Hong Kong has been promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) since early 2010. Based on information from the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department, there were 49,005 EVs registered in Hong Kong as of January 2023, which is a significant increase from just 100 in December 2010. However, the growth rate of installed EV-chargers and charging stations in Hong Kong lags behind. Additionally, the lack of charging infrastructure is a major hurdle for EV adoption, particularly in the densely populated urban areas of Hong Kong. Therefore, Hong Kong VTC and their industry partner – Totex International Limited have collaborated on research project aimed at developing an automatic mobile EV charger platform to provide charging services for EVs. Collaboration with institutions and industrial organizations is an important aspect of education and research learning. Furthermore, collaboration between institutions and industry has many benefits, it can provide students with opportunities to work on real-world projects and gain practical skills. Provide students and institutions with networking opportunities and connections that can lead to internship and job opportunities.
The development of autonomous mobile EV-charger has provided opportunities and coached to Higher Diploma students via Project-Based Learning program. This project provided opportunities for students to carry out Final Year Projects and Industrial Attachments with themes relevant to their current study. Students can get involved in different phases of background research, design and development as well as testing and commissioning of the mobile EV-charger. The autonomous mobile EV-charger platform provides a fully automatic EV charging service to the user. In addition, it can automatically connect through the recharging station to a typical power outlet. The autonomous mobile EV-charger was equipped with different types of sensors and it can automatically move to the designated location through Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM). Integrating the signal from a 3D camera and lidar, SLAM enables to create a location map and determine the wanted position. Furthermore, a smart phone app was developed and coupled with IoT hardware to provide real-time monitoring and current status of the mobile EV-charger. This collaboration projects emphasizes the provision of Project-Based Learning opportunities by exposing students early to the world of work, thereby nurturing work-ready graduates. The success of the collaboration project was founded in strong learning and teaching outcomes in Higher Diploma Engineering education touching on key industries driving economic growth in Hong Kong.