- A universal plug and charge solution is coming to all public charging stations in the U.S.
- Charging companies right now use their proprietary authentication systems, which aren't seamless and require different apps and payment methods.
- The new system will enable simple plug and charge. Testing begins in 2025.
Charging a non-Tesla electric car isn't as straightforward as it should be. There are half a dozen charging apps on my phone to authenticate and initiate charging at different stations. Even then, I have to often contort to awkward angles at charging stations, over dangling cables, to glance at poorly lit screens on the dispensers to check the charging status. If you drive an EV you've likely had a similar experience. It's a real pain sometimes.
But the charging experience could soon improve with a new nationwide framework in the U.S. that aims to establish a simple "plug and charge" method for all electric cars, regardless of the brand. If it goes into effect, charging could be as simple as pumping gas; just pull up and plug-in.
Currently, automakers and charging companies use their own authentication systems. Principally, it's all the same: when you plug in an EV, there's a "handshake" between the car and the charger; a process where the two communicate to ensure a safe connection before charging begins.
But this doesn't always work seamlessly and EV owners have to navigate a number of steps before the actual charging begins. Now that's set to change.
The Society Of Automotive Engineers along with a consortium of carmakers and charging companies and the U.S. Government's Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced a common framework on Wednesday to enable drivers to plug in and charge at all public charging stations, without having to download apps or fiddle with payment systems.
SAE will establish what's called "Certificate Trust List Requirements," which is basically a rulebook for automakers, charging companies and equipment suppliers who will have to meet certain technical and safety standards for plug and charge. Suppliers who meet these standards can apply to be approved for deployment of plug and charge to their networks.
“Today’s announcement focuses the industry on interoperability and security,” said Sarah Hipel, Chief Technology Officer of Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Several major charging companies and automakers, including Tesla, Electrify America, ChargePoint, General Motors, Ford and Toyota are already part of this consortium and more are expected to join in the coming months and years.
If it's rolled out as promised, EV drivers will simply have to pull up to charging stations, plug-in and walk away. The network would handle the whole "handshake" and process payments seamlessly. This would reduce the time spent at charging stations and also ease some of the charging anxiety that's slowing down the mass adoption of EVs.
“We are rapidly approaching a future where every EV driver can just plug in, charge up, and go; the network will talk to your car and process the payment seamlessly," said Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. "This is a fundamental step in architecture toward enabling bidirectional charging and true vehicle-to-grid integration, the holy grail for energy and transportation.”
Testing of this universal protocol begins in 2025 and availability for the public could take longer than that. Either ways, it's a positive step forward that could make the EV ownership experience a whole lot easier in the next couple of years.
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