Direct-to-Car Smart Charging Demonstrated by Kaluza and Bosch

Kaluza the leading intelligent energy platform together with Bosch, the supplier of charging services and embedded vehicle technology, have demonstrated grid balancing through direct-to-car smart charging, and have proven how electric vehicles can be smart charged to meet the needs of the local grid via direct connection with a digital platform. Direct-to-car capability would allow millions more owners of connected EVs to be rewarded for smart charging while having their vehicle ready whenever they need it.

Through a combined digital architecture, Kaluza and Bosch remotely controlled the charging of an electric vehicle, successfully shifting it to times when it was cheapest and greenest in a simulated grid ‘turndown’ scenario. The pioneering trial also showcased how direct-to-car smart charging could create opportunities for energy retailers to provide new, green services to customers at lower costs. As well as energy cost savings, the innovation allows future customers to always have their EV ready to drive the distance they require as the smart charging automatically works around user settings and vehicle data.

The technical success of the trial presents how smart charging, and its benefits can be scaled more widely, and at a faster rate, by reducing the dependency on separate smart charging hardware. While smart chargers and connected infrastructure, hardware remain an important pathway to accommodating millions of EVs onto the energy system, the direct control capability stands to increase the availability of smart charging globally. Additionally, direct-to-car smart charging bypasses some of the compatibility challenges currently experienced.

Conor Maher-McWilliams, Head of Flexibility at Kaluza commented: “Bosch and Kaluza are breaking new ground in unlocking the full flexible potential of EVs. In the race to decarbonise, there is a window of opportunity to make smart charging mainstream that we cannot afford to miss. Direct-to-car smart charging offers suppliers and grid operators greater access to EV’s inherent flexibility more quickly and stands to enhance existing solutions involving chargers.”