Design of a user friendly charging cable for electric cars

Subject: Electric cars, charging, cable, usability, industrial design

Background
Currently there is a great interest in the society for vehicles with different kinds of electric propulsion and Vattenfall is also involved in several projects related to the charging of these vehicles. Before a larger market introduction of electric vehicles can be accomplished, there are however several barriers to overcome. One of the major obstacles is the currently limited battery capacity with relation to costs and weight. Much research is being conducted in order to increase the battery capacity and bring the costs down, but there can also be other solutions helping in overcoming these limitations. One major item here would be more user friendly and flexible charging solutions, which could help maximising the utilisation of the existing battery capacity.

Problem description
In order to keep charging times for future electric cars with larger battery capacity reasonably short, the development of charging equipment is moving in the direction of increased charging currents, which will lead to charging cables with a larger cable. This means that the cables will be much heavier and more cumbersome for the car users to handle. The purpose of the master thesis work is therefore to investigate usability problems with existing cable solutions, define requirements for a future cablesolution and design and implement a prototype.

Requirements
The master thesis project (30p) is to be started as soon as possible and shall be delivered in January 2011. Location is Vattenfall Research and Development offices in Älvkarleby, Sweden. The applicant is a master program engineering student or equivalent with main focus on usability and industrial design.

Vattenfall Research and Development hosts several master thesis projects each year. The work done in these projects contribute to the innovation process in Vattenfall and help to utilise technology in new and efficient ways.
Do you want to contribute with your knowledge and at the same time gain valuable experience from the energy industry? Then you are very welcome to send your application to the address shown below.

Application sent before 2010-08-27 to [email protected] and shall contain:
· CV
· Grades
· Application letter
· Suggestion regarding examiner and supervisor at home university
Our reference:
Monica Löf
Vattenfall Research and Development
814 26 Älvkarleby
Phone: +46 (0)26-83674
[email protected]