What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
I have been working most of my career as project manager for diverse businesses. Initially on distribution substations for utilities, then on traction substations to feed the catenary in railways and later on substations to charge buses and trucks. I executed projects with well-stablished technology, however moving to the Research-side brings additional complexity with regards of the validation testing and prototyping. It is very dynamic and stimulating!
What is your (main) research area today?
Charging infrastructure for eMobility. We develop high-power electric chargers for diverse applications such as regular electric buses, trucks or bus rapid transport systems. We work on different charging interfaces (CCS, MCS, pantograph, etc..) and on several markets under diverse standards.
What is the main focus of your team in ZEFES?
We are designing, manufacturing, installing and commissioning an MCS system with 2 dispensers to sustain the ZEFES use-cases for electric trucks.
From all your activities within the project, what are you the proudest of/keen to share with the public?
I’m proud to work on a technology aiming to reduce CO2 tailpipe emissions. We place a strong focus on “grid-to-plug” strategy and on improving system efficiency to minimize unnecessary losses in the power transmission chain. Digital features such as energy management system to optimizing the charging sessions are also very valuable in supporting our common goal. And, of course, I’m also proud to collaborate with the talented professionals in the ZEFES project, all working toward the same objective. Since joining, I’ve learned a lot about both electric and hydrogen ecosystems.
How do you expect the ZEFES results will impact your organisation and the transport sector in Europe?
We will be able to collect data from the new technology, such as efficiency, amount of charging sessions, time up/down, power, voltage, current, etc. This will certainly help on gaining experience on the performance of the charger. The ZEFES projects is a common exercise by all parties involved, to identify the challenges and gain experience on long-Haul routes towards the Zero- Emission target.
