AMSTERDAM, June 9, 2022 — The Dutch King, Willem-Alexander, officially opened the new international ElaadNL smart electric vehicle charging test center in Arnhem yesterday morning. ElaadNL, a knowledge and innovation initiative in the field of EV infrastructure, will also be conducting research on the EVBox BusinessLine and EVBox Elvi charging stations at the new Elaad facility in the future. 

The official opening of the new test center took place in the morning of June 8, 2022. The Dutch King, Willem-Alexander,  and 70 other guests were invited on a tour of the lab where they were presented the different tests run there. For instance, about the interaction between electrical appliances, which optimize energy consumption in and around the house, and the charging of vehicles when a lot of solar and wind power is generated. The security of charging stations from cyber attacks was also emphasized to guarantee the stability of the power grid as a whole. After the king had left in the afternoon, the event started for the hundreds of other guests with presentations about the specific tests, the test lab itself, Smart charging, and the electrification of transport and logistics. The official opening concluded with an open house where electric vehicles and charging infrastructure were on display.

In addition to passenger cars, the new location of the Elaad TestLab enables the center to test the charging of larger electric vehicles, such as buses and trucks. For example, there is equipment to measure power quality and charging stations to test fast charging. At the test lab, it is also possible to examine the entire EV charging communication chain; from an electric vehicle to the charging station, to the back-office system, to other devices, such as solar panels.

Both Dutch and international car manufacturers, EVSE manufacturers, charging station operators, energy suppliers, grid operators, and educational institutions can make use of the new test facilities. During the official opening of the new location, an overview was given of the six specific tests that ElaadNL carries out. The EVBox BusinessLine, a charging station for businesses, and the EVBox Elvi, a residential charging station, are also tested here. The tests are categorized as follows:

• Interoperability

• Smart charging 

• Power quality

• Cybersecurity

• Chain test

• Grid operator test

ElaadNL, a knowledge and innovation center in the field of Smart Charging and the charging infrastructure in the Netherlands, is researching and testing the possibilities for smart and sustainable charging of electric vehicles. It is a joint initiative of Dutch grid operators. Due to the impact on the power grid, it is important for grid operators to be able to test the charging of electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes.