ID 340542010 © Mkmult | Dreamstime.com (AI generated)
LF Energy vehicle-to-grid charging

Initiative Promises to Speed Up EV/Charger/Grid Interoperability

Dec. 4, 2024
Can the Linux Foundation’s Energy Initiative help untangle the fractured patchwork of protocols and grid codes that make vehicle-to-grid systems so difficult to standardize?

The Linux Foundation Energy (LF Energy) EVerest Project is partnering with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to address several of the biggest challenges in the development of practical standards and interoperability guidelines for bidirectional EV charging, aka vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems. This collaboration aims to bring the EVerest project’s expertise with developing open-source solutions and protocols for EV charging stations and on-board chargers (OBCs) to the IEA’s Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Program (HEV TCP).

This collaboration is significant because it has the potential to help the industry heal the fractured patchwork of non-interoperable protocols and hundreds of grid codes that support communication between charging stations and power providers. 

The work is being conducted within a segment of the IEA’s HEV TCP program that's focused on upcoming updates to the ISO 15118-2X standard for V2G communications. This initiative, known as the Interoperability of Bidirectional Charging (INBID) initiative, commonly referred to as Task 53, aims to test the conformance of the amendments related to bidirectional charging. Task 53 has two main objectives:

  1. Ensure interoperability between bidirectional charging stations and vehicles.
  2. Ensure interoperability between bidirectional charging stations and distribution grids.

Both the EVerest project and Task 53 are working to remove those hurdles and increase interoperability: EVerest would implement a universal open-source charger firmware covering all relevant standards and their variations, and Task 53 would organize cross-system interoperability testing. These approaches strongly complement each other, and further collaboration will provide significant improvements in interoperability between charging stations and power providers, as well as between charging stations and EVs.

LF Energy EVerest will be able to support conformance testing with its expertise in establishing universal open-source charger firmware that works with all relevant industry standards, including variations.  

EVerest: An EV-Charging Framework

LF Energy EVerest is an open-source modular framework for EV charging, consisting of multiple modules that can be configured and customized for any necessary use case. It also covers many other major industry standards, such as ISO 15118-20, as well as flexible logic to connect all of them. EVerest was originated by PIONIX GmbH and contributed to LF Energy in early 2022. EVerest is licensed under Apache 2.0. Find further information here.

Task 53: Bidirectional Charging Interoperability

The IEA’s HEV TCP program focuses on pre-competitive research as well as the production and dissemination of information related to EV technology. As part of its efforts to address interoperability issues, HEV TCP initiated Task 53: Interoperability of Bidirectional Charging (INBID). Find further information here

About LF Energy

LF Energy provides a 21st century plan of action to solve climate change through open frameworks, reference architectures, and a support ecosystem of complementary projects. Strategic Members include Alliander, Google, Microsoft, RTE and Shell, in addition to over 60 General and Associate Members from across the energy industry, technology, academia, and government. Find further information here.

About the Author

Lee Goldberg | Contributing Editor

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.

Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series

Sponsored Recommendations

Comments

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!