ACE EV – Enter the Transformers

Enter the Transformers

ACE EV’s radical technology enters a new phase

Transformers were once toys but now they will become a reality thanks to an Australian company that refers to itself more as an energy and software company than an outright car maker – ACE EV. “We are a focused energy and software company with a Mobile Energy Management System (MEMS) that delivers new ways for energy and transport to work together,” ACE EV MD Mr McGarvie said. “Our focus is to produce something that’s inexpensive and provides new revolutionary manufacturing flexibility.” On 15 September 2021 ACE launched its first Transformer the X1 which is a modular platform with seven permutations. The launch was facilitated by the SAE-A and moderated by Sam Laggozzino in what is today’s format de jour – the Zoom webinar. On hand were Greg McGarvie managing director of ACE EV and Adam Schultz team lead for the project. The X1 Transformer is the fourth iteration of the vehicle and according to Mr McGarvie it is by no means the final version as he expects changes before it goes into production. The X1 Transformer will be operational ready for a trial next year. It is aimed squarely at major fleets around the world as an integrated energy, transport and communications system with architecture that offers interchangeable modules in long and short wheelbase with a high or low roof, or as a van or ute. These modules can be changed in just 15 minutes. For busy freight companies the X1 enables them to fit a pre-packed module straight onto its electric platform and be on the road in 15 minutes. One platform can carry whatever cargo module is required – be it van or ute, high or low roof – so it is constantly earning its keep, whatever each individual freight mission may be. One of the outstanding things about this vehicle is that it isn’t just another electric vehicle it is also a portable source of energy, one that can take from the grid but also give back, likewise it can be used as a battery to power other objects. As an example, it can be used as an emergency vehicle that can attend a site and enable lights or equipment to be powered from it. Or if you find yourself at home in a blackout, the vehicle can power a house for up to three days, or if you’re a tradie you can power electric tools from the vehicle.

Electric charging and range

Because the intention of ACE EV is to market the vehicle worldwide it is designed to be recharged anywhere including via a normal power point so it can plug-in at home without any additional set up, or at a charge station or using three-phase power. “I get asked all the time about range, I get asked all the time about speed. With our vehicle the range is basically linked to the battery size and the speed is optimised by software settings,” Mr McGarvie said. The range will be around 250 to 300 kilometres with a maximum speed of 110km/h and a carrying capacity of around 1000kg in a space of around six cubic metres. “One of the things we are looking for with the Transformer is to reduce range anxiety … it will have a swap-able battery service, which is very handy for fleets and ambulances,” Mr McGarvie said. “The batteries can sit at a charging station at the depot, the vehicle comes in swaps the box (the rear van box) and swaps the battery.” X1 will be using a lithium phosphate battery, which according to ACE EV is one of the more stable batteries. “The main thing that’s probably worth mentioning here is because of the way we’ve designed the car from a physical perspective, but also an electrical and the computer perspective we’re very flexible,” Mr Schultz said.

“So, the way we’ve designed the vehicle the batteries will be modular in the way they are put in, so we can fairly easily swap out one chemistry for another. “And then also in terms of the way the battery management and orchestration of all the energy services run, it’s a relatively straightforward exercise to swap them out. That was done deliberately because batteries are evolving so quickly... We didn’t want to paint ourselves into a corner.”

Bi-directional transfer technology

A key feature of the X1 Transformer platform is its advanced V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technology which connects it via the Cloud to telematics, software updates, emergency power and ACE’s pioneering Smart Energy Wallet. Before the X1 goes into production the company is running trials in Australia. “The trial that we’re undertaking is a really interesting one,” explained Mr Schultz. “One of the features of the ACE vehicle is they do what’s called bi-directional charging. Conventional electric vehicles obviously need to be charged from the grid. “One of the things that will be unique about what we’re bringing to the market is it’s going to be able to charge, obviously, and charge in a smart way. But it can also discharge into the grid. It provides a way of making money to offset operating costs or even the purchase cost of the vehicle.” Mr Schultz added that there is a substantial amount of computing power inherent in the vehicle and it is more akin to a robot than a conventional car so that one of the things that can be integrated is processing. It does machine learning and optimisation to get the best out of the battery to accommodate the style of driving or vehicle use.

“Our Advanced Australian Vehicle-To-Grid (AAV2G) project will deliver bi-directional transfer between vehicle, building and grid with integrated on-board energy metering,” he said. “The system will enable the X1 Transformer to power an entire home or business, with the vehicle battery storing energy from rooftop solar cells or from the grid. “It can charge when the sun shines, provide night-time energy needs, supply emergency power when needed, feed back into the grid and, of course, run the vehicle itself.” The bi-directional charger system will be adaptable, and it will be available within 12 to 18 months for use in other vehicles, in other words you would be able to integrate it into different electric vehicles.

Manufacturing with a smaller footprint

“The technology we’re developing has been done with a consortium of local and international partners. But all of the design and testing has been done in Australia. So, we have some very interesting stuff going on here,” Mr Schultz added. The smart cell manufacturing employed by ACE means that the car can be built using around one third the energy footprint of existing cars and up to 50 percent lighter; both are key to keeping the cost of the vehicle low in up-front costs and running costs. “The skeleton has 14 bones chemically welded and there’s carbon fibre composite. And once they’re together that cage is actually stronger than the equivalent metal and, of course, much lighter. The total vehicle itself has got about 70 components not counting the drivetrain and batteries,” Mr McGarvie said. “To build the vehicle is far simpler than a traditional vehicle.” A lot of vehicles are seen as consumable items these days. ACE EV says it is looking at things in a far more holistic manner, and because of its modular design it can extract a longer life from the materials that are being used. What this means is that you can change the skin of the X1 during its life, so it becomes a new and different vehicle. It will evolve with the times so that the vehicle you have today can have a completely different look in five or 10 years’ time. And it won’t be just skin deep as the car is more like a big computer on wheels, so it will get upgrades and be constantly modernised with feature enhancements – these are things that are not possible with a traditional vehicle.

Trials and phases

ACE EV has just won $5 million in Federal Government funding through the strong advocacy of South Australian Senator Rex Patrick for its energy management trial to start early next year using the X1 Transformer as its test platform. The $5m will be divided up into device development and X1 development. There are three main phases to the vehicle’s development. Phase 1 is now – it’s building up the core tech. This will be vehicle-to-load not vehicleto-grid. Phase 2 – then it’s the grid integration part. Phase 3 – is when there will be five vehicles with bi-directional charging and the trial of those vehicles.

Australian industry gets onboard

There will be an opportunity for Australia’s component supply chain to also gain from the X1 as potential suppliers will be asked to quote on supplying components for the vehicle and the company hopes that by 2050 more than 50 percent of the vehicle will be Australian made products. As a pointer to the interest that this project has already sparked, Optus asked ACE EV if it could join the team. Now Optus will be managing the 5G robotics communications for the manufacturing plant and the comms side with the vehicle to grid solution, and its cyber security. “One of the things we’re very keen to do is bring a lot of the IP into Australia, have the design done in Australia,” Mr Schultz said. “As someone who has worked overseas for many years it frustrated me that I had to go overseas to get opportunities to do fun and exciting things. “I think it would be really great if we could bring some of those opportunities here.

“One of the big motivators for me is to bring some of those people in and create some real intellectual property. And build some capability here because there’s no reason why this stuff should be done offshore. We’ve got great universities, we’ve got a lot of very skilled people, we should be taking advantage of that.”