Standards And Interoperability: Scaling EV Charging .

There are a number of commercial complicationsand market risks around having chargingtechnology patents owned, developed andimproved upon by only one market participant.While it may be nice to imagine a world whereproprietary protocols can be freely adopted, fewstrategic thinkers in the most successfulcompanies would agree to implement a coretechnology that is entirely controlled by theircompetitor. This is especially true when openstandards are readily available to give every marketplayer full control over their own productdevelopments, market approaches and futureroadmaps. The latter scenario is the healthiest forany industry as it allows for the best ideas toemerge from across a broad talent pool fromvaried companies and stakeholders.—Few companies would agree toimplement a core technology thatis entirely controlled by theircompetitor.—The OppChargestandard can beused for overheadcharging, such as byVolvo electric buses.of today and the vehicles of tomorrow may leveragethe same charging assets, regardless of powerdelivery capability or new feature sets within thevehicle, the charger, or beyond to the grid.—Standards offer backwards andforwards compatibility for allinfrastructure investments.Proprietary protocols are not open standardsThe most well-known example of a proprietarycharging protocol would be the TeslaSupercharging protocol, which serves manysatisfied drivers around the world. However, aproprietary protocol is not an open standard, andtherefore remains under the ownership, controland potential licensing of its owner. This makes theprotocol exceedingly difficult to implement for anyother vehicle maker or charging operator.Safety, reliability and usabilityMost importantly, standards offer the inherentadvancement of safety. Standards arecollaborative, reviewable, and incorporate optimaldesigns and best industry practices. Standards areusually developed by interdisciplinary teams with awide net of talent and collective knowledge, ratherthan isolated proprietary development that carriesthe complications of patents, licensing fees andlegal issues that can dampen markets rather thanpush them farther.In a field like electrical technology, wherestandardization is expected and esteemed,proprietary solutions will always be difficult topush and proliferate. Standards are the language ofengineers, vehicle makers, electricians, utilities,municipal and regulatory professionals. Theseprofessionals are often the gatekeepers toinfrastructure deployment and must be assuredthat all aspects of charging systems, not just at thepoint of connection to the grid, but to the vehicleas well, have been carefully studied, developed andimplemented safely.This is especially true for high power electricalcharging systems, where the risk of unsafe,unreliable and poorly designed products will marthe reputation of an emerging market. When thereare fewer unique safety systems to worry about,

S TA N D A R D S A N D I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y: S C A L I N G E V C H A R G I N G I N F R A S T R U C T U R Emarket players who are chartered with reliableservice and maintenance may also improve uptimethrough repeatable deployment best practices.Driving down cost while building trustAs more companies invest in developing batteryinnovations, new vehicles and applications,charging standards aid lower R&D costs across theentire industry. When R&D teams are not taskedwith solving the same problem over and over, theycan bring their energy, talent and investment to thenext challenge to be solved while making better andlower cost products for consumers.Standards also create compatibility, which buildstrust and therefore adoption, pushing the marketforward. Consumers want to know that when theybuy a vehicle, the charging systems they rely ontoday on will work tomorrow. When charginginfrastructure is nurtured across disciplines andcoupled with the safest possible implementation,those investing in it can feel more secure that theircharging deployments will meet the needs of all EVdrivers, creating a healthier business model for all.Scaling EV buses, trucks and fleetsThe economics of electric fleet operations arecompelling, especially among high utilizationvehicles including fleet-based cars, buses, deliveryvans, varied trucks and semis. Lower energy costs,reduced maintenance and longer lifetime of anelectric drivetrain – along with lower noise and GHGemissions make a compelling case for electrifyingevery fleet.Many electric vehicle applications are stillemerging. Fortunately, there are existing open6industry standards that are readily available andcontinuously cultivated through their workinggroups – which create further opportunities forcollaborative testing and validation of standardsimplementations across vehicles and charginginfrastructure. These activities encourage choice,competition and further innovation.—When all vehicles can use acommon charging system, thoseassets can deliver the most valuethrough high utilization.For example, when a transit agency, fleet operatoror shared mobility service is investing in electricvehicles, they need to know that when they chose avehicle or charging system, they can grow theirfleet under a flexible umbrella of technology. Theymust be able to choose from a slate of suppliersand not be locked into a single technology, productor solution. The e-mobility market is moving tooquickly with too many innovations not to havechoice and future-proof growth baked into longterm planning.It’s no secret that utilization is one of the mostimportant ways in which charging infrastructureinvestments can deliver commercial value. Whenthe most possible vehicles can use commoncharging systems, those assets have optimizedpotential. However, when multiple chargingsystems must be procured for each and everyvehicle make, the cost to deploy becomesexponentially larger while utilization drops.—Depot chargingwith CCSconnectors isoften deployedfor overnight fleetcharging needs.

