Olivier Orfila, new scientific director of the VEDECOM Institute

Olivier Orfila has been appointed Scientific Director and Director of Development and Training at ITE VEDECOM. An engineer from ISAT (Institut Supérieur de l’Automobile et des Transports), he has a doctorate and is qualified to direct research at the University of Evry Paris Saclay. He has developed a multidisciplinary vision of mobility and its challenges.

Oliver Orfila was previously deputy director of the LIVIC (autonomous vehicle) laboratory from 2015 to 2020 and then PICS-L (mobility from a multidisciplinary perspective) from 2020 to 2022 at the Gustave Eiffel University, in laboratories located near the mobiLAB in Versailles.

He joined VEDECOM on 21 March 2022, and according to him, his three new functions – science, development and training – form a “virtuous triptych” that he particularly likes.

 

An interdisciplinary vision to support the energy transition

Convinced of the relevance of cross-fertilisation of disciplines from the very first phases of conception and definition of research questions, he co-directed the development of the LIVIC and PICS-L scientific projects. His work focused on the problems of vehicle energy consumption, the automation of functions to limit it and the understanding of eco-responsible driver behaviour.

 

Entrepreneurship and training as a result of research

As an entrepreneur, in 2008 he created a start-up company offering driver monitoring in natural conditions for the insurance sector. He also supported the emergence of the Stanley Robotics startup in the valet parking sector.

Lastly, passionate about transmitting knowledge and much appreciated by his students, he is involved in several courses: either with academic partners such as the University of Evry Paris Saclay, or ENSTA and IFPSchool, or with professionals such as Renault Group.

 

Knowledge of the challenges of mobility on an international scale

Internationally, he has been the scientific leader of numerous European research projects such as ecoDriver, GamECAR and Trustonomy. He has been a laureate of two Hubert Curien Partnerships with Australia and China where he was an associate professor at Tongji University in Shanghai from 2016 to 2022. Finally, he was an expert for ACEA (The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association) on the subject of CO2 emissions reduction and an expert for the Ministry of Ecology on driving automation in China.

 

“I have found a dynamic and very professional teams at VEDECOM. They know how to take into account environmental issues and the final needs of the market and users. In the coming months, our objective is to co-construct answers to these new mobility needs, to accelerate the transfer of research results to the industrial world”.

French industry has engaged in a collective Initiative for New-Generation Electric Charging

It will bring a better experience and more services to users. In addition, it will save costs!

Industrial representatives from all electric mobility players gathered in a first plennery session. Their aim is to support the deployment of the new-generation electric mobility. Ultimately, any AC and DC terminal installed in France should be compatible with the ISO 15118 vehicle-terminal communication standard, but also secure and interoperable.

If you have ever owned an electric vehicle, you know the pleasure of less polluting the air… but also the complications of recharging. Today, electric vehicle charging system is at a crossroads. The price of electric vehicles becomes accessible, the batteries are breaking distance records. To allow a better user experience and more services, the major remaining obstacle is the maturity of charging systems. If overcame, it will bring smart charging, plug & charge (see definitions below) and later on, bidirectionnal charging systems (the car recharges the network) or even wireless systems.

To achieve this, the main French and European players are converging towards compliance with a standard for communication between terminals and vehicles, the ISO15118 standard. However, to enable the emergence of terminals compatible with this standard, and therefore an open market, it is necessary to bring all the players around the table and agree on the final specifications. One major point remains to be defined: that of cybersecurity (PKI).

General mobilisation

To this end, the main organisations representing the sectors involved in electric recharging joined forces on 7 July 2020 in the form of an Initiative for New-Generation Electric Recharge: AFIREV (Association Française pour l’Itinérance de la Recharge Electrique), AVERE (Association nationale pour le développement de la mobilité électrique), PFA (Plateforme Française de l’Automobile) and the VEDECOM Institute (research and innovation on the mobilities of the future), the latter being tasked with coordinating the initiative.

Several workshops then gave rise to a plenary meeting on 17 September 2020, bringing together around fifteen French industrialists from each sector: energy specialists such as Enedis, car manufacturers such as PSA Group, such as Schneider Electric, charging infrastructure and e-mobility services operators such as Freshmile, technology and services for e-mobility suppliers such as Trialog.

