BMW has successfully demonstrated a new charging solution where digital passports are assigned to electric cars to allow owners to have more freedom over the public charging network.
The vehicle's passports give the EV its own digital identity, enabling owners to choose their own energy providers and tariffs.
Working alongside electricity transmission firm Elia, and not-for-profit organisation Energy Web, BMW successfully demonstrated the world’s first Transmission Service Operator (TSO)-visible EV charging session.
Using a public charging point from LamA in Berlin, BWW charged one of its EVs using this new solution, where the vehicle’s digital identity was shared with Elia.
Elia believes that by giving electric cars a digital passport, it will allow drivers to choose where the energy that charges their car comes from, enabling them to pick the tariff and provider they want.
Drivers are able to choose their tariff and provider thanks to Energy Web’s operating system, which uses blockchain technology to assign digital identities to EVs.
Elia is currently working with Energy Web on an E-Mobility Dashboard, an open platform designed to simplify the identification of EVs and charge points, enabling all parties to receive trustworthy, secure data through Energy Web e-roaming hub, the Open Charging Network.
The Belgian firm says that by providing an EV with a digital identity, the process of data exchange between EV owners and TSOs is much easier.
“Today, EV charging processes are not individually captured which prevents an active management of charging processes,” said Kai Schmied from Elia.
“Only with visibility on individual charging processes as well as a secure identification of involved participants, grid operators can enable flexibility use cases or offer new services such as supplier switching at the charging station’’.
Energy Web CEO Jesse Morris added, “By assigning digital identities to EVs using Energy Web’s blockchain-based operating system, TSOs can finally benefit from visibility at the device level which they have never had before.”
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