Non-road EVsTransportation electrification is showing strongsigns of taking even more paths, whether over thewater, up in the air or deep underground.Additionally, there are many well-matched EVapplications for electric vehicles for warehouses,factories, airports, campuses and resorts. As theseindustries can get their arms around chargingstandards, interoperability will be a significantdriver for turning new vehicle electrificationinnovations into commercial and operationalsuccess. If these diverse industries can leverageexisting common standards, much of the safety,quality and cost advantages will be gained farmore quickly for every vehicle, fleet and user.There are existing cases where a proprietarycharging system may only be applicable for acertain class and make of vehicle, but common,open standards will give life to new transportapplications and wider EV adoption. Even whenvehicle designs may look and act very differentlyfrom one another, the common aspects ofcharging, from physical connection points tocommunication protocols, can be adopted andgive wings to innovation, business efficiencies,and ultimately cleaner and lower cost vehiclesolutions.Testing and validationStandards provide an important industryblueprint, but they do not guarantee functionalinteroperability. The plug and play benefits ofinteroperability cannot succeed without proactiveand collaborative development, testing andvalidation among the EV industry’s technologyleaders.While charging standards provide the neededrecipe to help the EV industry move forward faster,the ingredients listed in a standard are just thebeginning of interoperability excellence.Collaborative testing and validation prove out thatstandards are interpreted, implemented anddeployed accurately.From the BMS to the charging system, anexponential rate of software code is executedthroughout the charging process to ensure drivers,users and bystanders all remain safe.Implementations of hardware communications,especially as charging systems become morepowerful, demand detailed attention to everysafety check and quality control.This is where interoperability testing andvalidation are the bedrock of the EV industry.Safety and successful connections permeate notonly the standards as written but must be provenout in labs and test tracks for every interoperableEV to connect to every interoperable charger.Interoperability testing and validation are alwaysless expensive in a lab than in the field, so every EVlaunch checklist should include interoperabilitysafety and accuracy assurance process with allcharging technology as early as possible in thevehicle R&D cycle. Additionally, standardsorganizations and interoperability test events areall recommended pathways to partner, test andvalidate.

S TA N D A R D S A N D I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y: S C A L I N G E V C H A R G I N G I N F R A S T R U C T U R ECharger to networkThe open exchange of data between chargingstations with networks, back-end paymentsystems and enterprise-wide operational data isanother critical aspect to public, private and fleetcharging infrastructure. Site owners and operatorsmust ensure their charging assets serve driversand vehicles while providing valuable data andrevenue back to sites and asset owners. Withoutthese operational aspects working seamlessly, asite may be saddled with a stranded asset that haslimited value and functionality to users.Any investment in EV charging networks shouldfavor the most open and interoperablecommunication protocols between charger andback-end to ensure funding stakeholders do notfind their vendor choices restricted by a costprohibitive or poorly performing system. EVcharging infrastructure plans should always have afull selection of hardware vendors as well aspayment and service providers for the mostchoice. If any of those vendors fail to perform, theowner or site host has the choice to find a betterprovider without the costly headache of replacingwith a completely new system.Open networks: competition is good for allNew and emerging industries will almost alwaysgo through an ebb and flow of market entrants,competing technologies and next generationproduct development. Well-fostered competitionis ideal for market health and consumer choice.Closed or proprietary networks inhibit thatpositive evolution by limiting the ability tointegrate and grow with the latest technologiesand the most reliable suppliers. Open networksallow for widest choice, most flexibleimplementation, and most importantly, room toimprove in an innovative and fast-moving market.The widely implemented Open Charge PointProtocol (OCPP) is an example of an applicationprotocol that enables communication between acharging station via connectivity and any networkoperation or back-end. OCPP was not started,developed or specifically affiliated with anyprivate infrastructure company. It operates as alicense-free, scalable and easy to use solution,falling under the open standards umbrella in termsof collaborative industry development and freeuse.AlwaysconnectedRemotehealth opsInteroperablechargingplatformsOCPPData andtelematics—PaymentintegrationsGridD/RHealthy charginginfrastructure is open,connected and neverlocked into proprietarynetwork platforms.8

