MotoE, all the energy of Enel X in Misano

Technology at the service of speed: this is the message encapsulated in #XforSpeed, the official Enel X hashtag for eMotorsport competitions. Thanks to the technology supplied by Enel X, both competitions combine the entertainment of speed with e-mobility. 

We supply MotoE with the 50kW JuicePump, the same charging structure that can be found on the streets of Italy by using the JuicePass App. We also supply the solar panels that provide the e-Paddock with renewable energy.

The three-day meet at Misano began on Friday 13 September, when the first spectators started to arrive early in the morning for two MotoE free practice sessions, along with those for the other GP categories. The e-paddock was buzzing with preparations for the afternoon’s e-Pole which determines the starting grid for the two MotoE races. The competition – which was organised by Dorna Sports in collaboration with our group, IRTA, the MotoGP Independent Teams and Energica – uses technology that is mostly Made in Italy.

The riders all race with the same Ego Corsa motorbike, developed by Energica, an Italian company and sector leader, confirmed Ilaria Vergantini, recharging infrastructure development specialist and member of the Enel X eMotorsport team. 

“The motorcycle is equipped with a 20 kWh battery that can unleash up to 120 kW of power and reach a speed of 270 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds.”

Vergantini went on to say that, in addition to supplying the energy required, Enel X also “provides 10 fireproof containers tailored for the lithium ion batteries and created especially to be transported between circuits: each one holds two JuicePump charging stations customised for MotoE to provide a full energy charge in about an hour.” The turnkey service is completed by the trolleys carrying 5 kWh power-banks which power the tyre warmers in pit lane.

The need for a cultural change in approach was also underscored by Venturini.  “Energy efficiency, electrification, means honing a more competitive edge. If we can correctly communicate that there are financial savings and efficiency gains to be made by replacing an internal combustion engine with an electric one, we really will have made a quantum leap.” He then stressed how eMotorsport functions as an innovation accelerator: “Everything we bring here, to use in charging the electric motorbikes, is used by us to continue improving the products that we are preparing for the roads and everyone’s homes.”

This is the case, for example, with the 180 Eva+ charging stations which were recently installed all over Italy. These provide 360 Fast charging points of 50 kW and, together with the 22 kW Quick and 350 Kw UltraFast stations, they will bring the total number of charging points to 8,000, while that figure destined to increase to 28,000 by 2022.  “Next year,” Venturini concluded, “we will be concentrating on cities and large motorway hubs to extend the charging networks at the European level, with the help of new inter-operational agreements being defined with other operators to facilitate charging with the JuicePass.”

The other hashtag chosen for eMotorsport is #TryThisAtHome: this invitation to try the charging infrastructure provided for MotoE and Formula E in daily life was met with great enthusiasm on the part of spectators at the Misano GP who rushed to the Enel X truck. Here the edutainment space offered speed lovers the opportunity to experience first-hand, while having fun, how easy it is to use our innovative charging points in the Juice range:  from the 3D interactive model of the ideal city that demonstrates the workings of the JuicePole, JuiceLamp, JuiceBox and JuicePump charging stations to the virtual experience, with an Augmented Reality helmet, of a typical day on an electric motorbike which includes a charging stop. The photo opportunity astride the Energica Eva motorbike in the Enel X truck was a great success, as were the Bird electric scooters, which are part of a new sharing service offered in partnership with Bird Rides Italy. 

There was also great interest in JuiceLink, our device for the smart management of domestic charging that balances electric charges in order to avoid black-outs and to maximise the charging power of e-vehicles using Juice Box.

 

Clio Ceccotti of Enel X Global e-Mobility Energy Services explained that these systems, which are integrated into our Vehicle-to-Grid technology, “enable domestic users to be part of the electricity network services market, thereby saving costs and accessing the possibility of income through services like Demand Response, which increases network flexibility and the use of renewable sources.”

The focus on MotoE was bolstered by the two races at Misano which featured spectacular challenges and thrilling overtakes.  This continued to the very end, when the winner Matteo Ferrari signed the Enel X JuicePole on the catwalk leading to the podium. Here the MotoE trophy, which is shaped like the letter X, as in the Enel X logo, was awarded by our CEO for the first race and by Stefania Ceccariglia, Head of Communications, for the second. The races were made even more interesting by the presence of Spanish rider Maria Herrera, of Team Angel Nieto, who came in 6th and 5th respectively.

Pau Serracanta, managing director of Dorna, commented that “all of next year’s races will again be in Europe, but we are also considering going outside the continent from 2021 onwards. There are already promoters who are interested, they find these first races great fun. It is all going very well, we have three years of testing and development ahead of us. We are on the right road, we are working with the best partners we could possibly have, starting with Enel, so we can understand and learn from the circuit.” At Enel X we are getting our homework done ahead of time for next season. The new JuiceRoll, charging structure that will take the place of JuicePump at the next motorcycle world championship, was presented at Misano.

“An example will be present at the Valencia GP in mid-November which marks the end of the first year of MotoE,” said Vergantini. The motorbikes can be charged in their boxes, connected to the network, or in any other place on the circuit.

The JuiceRoll includes a 60 kW semi-mobile unit (SMU) installed in the e-paddock and a mobile unit (MU) with a 5 kW integrated battery that can be taken to the pit lane or starting grid for a top-up before the race. “It is the first charging station of this type ever made, it takes about 30 minutes for a full charge”, noted Vergantini. The infrastructure has another interesting feature: the converter connecting source to battery is bi-directional. “This means we can offer a range of new services, like charging cars waiting in the parking lots: people can leave their cars and we can charge them with the MU trolley starting with battery to grid.”

This is just one of the multiple solutions that we are working on with MotoE to make energy consumption increasingly more efficient, affordable and sustainable.