Qualcomm has unveiled a powerline communications device to support vehicle-to-charging station smart-grid communications.

To support the growing electric vehicle (EV) segment, Qualcomm has announced the QCA7006AQ powerline communication (PLC) device based on its QCA700X family of products, which have been widely adopted in EV on-board charging units and charging stations across the globe.

The QCA7006AQ is compliant with the HomePlug Green Phy (HPGP) specification, which is the main specification for implementing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems.

Smart-grid integration allows vehicles to authenticate seamlessly on the network through plug-and-charge automated payments for EV charging, coordinating the timing and direction of energy to and from the grid and home.

Smart-grid charging applications supported by the Combined Charging Systems (CCS) standard allows users the flexibility to choose optimal charging times and extract energy from their EVs as needed, supporting the growing need for EV charging while reducing peak load power generation and distribution requirements.

This is Qualcomm’s first QCA700X PLC device designed to support an Ethernet digital interface and that is qualified to support an ambient operating temperature of -40 to +105˚C to AEC-Q100 grade two. As an optional feature, it also supports HomePlug Audio Video (HPAV) streaming at a phy rate exceeding 200Mbit/s, allowing EV users an alternate wired data connection to the cloud through the charging station.

“By further expanding our PLC device portfolio, in addition to engineering the fully integrated, scalable Snapdragon digital chassis for automakers, Qualcomm is supporting an evolving automotive industry driven by the EV vehicle architecture,” said Lars Boeryd, senior director for product marketing in automotive at Qualcomm. “As a leading supplier of PLC HPGP devices for smart-grid communications, we are committed to helping our customers succeed in a growing EV industry increasingly adopting the CCS standard.”

The QCA7006AQ is planned to be available for production towards the end of the year, and samples are available today.