Enel X racing in New York: e-Mobility is now

From the racing circuit in Brooklyn to the streets of North America.  As New York hosted the closing celebrations of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which has just concluded its season with two days of racing on 13 and 14 July, Enel X launched the new North American e-Mobility business unit, incorporating the eMotorWerks brand, the Enel subsidiary headquartered in the United States that creates smart charging solutions for e-vehicles. These are the same solutions that Enel X provides Formula E as the competition’s Official Smart Charging Partner and which are, in large part, already available for use on the streets of our cities and in our homes.

The New York E-Prix provided the perfect occasion to celebrate the new business line announced only days earlier, on 11 July, in Boston. A strong link exists between the experimentation carried out for Formula E and the innovation of Enel X: the same cutting-edge solutions provided by our company for charging the electric single-seaters on the race track are implemented in products destined for daily use, exemplifying our Group’s trailblazing role in the e-Mobility Revolution, making it quicker, smarter and more sustainable.

 

The integration of eMotorWerks into Enel X is part of this strategy. 

It is not merely a name change, but the launch of a new product line aimed at bolstering our energy offer in North America – which already included storage, Demand Response and consultancy services – with the smart charging solutions for e-vehicles, previously retailed under the brand eMotorWerks, and with JuicePass, the new charging app from Enel X which is now available in the United States. This development provides added value for our clients and further motivation for the mass take-up of electric cars at a crucial time for the American market, with over 100 new models due to be launched by 2023 and the sale of electric vehicles which, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), totalled 345,000 units in 2018 (+80% from 2017).

And there is no better show than the New York E-Prix. Twenty-two machines racing at top speed (280 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 in 2.8 seconds) along the straights and chicanes of the 2.37 km circuit that winds between the docks and old warehouses of Red Hook, the area in South Brooklyn that looks out onto the Hudson River, facing the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Adding to the excitement, music, exhibitions and entertainment for young and old, all related to the theme of electric mobility, attracted crowds of spectators for a great event. A whirlwind of thrills, with breathtaking driving manoeuvres and continuous surprises.

Like the incidents that saw favourite Jean Eric Vergne, driving for DS Techeetach, finish down in 15th place in Race 1 on Saturday 14 July, thus leaving everything to play for in the competition for the world championships on the final day. Race 1 saw Sebastian Buemi for Nissan e.Dams come in first, while Race 2 was won by Robin Frijns from the Envision Virgin Racing stable, with the two other competitors for the world title, Lucas di Grassi and Mitch Evans, both finishing the race in low positions and thereby handing Vergne his second consecutive Drivers’ title, with Techeetah also winning the Constructors’ title.

Enel X contributed to making the event unique both on and off the track.  For the race itself, the Enel brand provided its cutting-edge charging infrastructure, the JuicePump Formula E Edition that enables the latest generation of electric single-seaters to complete the race (45 minutes plus one lap) with a single energy charge, without having to stop for the car swap as in previous years, and with the brand new JuicePole, used for the safety cars, the same charging points that are available on the streets to charge vehicles every day.

 

The extravaganza continued away from the track, with the events celebrating the launch of the new e-Mobility business line in North America. On 12 July, during a live-music event at the Classic Car Club in Manhattan, guests heard experts predict the future of the electric car, also witnessing a sneak peek of two of our products about to arrive on the American market, the JuiceBox 2.01 and JuicePole 1.0 charging stations. 

They were also able to admire the Energica motorbikes, stars of the world Moto E Championship, and experience – thanks to virtual reality – how it feels to drive and charge a Formula E racing car .

 

The many visitors to the Enel X stand at the e-Village over the two race days were able to enjoy similar experiences. An edutainment space where young people, families and individuals of every age and background could discover, first hand, how easy it is to use our innovative charging stations from the Juice range:  from the virtual experience of being at the wheel of an electric car, including a charging stop with the new Juice Pole 1.0, to driving one of the Enel X electric remote-controlled cars on a five-metre circuit to learn how to use the US JuiceBox 1.0, an Amazon top seller for charging e-vehicles.

The range of solutions available to our clients in North America doesn’t end with those displayed on the Grand Prix stand in New York. The integration with eMotorWerks actually allows us to further broaden our offer, bringing together the technological experience of our North American subsidiary in smart charging for e-vehicles, with the global resources and energy sector know-how of Enel X. The jewel in the crown is the JuicePass app, which provides a single interface for the entire portfolio of Enel X charging solutions to allow clients, for example, to connect the app to their JuiceBox to monitor and plan the charging of their e-vehicle. JuicePass will continue to evolve alongside the needs of drivers and innovations in e-Mobility, increasing its functions and incorporating the new services offered by Enel X and third parties: an instrument to manage the entire existing and future portfolio of charging solutions from Enel X and meet the needs of customers 24 hours a day.

Our offer also includes the smart charging solutions previously retailed under the eMotorWerks brand. From JuiceBox charging stations to the cloud-based JuiceNet IoT (Internet of Things) software, and JuiceConnect, which provides smart control of charging through integration with on-board software developed by the automobile manufacturers.

 

These products are destined to make the charging experience for e-vehicles increasingly smart and to encourage the use of renewable energy.

 

With our smart charging solutions, drivers can charge their e-vehicles automatically, taking into account their specific charging requirements, the availability of renewable energy on the grid and the differing costs of energy during the day.

 

At the same time, companies and grid operators are able to manage the electricity system with more flexibility and sustainability, varying the times and quantity of energy supplied to e-vehicles in order to balance the supply and demand of energy, reduce costs and increase the use of renewables.

 

All this only goes to confirm Enel X’s commitment to accelerating the energy transition and the shift to e-vehicles. A commitment that, thanks partly to the spotlight provided by Formula E, is seeing a growing number of people become actively involved in the e-Mobility revolution worldwide. The latest BNEF report, in fact, predicts that annual e-vehicles sales will rise to 28 million in 2030 and 56 million by 2040.