS) that has the capability of dynamically controlling the local demand and was the first of its kind applied in a Business-as-Usual environment.
In September 2020 SEUL won[1] two Global Good Awards 2020, the first one recognising technology products that have generated a positive impact for the environment or community and helped to improve quality of life for people or the planet a local level; the second recognising the three most innovative entries from across all categories in the 2020 awards programme.
More recently, SEUL has given rise to a successor initiative EFLES (EV fleet-centred local energy systems), with UPS again partnering with UK Power Network Services and Cross River Partnership, but this time adding the energy software specialist Moixa. A vital dimension of understanding EFLES is the continuity among the different initiatives. The scope of the EFLES project was built based on the findings of the previous two projects and it constitutes another innovation project supported by Innovate UK. Where SEUL concentrated on reducing or eliminating the need for costly and disruptive network upgrades, EFLES is focused on unlocking the value of optimising the timing of the purchase of energy. Through the EFLES project, UPS can maximise the use of the existing electrical infrastructure developed through the SEUL project and optimise on-site operations.
The lessons and understanding gained from all these projects are directly transferable to other sites across the UK and around the world. They support a wider roll-out strategy for electric vehicles globally.
The development of effective charging infrastructure is part of a larger global effort by UPS to scale up the electrification of its fleet.
Central to this effort is UPS’s investment in UK-based Arrival – a developer of electric vehicles. UPS have committed to purchasing some 10,000 of these vehicles for deployment in Europe and North America. In addition to collaborating with Arrival to develop electric vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems, UPS is also a strategic investor in the company – having a taken a minority stake as a demonstration of long-term commitment to the strategy.
Since its inception in 2000, UPS’s alternative fuel fleet has driven more than 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometres) globally. This has saved more than 60 million gallons (227 million litres) of conventional fuel and now constitutes a ‘Rolling Laboratory’ of more than 13,000 vehicles, or a little over 10% of the global fleet.
Additionally, UPS is successfully combining human and electric power by deploying cycles (conventional and electrically assisted) in cities across Europe. These devices are ideal for navigating dense, highly trafficked areas and deliver from container depots, which are placed at pre-agreed locations in the middle of the delivery area in the city. As such, they replace delivery trucks, reduce congestion and carbon emissions, and can even operate in pedestrianised and dual-use zones.
More than 30 e-cycle projects of different sizes have now been implemented across Europe, including sites in Dublin, Paris, Copenhagen and Stockholm, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, as well as in multiple cities across Germany like Heidelberg, Mannheim and Hamburg.
With many large cities in Europe and around the world
beginning to limit access to their central commercial and residential zones,
where only zero-emission or compact sized vehicles are allowed, developing and
deploying these concepts and technologies helps UPS to be prepared to best
serve the communities in which it operates.