Getting smart about EVs

Sunday 27 June marks two years since net zero was enshrined in law. Since then huge progress has been made by the energy industry. We’ve seen big gains in renewable technology that are greening the energy mix – and the DCC’s national smart meter network is now over 12 million meters strong.

These advances have only been possible through collaboration across the energy industry, also involving outside talent often from big tech or even innovative start-ups. New technological innovation will be required to fight climate change and make net zero possible. We knew from day one that we would have to build new tools as we worked towards this goal.

Much of the innovation and investment is centred on electric vehicles (EVs). It’s great to see the nation taking up this technology with such enthusiasm. Between this consumer acceptance and the future government ban on the sale of new petrol or diesel cars, EV uptake is expected to grow exponentially.

Powering the adoption of EVs will take more cross-industry collaboration and innovation. EVs will change energy demand in ways we cannot yet anticipate. The network will need to be smarter and faster to respond to these new, massive shifts in demand, and that depends upon better data. In the same way that smart meters gave a ground-up view of energy consumption, and are paving the way for load control, we need a digital, data-rich approach to EV charging – “smart charging”.

Our industry and the government have been exploring ways to approach this challenge of linking EV chargers to the grid for years now. It’s not an easy one, with so many differing technologies, standards and players involved in this rapidly evolving market. More research is needed to guide the industry to the right solution.

At the DCC we’re taking the first steps towards informing and identifying a solution to the EV charging challenge by partnering with Toshiba, Pelion, has.to.be and Vestel. This work seeks to augment, rather than replace, the current approach to EV charging.  Focused on charging at home and at work, it aims to break down some of the most significant barriers facing consumers and the industry – specifically the imperatives of security, interoperability, and load management.

The project will trial a proof-of-concept using a Vestel charge point installed at the DCC’s Manchester testing facility, Brabazon House, and demonstrate how current technology can be cost-effectively modified and linked to a secure national network.  The solution will help manage consumer data, charging control, and energy metering and will feature end-to-end encryption for enhanced security.  This project will yield vital evidence necessary to inform future national strategies for EV smart charging.

There are more questions than answers right now on how this would work in practice, but the benefits of a fully linked system are pretty easy to see. Specifically, the data it would yield could allow the grid to do more with less, and make best use of renewables. The live view of usage across the nation will allow network operators to anticipate and adjust to spikes in usage. In an all-EV future, something as simple as people driving to a football match, could spike usage to unsustainable levels in a specific area. Some grid oversight of these chargers could help share out the available power, avoiding more drastic grid level controls such as a “brownout”.

The data could also help suppliers build new innovative tariffs that help balance the grid and encourage charging when green energy is plentiful. There are already tariffs allowing people to charge for free when the grid is producing excess energy and these could be rolled out to more people.  Some consumers may do this for their purse, while others will be motivated primarily by ensuring their EV only runs on the greenest power; but the ability to automate these choices simply and straightforwardly could be a gamechanger for many.

Range anxiety still ranks as a significant barrier to people going electric. In part, these fears stem from the complexity of the current charging networks. While the industry has made some progress in unifying networks, these will never provide the same value as true interoperability. Being able to charge seamlessly away from home without needing to sign up to a new charging network would be the kind of innovation needed to encourage many petrol stalwarts to make the leap.

A nationwide charging system supported by the DCC network would bring a unifying cybersecurity standard to communicating with charge points. We already operate the smart meter network to standards set by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The Committee on Climate Change predicts up to 28 million EVs by 2035: with so many high-draw, connected devices coupled to our grid, high security is a must.

I’m truly impressed with how the energy industry has moved over the past two years since the net zero announcement, and I’m excited to see what innovations come over the next two years.  At the DCC we will be drawing on the considerable expertise of our partners and customers to bring forward real insights into how we can play our parts helping the grid be ready and equipped for the demands of the EV revolution.

Between us we can help ensure that the EV smart charging is secure and straightforward for consumers, fostering confidence and faster adoption, and allow our energy system to make the best possible use of renewable sources.