Californian software-as-a-service company EV Connect is collaborating with the Indiana-based Battery Innovation Center (BIC) and Energy Systems Network (ESN) to deploy Indiana’s first large-scale vehicle-to-grid charging system.

It will support school bus fleet, HD truck and other segments.

EV Connect is providing its electric vehicle charging management and 500kW bidirectional bus-scale superchargers from Rhombus.

The extended test case aims to generate rich data on overall battery life, the number of available cycles and an understanding of discharge rates to assist companies in the EV ecosystem in determining how V2G will impact their products and systems.

“This project is designed to deliver previously unavailable data and lessons about a technology that will quickly move into the mainstream, and the partnership with an industry leader like EV Connect is critical to generating real-world data,” said Tim O’Hara, managing director of ESN. “Testing communications protocols, battery conditions and uncovering the inevitable unknowns is vital for the many industry stakeholders involved in the future of V2G.”

Bidirectional vehicle charging technology has been validated and holds promise for wholesale energy markets as the prospects around V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), V2L (vehicle-to-load, such as campsites and construction sites) and V2H (vehicle-to-home), among others, grow. The technology, however, has not been widely deployed due to a lack of integration into wholesale energy markets, the lack of real-world data about battery performance over time, and support from EV manufacturers.

“With the capabilities provided by EV Connect as part of our lab and onsite infrastructure, the BIC will be able to validate from the battery pack through to the fully installed systems in the vehicle,” said Ben Wrightsman, CEO of the BIC. “With the existing connection to the local ISO grid at our facility and direct collaboration with our utility provider and generator, combined, we have one of the few first of its kind platforms for advancing V2G into reality.”

This project should illuminate the problems and opportunities of V2G technology and show impacts on operating characteristics and opportunities for the grid and business models around electric vehicle battery control. The data collected in the programme should guide midwest utilities and the BIC in developing programmes and policies for grid-interactive electric vehicle battery programmes, from monetisation to the integration of EV batteries as part of the distributed energy resources (DER) mix.

“EV Connect is built on innovation within the electric transportation sector, so we are excited to launch this ground-breaking collaboration with the Battery Innovation Center,” said Ram Ambatipudi, vice president at EV Connect. “By setting up an in-depth battery and V2G testing programme, we can contribute to the body of science and research of V2G technology and understand how to secure communications with grid-edge assets that can best support V2G and DERMS as they start attaching to the electric grid.”

EV Connect is on a mission to build a better planet by enabling electricity as a transportation fuel. Through its open charging platform, it can simplify the set-up, management and optimisation of EV charging from installation to driver support. The firm guides companies of all sizes in managing networks of charge stations and delivers a seamless EV charging experience.

Established in 2010, EV Connect serves customers across 41 states in the USA including Avista Utilities, Love’s Travel Stops, Verizon, Marriott, Hilton, Western Digital, ADP, New York Power Authority and numerous municipalities. Globally, EV Connect’s reach extends across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.