SAE Develops New Standard for Communication Between Plug-In Electric Vehicle and Utility Grid

As plug-in electric vehicles become more common in garages and carports around the nation, the result will be an increased demand on local utility grids that supply the power to charge them.

Recognizing the need for a standard set of requirements addressing this issue, SAE International created the new standard, J2836/1(TM) - Use Cases for Communication between Plug-In Vehicles and the Utility Grid.

The standard establishes use cases for two-way communication between plug-in electric vehicles and the electric power grid, for energy transfer and other applications. Also, 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.

Rich Scholer, HEV E/E Systems Engineer, Ford Motor Company, is chair of SAE International's Hybrid Task Force and sponsor of the new standard. "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."

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