Siemens, Duke Energy and Ford demonstrate lower cost home smart charging technology for plug-ins; due on market next year

5 December 2014

Siemens Energy Management Division has teamed with Duke Energy and Ford to demonstrate the results of an 18-month effort to reduce the cost and expand electric vehicle charging technologies. Held at the Duke Energy Envision Center in Erlanger, Ky., and utilizing a Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid, Siemens provided the first UL-approved residential electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to demonstrate the ability to monitor status, report energy use, and be controlled locally from the local area network and from the cloud.

In 2012, Siemens was awarded $1.6 million in development funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support research aimed at significantly reducing the current costs of electrical vehicle (EV) chargers and developing “smart” charging capabilities that support power grid efficiency and consumer demand.

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The grant, awarded to Siemens Corporation, Corporate Research and Technology (SCRT) was supported by nearly $750,000 in matching research funding—an investment shared with Siemens Low Voltage Electronics, the group responsible for Residential Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment and a business unit of Siemens Infrastructure and Cities.

During the demonstration, Siemens’ residential EVSE was shown to be accessible by web-connected computers, smart phones and tablets, allowing the EV owner to better monitor the status of the EV charging, schedule future charge events, as well as determine the total kilowatt hours consumed and the cost of charging.

With these technology developments, an EV owner can better understand the exact cost of charging the electric vehicle, schedule the charging process when rates are lowest, and share charging experiences. Utilities can also take advantage of the technology to offer programs that help manage the time and level of EV charging across the grid to increase grid reliability and efficiency while minimizing peak demand.

This demonstration marks a turning point for the EV industry and proves the tangible benefits of bringing advanced EVSE technologies into the home and the power marketplace. Intelligence in EV charging stations means homeowners can reduce the cost of charging up to 60 percent by automatically charging during low energy rate periods, where such programs are available. Utilities can shift loads off critical peak periods to avoid the need for new generation sources.

Also demonstrated was the ability to monitor and control the EVSE from an OpenADR server. OpenADR is an open standard for Automated Demand Response, allowing utilities to manage grid load resources remotely and automatically.

By using OpenADR or by directly accessing the Siemens Cloud, utilities can offer rate programs to EV owners to allow the consumer to charge at attractive rates while simultaneously allowing the utility to manage the loads on the grid. By shifting each EV charging event slightly in time, utilities can potentially reduce the peak demand on the grid, which in turn helps to reduce the total amount of generation needed.

Appliance connection. The Siemens EV charging station presented at the Envision Center also demonstrated a novel, new industry standard interface designed to allow appliances to work with utility demand response programs.

The connection is based on the CEA-2045 modular communications interface standard, introduced in February 2013 by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is assessing the CEA-2045 interface to determine its ability to provide smart grid connectivity standard for water heaters, AC units and other large home energy loads. Siemens believes this EV charger is the first EVSE that provides this connectivity.

In addition to the CEA-2045 connector in the EVSE, Siemens also demonstrated a CEA-2045 communication module that provides Wi-Fi communications for any CEA-2045 enabled appliance.

The demonstration was funded as part of a grant received from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), which supports the development of EVSE’s that are capable of implementing smart charging of EVs, referred to as smart grid-capable EVSE. A goal of the OE Smart Grid Research and Development (RD) Program is to develop and implement smart grid technologies to support transportation electrification.

In March of 2012, the DOE awarded Siemens a grant to develop a low cost Smart Grid Capable EVSE. Duke Energy and Ford joined Siemens as partners to provide utility and automaker expertise and feedback.

The Siemens EV charging station with Wi-Fi connectivity and smart phone application used in this demonstration is expected to be available to the general public in 2015.