EV Power Pulse Issue #3

The future of EV charging technology, much needed cybersecurity standards, and building the EV workforce.

Author

Steve Taylor
August 26, 2023

Hello!

Thanks for spending another Saturday morning with us. Today, Rob and I will be discussing wireless EV charging and the new cybersecurity guidelines for EV charging networks. But first, let’s talk about the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent nonprofit working to ensure the public has safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable access to electricity across the globe.

The EPRI recently announced EVs2Scale2030, a three-year initiative to prepare the US electric grid for the rapid expansion of EV charging infrastructure. They’ll be working alongside 500 stakeholders, including Amazon, electric companies, and federal agencies, which speaks to the expansive scope of this project. The initiative seeks to establish collaboration, standardization, and coordination to meet the US's 2030 electrification targets.

Part of that mission is to identify the electric vehicle loads, grid impacts, utility lead times, workforce requirements, and costs as they build their 2030 roadmap. Other goals include developing cross-industry processes and building a data exchange platform for fleet operators and charging providers to facilitate grid planning.

This initiative could supply the concentration of technologies and resources necessary to help US EV charging infrastructure catch up to countries like China, the UK, Germany, and Norway. With continued collaboration between private and public sector stakeholders, we believe the US is marching confidently toward a greener, more sustainable transportation future.

–Steve

Current EVents

EV Industry Updates

Examining Emerging EV Charging Technology

We’ve spoken a lot about the dominant form of EV charging—the plugs at homes and stations around the country—but the future of EV charging could look much different. Early-stage startups and major corporations like Tesla and Ford are experimenting with technology that could unplug the EV charging landscape.

This summer, Tesla spent $76M to acquire German startup Wiferion, a company that developed wireless charging technology primarily for warehouse settings. As the current industry leader in EV charging, it’s logical for Tesla to already be working on next-generation EV charging technology. Unlike the plugs we have now, an industry standard is already in place for wireless charging, which could dodge that cable conundrum.

Meanwhile, companies like Ford and Israel’s Electreon are looking to take wireless charging even further by building it directly into roads. Ford filed their patent this summer for technology that embeds inductive charging coils within roads for wireless charging while vehicles are in motion. This would involve aligning a car's receiver with coils on the road, possibly guided by cameras or sensors. Electreon is already using similar technology for their electric buses, and they believe it will translate well to standard EVs. From an infrastructure perspective, their most impressive claim is their ability to lay a mile of these dynamic chargers overnight.

There’s no lack of innovation around EV charging, from EVAR’s droid-like Parky robot to Eaton’s fleet-scale fast-charging solution. Whether the future of EV charging is plugged, wireless, or bidirectional, the one thing we’re certain of is the EV charging landscape will continue to evolve.

–Steve

Power and Policy

The US is working quickly to expand its EV infrastructure under the Biden administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is ready to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing EV charging—cybersecurity. NIST has prepared a set of guidelines to evade the threat of hackers on EV charging networks. They’ll be looking to finalize these guidelines by August 28.

EV charger hacking presents a significant threat to drivers, businesses, and the security of the power grid. Last month, Wired published a story chronicling the risks ranging from vulnerable personal information of users all the way to a grid-scale cyberattack targeting home chargers. The Biden administration has been working toward a solution to these problems since November 2022.

The NIST guidelines offer up the first large-scale attempt at standardizing cybersecurity for EV charging networks in the US. They call for secure digital payment systems on charging stations and the EV equipment linked to the power grid to prevent domestic and international hacking threats. The agency also suggests measures like encryption, firewalls, antivirus software, and detailed logging for forensic analysis after cyberattacks.

NIST’s guidelines are a positive first step, but this is likely a problem that will require ongoing vigilance and resources. As we move toward broader standardization and coordination within the industry, those efforts are absolutely vital to the long-term success of EV charging and the safety of our power grid.

–Rob

ChargeCorner

The Latest from ChargeCorps (The parent company of EV Power Pulse)

As the number of EVs on the road increases, charging stations must be widely available, and—most importantly—they need to work! Reliability, unfortunately, has not been a hallmark of charging infrastructure. Changing this reliability dynamic will require a new EV-charging maintenance and repair workforce across the country that does not exist at scale today. Addressing this need is at the core of why we created ChargeCorps.

But how do you recruit, train, and hire a national workforce? And how do you do it in a way that provides employment opportunities to communities that need them the most? We think we have a model that is effective and replicable around the country.

We believe the best course of action to address these workforce challenges is to establish a series of state-based and/or regional “Centers of Excellence for Electric Vehicle Charging Maintenance and Repair.”

These centers will be structured as public-private partnerships that will include a mix of participating entities, including the federal government, state governments and agencies, public academic institutions, EV-charging hardware providers, and ChargeCorps Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

The centers will prioritize engagement with diverse community organizations, minority-owned businesses, and women-led enterprises to promote economic inclusion and ensure that the benefits of its initiatives extend to all segments of society.

The centers will provide two primary outcomes:

  • A highly skilled workforce: The training and certification programs will produce a highly skilled and qualified workforce capable of maintaining and repairing electric vehicle charging stations efficiently and safely.

  • Enhanced maintenance standards: The establishment of standardized training protocols will result in improved maintenance practices, leading to increased reliability and longevity of EV charging infrastructure.

The result is a highly visible and accessible training pipeline across the country that creates pathways to good jobs in the clean energy economy.

–Steve and Rob

EV Charging the News

EV INDUSTRY STAT OF THE WEEK

A study by Coast examined EV charging accessibility in the US, finding some key shortfalls in states like California, Nevada, and Oregon. Nevada, for example, has 49% more EVs per vehicle registration than the national average despite having 19% fewer EV ports per road mile.

Upcoming EVents

Demonstrate Deploy Decarbonize 2023 (September 26-27, 2023, Washington, D.C.)

This is the first annual Deploy conference, serving as an opportunity to explore new cleantech and energy solutions, workshop ideas, hear emerging insights, and meet market leaders. The agenda is stacked with industry leaders speaking on topics including EVs, modernizing the grid, decarbonization, and the future of America’s clean energy workforce.

How to further connect with us

If you’d like to stay plugged into the latest EV news, you’re in the right place.

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If you want to get in touch with us to learn more about ChargeCorps, reach out here.

Until next time, stay charged!
- Steve and Rob

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