Electric Charging Initiative partners ©VEDECOM

The circle will gradually be extended to all manufacturers in order to deploy the ISO 15118 standard by 2023.

The plenary session enabled the participation of other institutional actors such as the French Ministry of Ecology (DGEC), which supports and accompanies the Initiative. It will ensure that the specicifications defined by the Initiative for the developpers are consistent with the French “Objective 100,000 charging stations” plan. The Ile de France Region was also participating. The local authority is working since 2029 on the deployment of more than 5,000 charging stations by 2022, notably with the help of the IRVE label: a system that complements national aid such as Advenir. Finally, the initiative is working together with existing French and European working groups on this theme.

3 years to manage the deployment of a standard

If one wants to implement 15118 standard into charging systems and allow plug & charge service, it is first necessary for the charging stations manufacturers to make them interoperable, i.e. able to recognise any electricity supplier and any charging infrastructure operator. It is also necessary for charging infrastructure and e-mobility services operators, as well as for technology and service providers, to learn how to make this standard work, how to implement new blocks in their information systems. This first step will allow cardless charging and plug & charge. Finally, they need to improve the security of the connection.

To achieve this, VEDECOM, as the project’s prime contractor, has proposed a two-step calendar:

  • First step (2020): define the adapted cybersecurity architecture (ISO 15118 PKI) for Plug and Charge (PnC).
  • Second step (by 2021-23): define a standardised, interoperable and industrialisable PnC and Smart Charging system to support a collaborative deployment. Some tests will be carried out on pilot sites. Various documents will be produced by the working group, training and technical workshops will be proposed in 2021 and 2022. At the end of this stage, all the players will benefit of all necessary tools and knowledge. By 2023, the planners and operaters will be able to start the deployment of the new-generation electric charging.

What will ISO 15118 bring in charging systems?

  • Plug & Charge (PnC): this solution automatically identifies the user’s service contract by simply connecting the charging cable between the vehicle and the terminal, with a high level of security and a simplified user experience. It therefore avoids the need for multiple badges: “you plug in the cable.. and the charging process starts automatically”.
  • Smart charging: this solution enables to program a recharging schedule that is negotiated between the terminal and the vehicle and optimised according to their technical constraints, the needs and requirements of the driver and the network electrical constraints.

Plug & charge preconditions :

  • a service contract installed in the electric vehicle
  • an electric vehicle and a PnC-compatible terminal
  • interoperability so that any vehicle can be recharged at any charging station

 

Discover the main partners of the initiative:

  • PFA (Plateforme Française de l’Automobile)
  • AFIREV (Association Française pour l’Itinérance de la Recharge Electrique)
  • AVERE (Association nationale pour le développement de la mobilité électrique)
  • VEDECOM Institute (research and innovation on the mobilities of the future),

Related articles:

France prepares to introduce New-Generation Electric Mobility

VEDECOM is the Frontrunner in Innovative Recharging Systems at EVS32

VEDECOM is attending EVS32, the leading international scientific conference on vehicle electrification

Transportation Minister Elisabeth Borne and VP of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic’s visit to the VEDECOM research institute

Transportation Minister Elisabeth Borne and VP of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic’s visit to the VEDECOM research institute

Our transportation minister Elisabeth Borne chose the VEDECOM research institute for the visit of Mr. Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president in charge of energy, to showcase the advancements of French research into autonomous vehicles and innovative mobility options.

It was an opportunity for VEDECOM to present 3 concrete achievements of the research work done at the Institutes.

  • An autonomous concept car with an on-demand transport service using an electric, autonomous vehicle connected to a remote supervision system and a client interface:
  • A demonstration of recharging a vehicle while driving on a 100-m test track built by VEDECOM as part of the European project.
  • An application for estimating mobility flows that combines multi-source databases and uses artificial intelligence learning techniques (such as deep learning and machine learning), using new sources of digital, heterogeneous data.

The Minister also reaffirmed her commitment to developing new forms of mobility on a national level with, of course, connections to the European level.
For his part, Sefcovic stated that he was convinced by his experience and that he hopes to increase collaborations on mobility on a European level.

You can see videos and images of this wonderful visit by clicking here.

