Cooperation – not partisanship…
BMW Group, Ford Motor Company and American Honda Motor Company today announced that they have entered into an agreement to create ChargeScape, LLC, a new equally owned company that will create a single, platform connecting electric utilities, automakers and interested electric vehicle customers. Simply put, EV customers can reduce their personal carbon footprints by using wind or solar power for recharging while supporting grid resiliency. The closing of the transaction and subsequent formation of ChargeScape is pending regulatory approvals, with the company expected to be operational early next year.
This awakened move putting group cooperation above individual, narrow corporate interests is a win for all involved. By helping EV customers and the electric utility industry in the US and Canada, ChargeScape will create new value that EVs can provide to the electric grid, while enabling EV customers to earn financial benefits through a variety of managed charging and energy-sharing services never before possible with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. This ameliorates a central problem for utilities that typically do not know or have an easy and cost-effective way to identify the quickly expanding number of EV customers in their service territory. The auto companies can do it for the utilities at little to no cost. The size of the negative effects on the deal by the pending Republican led US government shutdown are unknown at this time.
Key to the success is the so-called “Open Vehicle-Grid Integration Platform” (OVGIP), a single platform that will connect electric utilities, automakers and their interested EV customers to manage energy usage for a broad pool of EVs. There have been years of cross-industry research around OVGIP, but broad-based operational proof of concept remains to be demonstrated. Given the, well, horsepower of the companies involved the work should proceed at record lap times.
ChargeScape will enable the smart use of plugged-in EV batteries by providing energy data to electric utilities and system operators such as aggregated demand response, alignment of charging and EV battery utilization with off-peak, low-cost hours and the availability of high renewable energy. Due to the proficient integration with participating automakers and the anticipation of high levels of EV customer enrollment, these energy services are expected to be a cost-effective, operational benefit for electric utilities. By using automaker telematics, ChargeScape intends to provide managed charge scheduling through vehicle connectivity without requiring Wi-Fi-enabled charging stations. This will support the many EV customers who do not use “smart” chargers at home, as their EVs would otherwise be unreachable for grid services.
“Electric grid reliability and sustainability are the foundation for an EV powered future,” said Thomas Ruemenapp, Vice President, Engineering, BMW of North America. “ChargeScape aims to accelerate the expansion of smart charging and vehicle-to-everything solutions all over the country, while increasing customer benefits, supporting the stability of the grid and helping to maximize renewable energy usage. We’re proud to be a founding member of ChargeScape and are looking forward to the opportunities this collaboration will create.”
“Electric vehicles are unlocking entirely new benefits for customers that can save them money while supporting grid resiliency and increase the use of clean, renewable energy,” said Bill Crider, global head of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company. “ChargeScape will help accelerate the true potential of the EV revolution by providing significant benefits to both utilities and EV customers through smart vehicle-to-grid services.”
“As Honda seeks to achieve our global goal of carbon neutrality, we are counting on this platform to create new value for our customers by connecting EVs to electric utilities, strengthening grid resources and reducing CO2 emissions,” said Jay Joseph, vice president of Sustainability & Business Development, American Honda Motor Company. “With automakers accelerating toward the electrified future, we must find solutions like ChargeScape that enable all stakeholders to work together for the good of our customers, society and our industry by enabling greater use of renewable energy for and from mobility.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
EV Grid Unlock – BMW, Ford, Honda Create ChargeScape
Cooperation – not partisanship…
BMW Group, Ford Motor Company and American Honda Motor Company today announced that they have entered into an agreement to create ChargeScape, LLC, a new equally owned company that will create a single, platform connecting electric utilities, automakers and interested electric vehicle customers. Simply put, EV customers can reduce their personal carbon footprints by using wind or solar power for recharging while supporting grid resiliency. The closing of the transaction and subsequent formation of ChargeScape is pending regulatory approvals, with the company expected to be operational early next year.
This awakened move putting group cooperation above individual, narrow corporate interests is a win for all involved. By helping EV customers and the electric utility industry in the US and Canada, ChargeScape will create new value that EVs can provide to the electric grid, while enabling EV customers to earn financial benefits through a variety of managed charging and energy-sharing services never before possible with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. This ameliorates a central problem for utilities that typically do not know or have an easy and cost-effective way to identify the quickly expanding number of EV customers in their service territory. The auto companies can do it for the utilities at little to no cost. The size of the negative effects on the deal by the pending Republican led US government shutdown are unknown at this time.
Key to the success is the so-called “Open Vehicle-Grid Integration Platform” (OVGIP), a single platform that will connect electric utilities, automakers and their interested EV customers to manage energy usage for a broad pool of EVs. There have been years of cross-industry research around OVGIP, but broad-based operational proof of concept remains to be demonstrated. Given the, well, horsepower of the companies involved the work should proceed at record lap times.
ChargeScape will enable the smart use of plugged-in EV batteries by providing energy data to electric utilities and system operators such as aggregated demand response, alignment of charging and EV battery utilization with off-peak, low-cost hours and the availability of high renewable energy. Due to the proficient integration with participating automakers and the anticipation of high levels of EV customer enrollment, these energy services are expected to be a cost-effective, operational benefit for electric utilities. By using automaker telematics, ChargeScape intends to provide managed charge scheduling through vehicle connectivity without requiring Wi-Fi-enabled charging stations. This will support the many EV customers who do not use “smart” chargers at home, as their EVs would otherwise be unreachable for grid services.
“Electric grid reliability and sustainability are the foundation for an EV powered future,” said Thomas Ruemenapp, Vice President, Engineering, BMW of North America. “ChargeScape aims to accelerate the expansion of smart charging and vehicle-to-everything solutions all over the country, while increasing customer benefits, supporting the stability of the grid and helping to maximize renewable energy usage. We’re proud to be a founding member of ChargeScape and are looking forward to the opportunities this collaboration will create.”
“Electric vehicles are unlocking entirely new benefits for customers that can save them money while supporting grid resiliency and increase the use of clean, renewable energy,” said Bill Crider, global head of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company. “ChargeScape will help accelerate the true potential of the EV revolution by providing significant benefits to both utilities and EV customers through smart vehicle-to-grid services.”
“As Honda seeks to achieve our global goal of carbon neutrality, we are counting on this platform to create new value for our customers by connecting EVs to electric utilities, strengthening grid resources and reducing CO2 emissions,” said Jay Joseph, vice president of Sustainability & Business Development, American Honda Motor Company. “With automakers accelerating toward the electrified future, we must find solutions like ChargeScape that enable all stakeholders to work together for the good of our customers, society and our industry by enabling greater use of renewable energy for and from mobility.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.