9S TA N D A R D S A N D I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y: S C A L I N G E V C H A R G I N G I N F R A S T R U C T U R EWhat is a proprietary network?A proprietary network is a network that operates ina closed system, locking together the hardwarewith back-end payment and data managementbusiness model. These models rarely allow sitehosts nor infrastructure investors the ability tochoose their own hardware or replacemalfunctioning hardware with their technologychoice. Further, these models may also limit accessto or ownership of charging station data.These models may be presented as ‘turnkey’ or‘simple to deploy’ to those interested in installingcharging infrastructure, but they bring a muchgreater risk of lost assets should the hardware,software or operator not perform, become tooexpensive, or worse yet, not remain in business atall.—EV charging infrastructuredeployments should always beallowed a full selection ofhardware, payment and servicesfor most choice.DC fast charging and interoperabilityThe issue of network interoperability is magnifiedfor DC fast charging infrastructure systems. Theseare not throwaway boxes that can be easilyreplaced should there be performance issues. Fastcharging technology is specialized and requiresattention to quality, reliability and long-termperformance. When providers implement cheaplymade solutions to save perceived upfront costs, orpad margin on turnkey projects, the risk ofstranded assets and lost investment is even higher.Additionally, DC power architectures and relatedvehicle development will continue to evolve asmore EV drivers hit the road. Infrastructureinvestors and hosts alike will demand the flexibilitythat comes with open networks to ensure thesesystems are always adequate, competitive andredundant for the drivers who rely on them to gethome safely each day – and the fleets who demandhigh uptime and scale to secure their operations.—EVgo is an exampleof an interoperablenetwork with optimalhardware and servicestrategies for highuptime metrics.

S TA N D A R D S A N D I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y: S C A L I N G E V C H A R G I N G I N F R A S T R U C T U R E—Vehicle interoperability in practiceTesting and validationKey insights13Standards provide ablueprint, but they donot guarantee functionalinteroperabilitySuccessful EV launchesinclude interoperabilitytesting early in thevehicle R&D cycle24Interoperability testingand validation are lessexpensive in a lab than inthe fieldSuccessful EV transit andfleet programs ensurevehicles are pre-testedand validated forcharging technologyinteroperabilityInteroperability checklistLearn and understand keyaspects to safety and reliabilityof charging power systemsBuild interoperability testingand validation into vehiclelaunch timelinesParticipate in standardsorganizations and industryinteroperability test eventsComplete interoperabilitytesting with infrastructuretechnology firms prior tovehicle market introductionWork with charginginfrastructure technologycompanies early in the vehicleR&D cycleRequire interoperability testingand validation for funded EVinfrastructure programs10

11S TA N D A R D S A N D I N T E R O P E R A B I L I T Y: S C A L I N G E V C H A R G I N G I N F R A S T R U C T U R E—ConclusionAs the EV industry matures, interoperability will remain importantto the development of vehicle communications to charger,network and grid. We can expect to see further advancements inthe communication systems between electric vehicles and gridconnected assets. Intelligent power supply is an emergingtechnical and commercial opportunity carrying many benefitsacross the vehicle electrification landscape and will undoubtedlydemand open and harmonized communication standards.While EV infrastructure is still a relatively new and quickly evolvingspace, regardless of which vehicles and charging innovations willcapture and drive the market, open standardization will always bethe optimal approach for rolling out the most future-proof andreliable charging infrastructure – with testing and validation acontinuous part of this evolution. A sound interoperabilitystrategy can deliver the most returns for those who will fund,deploy, operate and use these critical assets in the years to come– along with the most convenient, reliable and cleantransportation.

—ABB Inc.4050 E. Cotton Center BlvdPhoenix, AZ 85040United StatesPhone: 800-435-7365E-mail: US-evci@abb.comABB Inc.800 Hymus BoulevardSaint-Laurent, QC H4S 0B5CanadaPhone: 800-435-7365E-mail: CA-evci@abb.com—We reserve the right to make technical changes or modify thecontents of this document without prior notice. We reserve allrights in this document and in the subject matter and illustrationscontained therein. Any reproduction, disclosure to third parties orutilization of its contents – in whole or in parts – is forbiddenwithout prior written consent of ABB. Copyright 2019 ABB. Allrights reserved.9AKK107492A8111www.abb.com/evcharging

investment in public charging infrastructure for a period of time. The introduction of multi-standard charging systems by charging station manufacturers helped to settle some of the debate. ABB was part of that effort, incorporating all open standards within a single charging station and dep