2022 will see the publication of two new standards essential for smart charging. These standards will determine how we charge our electric cars, change the way electricity flows in our homes, and potentially cut our energy bills. Both are set to boost the deployment of smart charging infrastructures, affecting the daily lives of millions of people across the world. Both were drafted with significant involvement from ECOS.

Under the cryptic names ‘ISO 15118-20’ and ‘EN 50491-12’, hide the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) standard and the Customer Energy Management (CEM) standard. We were heavily involved in the drafting of both, ensuring that they are interoperable, coherent with other smart charging standards, and not unnecessarily complex.

Changing the charging… of electric cars

The V2G standard enables electric vehicles (EVs) to give energy back to the grid, to a building, or to other devices. This so-called bi-directional energy flow allows the vehicle to serve as energy storage, comparable to a large, mobile battery. This way, the vehicle can become the energy supply for a building, or send energy directly into the grid when energy demand is high.

For example, excess solar energy could be stored in a car battery during the sunny period of a day and delivered back to the building when energy demand exceeds local supply in the evening and night. In combination with a customer energy management system, this energy can be used by active devices within a building, when energy is cheap and, in general, when it makes the most sense. This way, energy demand peaks may be softened, for instance in the morning and evening hours when most people are at home – without needing to expand the electrical networks.

How can smart grids in buildings change our lives?

The CEM standard, in turn, manages devices and appliances within buildings, taking into account the signals received from the power system, user preferences and internal flexibility. By means of an interface, consumers can indicate their needs, be it for heating or EV charging. The CEM coordinates the energy demand and supply (for example from solar panels) within a building in the most energy efficient way, ensuring that energy is used at the most optimal moment, for instance when the general energy demand is lower or when renewables are available and energy is cheaper.

Currently, it is possible to programme vehicle charging or to set a washing machine cycle to start at a particular time. However, this form of smart energy consumption requires consumers to actively plan ahead. Thanks the Customer Energy Management standard, this will no longer be needed – users will not need to keep an eye on the system all the time.

Making smart charging a reality

Making smart charging a reality is extremely important to electrify transport and buildings, an essential step to decarbonise both. It will ensure more renewable energy can be used and support an electricity grid that increasingly relies on variable renewables.

Both V2G and CEM standards are crucial to making this happen on a large scale. They also guarantee interoperability of devices and systems developed by different manufacturers, allowing them to communicate with each other, which enhances the flexibility of any energy management system and reduces costs for consumers because it is no longer necessary to buy devices from a particular brand.

We are extremely pleased to have played such a key role in shaping these standards so that they work for the environment, and are very much looking forward to their publication, while we keep working towards a smarter, greener future.