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A look back over VEDECOM’s participation in the 12th European ITS Congress in Strasbourg

A look back over VEDECOM’s participation in the 12th European ITS Congress in Strasbourg

The VEDECOM Institutes for Energy Transition were heavily involved in the intelligent transport systems congress in Strasbourg. The teams participated in several conferences, presented two unprecedented demonstrations, and signed a training partnership agreement with the Telecom Evolution and ESTACA schools.

Great success with the cross-border, on-demand transport system
The demonstration given in Strasbourg of an on-demand autonomous mobility service was a great success with the congress VIPs, journalists, and participants. This experiment combined two cutting-edge technologies: a concept car with driverless technology and an on-demand transport service.

This experimental service on the open road in urban areas in France and Germany was tested by a hundred people who were able to experience their very first driverless “robot taxi”. Everyone was impressed to experience this taste of tomorrow’s new transportation option.

Major interest in the Altaïr “estimation of mobility flows in a region” application demonstration
This application predicts mobility flows in a territory based on machine learning, using new sources of digital, heterogeneous data. This data comes from INSEE census surveys on home-work travel, traffic volume measurements, and transport networks as well as “floating car” data from Mediamobile. These advances were made in partnership with the University of Technology of Belfort Montbeliard (UTBM).

Making the partnership between VEDECOM, Telecom Evolution, and ESTACA official
During the congress, the management of the training programme organised for a partnership agreement between VEDECOM, Telecom Evolution and ESTACA to be signed at the Institutes’ stand. The agreement involves co-designing and rolling out a continuous training module dedicated to technologies and the socioeconomic effects of an autonomous, connected car.

This training, the detailed contents of which were presented at the exhibition, will cover all aspects of driverless vehicles, taking a systemic view of the question. You can view the explanatory flyer by clicking here

To see the  VEDECOM video at ITS Strasbourg, click here.

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The VEDECOM Institute: A major actor in the 12th European ITS Congress in Strasbourg from 19 to 22 June 2017

The VEDECOM Institute: A major actor in the 12th European ITS Congress in Strasbourg from 19 to 22 June 2017

The VEDECOM Institutes for Energy Transition (ITE), which is greatly involved in the intelligent transport systems congress in Strasbourg, is participating in approximately a dozen scientific conferences. At Stand A10, it is presenting the advancements of its expertise and research projects and offering the opportunity to experience an unprecedented, on-demand transport service.

VEDECOM will present three illustrations of VEDECOM advances in Strasbourg:

  • An autonomous concept car with an on-demand transport service using an electric, autonomous vehicle connected to a remote supervision system and a client interface: GoSmart.
  • Altaïr: an application to estimate mobility flows over a region. This application predicts mobility flows for a region based on machine learning models using new sources of digital, heterogeneous data.
  • An interactive quiz called “Test your knowledge of autonomous vehicles” offered by the VEDECOM training programme every day from 11:30 to 3:30 during the entire exhibition.

To see the press release, click here.

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Changement du Président de VEDECOM

Changement du Président de VEDECOM

President de VEDECOM Remi Bastien

Le Conseil d’Administration du vendredi 9 septembre 2016 a voté à l’unanimité la nomination de Rémi Bastien au poste de Président, en remplacement de Guillaume Devauchelle.

Le Conseil d’Administration, les membres du Bureau et du Comité de Direction remercient très chaleureusement Guillaume Devauchelle pour son engagement durant ces dernières années au sein de VEDECOM. Guillaume qui a contribué de façon majeure à la naissance et à la croissance de l’Institut de recherche, restera membre du Bureau.

A compter du 9 décembre 2016, Rémi Bastien du Groupe Renault devient le nouveau président de l’Institut VEDECOM. Compte tenu du renouvellement du triennal 2017-2019, il est important que le Président qui aura à le porter soit aussi celui qui l’aura construit.
Ingénieur diplômé de l’ECAM en 1980, Rémi Bastien a intégré dès 1982 le Groupe Renault où il a occupé de nombreuses fonctions depuis plus de 30 ans. Depuis 2015, Rémi Bastien est Directeur de la prospective véhicule autonome pour l’Alliance Renault / Nissan.

Il est par ailleurs :
Membre du conseil «European  Council for automotive R&D » (EUCAR)
Membre du Conseil de la Recherche Automobile (CRA) au sein de la Plateforme Française Automobile (PFA)

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