IBM Launches App for Convenient Electric Vehicle Charging

Mobile devices will help consumers conveniently charge electric vehicles. Consumers will also be able to use the mobile devices to monitor their energy costs. A pilot project for the same has been announced by IBM (News - Alert) Research in collaboration with EKZ. With an increasing number of electric vehicles on the road, utility managers find it challenging to manage the power grid loads. During peak charging times, utility providers will be therefore able to better manage power grid loads by utilizing this near real-time information.

A Web-based application and a data recording device have been combined by the pilot project. While the app has been designed and developed by IBM scientists in Zurich, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) has created the data recording device. Several electric vehicles, including a Renault Twingo, have been used for the pilot. Information on the vehicle’s battery charge level, location and the power source was collected by the installed device. A cellular network has been used by the device to transmit the data to an IBM cloud which is based on IBM BladeCenters running DB2 and WebSphere. Further insight into energy generation and consumption will also be provided to utility providers by this monitoring capability.

In a release, Peter Franken, head of Energy Distribution department of EKZ and executive management member, said, “Electric vehicles can be used to buffer the irregular production of electricity from future renewable sources, which will contribute to the overall stability of the electrical network. With this project we can show how electric vehicles can create a balance between supply and demand for smarter energy grids."

Most smartphones, tablets and Web browsers are compatible with the IBM app. An integration point between the vehicle, the utility provider and the driver is provided by the app. The vehicle’s battery level and range of travel distance in real time can be seen by using the simple four-button interface of the app. Vehicle location, charge schedule and current energy costs in real time are also displayed by the app.