PoC Unveiled to Test Smart-charging Using EV Connected Technologies
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (Mitsubishi Motors), MC Retail Energy Co., Ltd. (MC Retail Energy), Kaluza Ltd. (Kaluza*), and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) have launched a proof of concept (PoC) in electric-vehicle (EV) smart charging. This PoC will seek to verify the commercial viability of what would be Japan’s first smart-charging service leveraging EV-connected technologies. The data collected during the PoC period shall be applied towards the future development of such a service, the objectives of which are to lower society-wide energy costs and create a more appealing charging environment for EV users. *Kaluza is a subsidiary of the UK-based innovative energy service provider OVO Group, in which MC acquired a 20% interest in 2019.
This PoC will provide Mitsubishi Motors’ all-new Outlander (PHEV model) users1 with a service that allows them to use a smartphone app to set the times they want their vehicles charged. The app-based service will connect the users’ home charging stations to Kaluza’s EV charging-control platform, which automatically optimises charging by ensuring it takes place both prior to the customers’ selected charge-by times and only during hours when energy-market and other prices are lowest. During the PoC period, customers will subscribe to a charging plan that has been specially developed by MC Retail Energy exclusively for this service. It will enable them to lower their charging costs in accordance with data collected by the control system. Furthermore, because this service will make it possible to directly control EV charging from Kaluza’s platform via Mitsubishi Motors’ connected systems, it does not require any communications-capable (i.e. “smart”) charging devices or other additional equipment.
