Question
How might we support EV/alternative energy sources adoption in places where there is no infrastructure (or is broken) but has the greatest needs?
As the global population constantly increases in combination with the electrification of vehicles and other equipment becoming more and more common, the need for off-grid energy is becoming critical worldwide. In parallel to this, the phasing out of fossil fuels results in a demand for sustainably produced energy utilizing renewable energy sources. Extensive research and needfinding identified an existing need for sustainable energy generating and distributing solutions. Critical factors including portability, reliability and redundancy was proved to be of significant importance for a potential solution to possess to enter the off-grid energy market. Regarding electrical construction equipment, minimal downtime was identified as critical, hence, the need for an effective off-grid energy distribution solution was identified.
A proposed solution to the identified needs and problems was developed. The proposed solution includes two developed products, Oasis and Nomad, integrated into a system with the aim of generating and distributing sustainable energy for off-grid applications. Oasis was designed as a portable modular hybrid energy generating trailer utilizing different energy modules such as solar panels and wind turbines to produce electricity off-grid. Nomad was externally designed as an autonomous energy storage solution that can transport itself to the area of application. Together, the two productions form a product service system that allow for sustainable energy to be generated off-grid at an optimal location to then autonomously be transported to the location of the energy need. To prove the technical feasibility of the proposed concept, a minimal viable product was created at the scale 1:3.
By Karl-Henrik Andersson & Stefan Liedman
Collaboration with
Volvo and Stanford
BTH Innovation Labs 