Leading automakers BMW, Ford, and Honda announced on Tuesday plans to form a new company, ChargeScape, which will be focused on optimising electric vehicle grid services in North America.
ChargeScape will be equally owned between all three automakers and will aim to create a single platform connecting electric utilities, automakers, and interested EV customers.
The new company will build on years of Open Vehicle-Grid Integration Platform (OVGIP) cross-industry collaboration and will seek to eliminate the need for individual integrations between each automotive brand and each electric utility.
EV customers participating with ChargeScape will be able to earn financial benefits by charging at “grid friendly” times through flexible and managed schedules.
EV owners will also be better able to share energy stored in their EVs with the grid during times of peak demand.
By scrapping brand-specific bottlenecks, ChargeScape will enable utilities and system operators to more easily access energy data of plugged-in EV batteries leading to their use for aggregated demand response, alignment of charging, and EV battery utilisation with off-peak and low-cost hours paired with the availability of high renewable energy.
“Electric grid reliability and sustainability are the foundation for an EV powered future,” said Thomas Ruemenapp, vice president for engineering at BMW of North America, LLC.
“ChargeScape aims to accelerate the expansion of smart charging and vehicle-to-everything solutions all over the country, while increasing customer benefits, supporting the stability of the grid and helping to maximize renewable energy usage.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.