Echos 電動車充電站 by Riccardo Petruzzelli is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 銅獎 in 能源設計 Competition Category.

銅能源· 2024

Echos 電動車充電站

by Riccardo Petruzzelli

Client: Riccardo Petruzzelli

A' Design Award 銅獎 Winner in 能源 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #158182

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Echos 電動車充電站

按需電動充電站誕生於提供機器人式、自主及按需充電體驗的理念，因此不受固定位置限制。這使充電變得靈活、簡單及隨時可用。目標是推動創作者設計一款能夠幫助用戶並代表電動車充電未來的產品。Echos超越了傳統固定充電站的標準，開拓了全新場景。Echos更採用了幾何線條設計。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅獎

Echos 電動車充電站是 A' Design Award 銅獎得主，這是授予以創造力、獨創性和敏銳見長的傑出設計的極具聲望的認可。銅獎得主是技藝嫻熟、創意驚人的作品，印證了其設計師豐富的經驗、想像力與機智。預計Echos 電動車充電站將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的物品，兼具顯著的專業性與創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銅獎的設計融入藝術、科學、設計和技術領域的最佳實踐，並因注重細節而出類拔萃。Echos 電動車充電站出色地滿足需求，觸動渴望，迷住情感，並吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Echos: electric charging on-demand station. It consists of a charging station, autonomous, mobile and on-demand that can be functional both for the user of an electric vehicle and for the urban context.
The idea stems from the desire to provide a robotic, autonomous and on-demand charging experience that is therefore not bound by a fixed position, all this making charging flexible, simple and accessible at any time.
Dimensions & Packaging: Technical characteristics:
- Battery: Dimensions: L 363.3 mm x L 453.6 mm x H 210 mm (layout 8x2)
Weight: 2,09 Kg
Cell Type: Lithium Ferrophosphate
Number of cells: 32
Energy: 21,3 kwh
- Echos
Power supply: direct current (DC)
Dimensions: L 500 mm x L 900 mm x H 820 mm
Range: 280.8 Wh (about 20 Km)
Power supply: 3000 F supercapacitor
Motor: 250 W in front wheels
Connectors: Ccs Combo2 and chademo
Type of driving: autonomous
Charging type: wireless/ solar cells
Wheels: 10 inches with airless tires
Tags: E-mobility, Electric car, Smart City, Decarbonisation, Smart Mobility, Autonomous Driving, On demand, Robot, Charging, Sustainability
Production Technology: The approach used is "Design Thinking": it researches and analyzes problems and intervenes in the processes that concern them, removing obstacles and finding new opportunities for improvement.
The materials were chosen according to Sustainability:
-Structure: aluminium, chosen for its many characteristics, one of which is recyclability.
-Shell: abs recycled, has strong toughness, impact and tensile strength. One of the transformation technologies of this material is thermoforming.
Design Challenge: The most important difficulty faced during the design was to look for information and applications realized on autonomous vehicles and their technologies. The design has also led to define the use of technologies not yet tested but still being tested.
Research: The empirical research method focuses on observation and experimentation to understand and explain phenomena. The objectives of the research are to collect data and explain the behavior of users towards electric vehicles and the way to recharge them. The types of analysis used are: field analysis, an analysis of the electric vehicle market, a benchmark analysis and best practices. User profiles (personas) were also created that could use the product and service made.
Inspiration: The city of the future, is based on an innovative model with a "Smart" approach. One of the key issues for achieving sustainable urban development in smart cities is mobility. The project deals with analyzing this process of electrification, ie the progressive replacement of means of transport that use fossil fuels, with technologies that use electricity. The project aims to meet the need to ensure and expand the charging network not only in a capillary but also flexible.
Project Duration: Echos is a project that emerged in the context of the realization of my master's thesis. The research phase began in November 2021 and ended in September 2022. The whole work was supervised by the architect Alessandra Rinaldi and the engineer Alberto Reatti, who gave me technical, aesthetic and design support. The discussion of the project took place during the graduation in September 2022 at the University of Florence, on the Design Campus of Calenzano.
Operation Flow: The user can request an Echos device via the app and can proceed with the charging request. The app estimates Echos arrival time based on the location of the nearest hub. The robot will use gps data to locate the vehicle, and once in place it can be connected and start charging the vehicle. Once the reloading process is complete, a notification will notify the user of the completion of the process, and Echos, once disconnected, can return autonomously to the nearest hub.