Imagine a world where your EV and the charging station converse instantaneously, allowing for a seamless charging experience. Without a single word or action from you, the car takes over the process; it authenticates, authorises, and begins charging. There’s no need to swipe, tap, or click—just plug and charge. This future of EV systems is unlike most EV users currently use. The present charging ecosystem makes it apparent that charging is not as easy as fueling up.

Challenges in the present EV charging ecosystem

Sales of EVs in the world are growing at a good pace, nearly 14 million new electric cars were registered globally in 2023.

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More EVs mean less greenhouse gas emissions for our planet. But there is a challenge. There are not enough publicly available charging stations to charge all those cars. Unfortunately, that’s not the only challenge. Unless Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) understand the critical points, it is difficult to facilitate a continuous loop that benefits developers, operators, and end-users alike.

Let’s take a look at some major difficulties facing EV owners around the globe that force them to question the reliability of the charging network cell.

Charger out of order 

Reliable charging infrastructure is a critical piece of a successful infrastructure. California has the most number of EV users but finding a working charging station in the vicinity is a challenge. According to a survey, 35% of EV drivers in Miami have visited charging stations where they were unable to charge because the chargers did not function properly. For Denver and Dallas, that number was 29%.

Some of the common technical errors are: 

• Processing errors.
• Cards are being rejected.
• Handshake failure during information exchange between the car and charger.

Weather challenges

Usually, people just jump in their cars and travel as per their convenience, with an ever-present choice to refill whenever needed because of the satisfactory presence of gas stations everywhere. But now, people are worried about how far they can travel in an EV before coming across a charging station and then waiting in the queue to recharge the battery.

Extremely cold temperatures can significantly reduce the range and charging efficiency of EVs. Lithium-ion batteries, the dominant technology in EVs, become less efficient in the cold. It takes longer to charge an EV, and the car might not travel as far on a single charge. This is a major concern for drivers in cold climates, potentially causing range anxiety.

While not as impactful as cold, excessively hot weather can also affect battery performance. High temperatures can accelerate battery degradation and reduce overall lifespan. Additionally, extreme heat might limit fast-charging capabilities as well.

Lack of interoperability

There are currently a few different charging standards used around the world. An EV with one type of connector might not be compatible with a station using a different standard. Moreover, EV owners might need memberships or accounts with specific charging networks to use their stations, creating inconvenience. Sometimes the car and the charger do not connect to each other (the handshake issue). Basically, when you plug the charger into the car, both exchange information about voltage and energy levels back and forth. If anything goes wrong, the charger may prompt you to troubleshoot. This lack of interoperability necessitates the industry to move towards greater standardisation, making EV charging more user-friendly, which is currently lacking.

EV Charging Connector Types

Sustainable infrastructure

Imagine a future where EVs cannot only be charged with electricity but can also put power back into the grid. This sustainable practice is possible through Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.

However, at present, our grids are not quite ready for this. The introduction of V2G technology could help balance out the demand for electricity, especially during peak hours. But to make this work, we need smarter systems than can handle this two-way flow of power.

The goal is to create a future with more sustainable energy. By leveraging renewable power sources like solar and wind energy coupled with V2G and smart grids, we can make grids more reliable and efficient for the EV charging ecosystem and in general as well.

What OEMs need to offer for a seamless EV charging experience 

To address the issues and offer a smooth EV charging experience, OEMs should focus on:

• Reliable charging infrastructure to quickly identify and fix charging issues. 
• Faster charging speed to reduce range anxiety.
• Standardised charging protocols to eliminate handshake issues and ensure compatibility across different charging stations and car models. 
• Grid-friendly charging solutions to charge during off-peak hours to reduce the load on the grid. 
• Leverage data collected from all charging stations and vehicles to optimise the charging process and personalise the charging experience for EV users.

There is a pressing need for an all-in-one integrated platform that connects everything involved, like a central hub. It would interconnect backend cloud infrastructure, mobile applications for user interface, Charge Point Operators (CPOs), and roaming services that enable cross-network charging access. Additionally, it should integrate electric vehicles, charging stations, and the power grid into a cohesive network. This way, everything would work together smoothly with enhanced user engagement across various touchpoints. 

KPIT’s seamless & integrated charging ecosystem platform

KPIT offers an EV charging ecosystem, which is a comprehensive platform that facilitates integrated communication between various stakeholders. The ecosystem connects the backend cloud infrastructure, mobile applications for user interface, Charge Point Operators (CPOs), roaming services for cross-network charging access, electric vehicles, charging stations, and the power grid, creating an interlinked web of all the information you need for a seamless experience.

For OEMs, KPIT platform is an ideal resource for backend development teams. The team can use the KPIT platform to verify the interoperability of EVs with different charging ecosystems to identify and address any compatibility issues before production so that users can have a smooth charging experience. 

The platform also captures valuable data generated during charging sessions. The development team can analyse this data to understand charging behaviour, identify areas of improvement, and refine EV software and charging algorithms.

At the charging station end, the platform allows operators to test their charging stations in a controlled environment thoroughly. It helps operators check how their stations may communicate with any compatible EVs to enhance user experience. Besides basic communication checks, operators can take advantage of the KPIT platform to verify their station’s ability to handle smart charging strategies, power grid demands, and user interface requirements. This provides room for optimising energy usage based on peak and off-peak hours to save costs and achieve a sustainable operation. 

The platform supports vital protocols such as Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) to promise standardised and secured communication between different stations in the charging ecosystem for an efficient charging process.

Apart from this, KPIT’s Full suite of Electric Vehicle Communication Controller Solutions (EVCCS), which includes ready-to-use software stacks, accelerators integration services, can help OEMs significantly reduce project cost and accelerate the product launch cycles compared to the time that may be spent in developing an in house solution. KPIT’s charging communication software and testing solutions, along with its AUTOSAR stack, provide the necessary tools and help reduce the overall engineering cost by 20% and development time by 40%.