Unlocking the Future of Electric Vehicle Charging with Robotics

Electric vehicles (EVs) have rapidly transformed the automotive landscape, offering eco-friendly transportation solutions. As the world embraces EVs, the need for efficient and convenient charging solutions becomes increasingly evident.

The Robotic Charging Infrastructure Ecosystem (ROCIN-ECO), a collaborative consortium featuring industry giants such as IONITY, Audi, TÜV SÜD, and esteemed partners like Porsche, BMW, Ford, Marquardt, Rocsys, AVL, and HUBER+SUHNER, has a collective aim to develop and demonstrate an interoperable, standardized, and automated charging solution using robotic technology. They all recognize the benefits of robotic charging, for example, in downtown garages characterized by limited space, or for charging alternatives at highly-frequented visited charging hubs. In these scenarios, automated valet charging would allow customers to multitask while their cars queue up and wait for their batteries to recharge.

ROCIN-ECO was launched at the end of 2021, and in April 2022, it achieved the first successful autonomous charging session with the robot and chosen EVs. The main focus is now on the communication between the robot and the electric vehicle based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is a reliable and proven technology for communication in close proximity, and Ultra-WideBand (UWB) technology, which is enabling the localization of the vehicle around the robot.

In the meantime, many successful demonstrations have been made with various car brands, like Audi eTron, BMW iX, Ford Mustang Mach-E, all operated by Rocsys' ROC-1 robot.

Rocsys is proud to work alongside our industry partners to develop the standards that will shape EV charging globally. Stay tuned for more exciting developments as ROCIN-ECO paves the way for a future where EV charging is smarter and more accessible than ever before.

Source: IONITY (2023)

About the ROCIN-ECO research project

Shaping the future of EV charging – the ROCIN-ECO research project reached an important milestone! A consortium consisting of industry-leading brands IONITY, Audi, TÜV SÜD and the affiliated partners Porsche, BMW, Ford, Marquardt, ROCSYS, AVL, and HUBER+SUHNER we forms the ROCIN-ECO research project. Our collective aim is to develop and demonstrate an interoperable, standardized, and automated charging solution using robotic technology.

The "ROCIN-ECO" project is being funded within the framework of the BMDV's electromobility funding guidelines by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport. This funded project is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Projektträger Jülich (PtJ).