SAE International, a global association of more than 128,000 engineers in the field of automotive and commercial-vehicle industries, said that its Hybrid Task Force has developed a new standard called 'J2836/1 - Use Cases for Communication between Plug-In Vehicles and the Utility Grid' to address the issue of increased demand on local utility grids due the growing use of EVs.
The standard establishes use cases for two-way communication between plug-in EVs and the electric power grid, for energy transfer and other applications.
Further, it provides a set of communication requirements for use with various load management and rate programs that will be established by utility companies related to the charging of plug-in electric vehicles.
The various utility programs will enable consumers to charge their vehicles at the lowest cost during off-peak hours, and helps the utilities reduce grid impacts by minimizing electric vehicle charging during peak periods.
J2836/1 is the first in a series of five standards that are being developed by SAE International to address utility programs for plug-in electric vehicles.
Rich Scholer, chair of hybrid task force and sponsor of new standard at SAE International, said: “The biggest challenge for utilities is managing the grid during peak times, a time when energy is the most expensive and demand is greatest.
”As we add more plug-in electric vehicles to the grid, we’re increasing our need for on-peak power and infrastructure. This standard will help enable consumers to charge their vehicles at off-peak hours and help utilities better manage the grids during peak hours, thus minimizing cost and grid impacts.”