Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program deployments are hitting the accelerator. Electrifying fossil fuel-powered systems will require substantial investments and infrastructure development, delaying the transition to a sustainable electric grid. It’s critical for discussions on clean energy to center around how we can upgrade and scale new energy systems in a timely and cost-efficient way.
VPPs are becoming increasingly valuable because they’re distributed in nature, bringing together different consumer-owned devices into a virtual utility — a move that can save grids $10 billion annually in infrastructure costs.
EV charge point operators (CPOs) and E-mobility service providers (EMSPs) are well positioned to access a growing number of EVs that use their charge points on a daily basis. These EVs, when plugged in, are a flexible energy resource that can be controlled to balance the grid at the right times. By enrolling charge points into a VPP or demand response program, businesses get to monetize demand flexibility, reduce energy costs for EV drivers, and reward drivers for participating in demand response.
So, where does Smartcar, EV charge point operators (CPOs), E-mobility service providers (EMSPs) and virtual power plants fit in the energy ecosystem?
Adrian Larsen is the CEO at NeoWatt, an energy flexibility solution that helps CPOs and EMSPs tap into the benefits of its VPP program and smart load management. “Smartcar can facilitate both explicit and implicit flexibility [for VPPs],” Adrian says.
Explicit flexibility refers to the process of VPPs translating market signals into a single input for EMSPs to balance the grid, generate income from flex markets, and reduce the costs of charging for customers. Charging networks and EMSPs will work with Smartcar-powered VPPs to act on these signals and coordinate communication with EVs to plan charging charging schedules that meet consumer and grid requirements.
Implicit flexibility refers to the process of utilities, VPPs, EMSPs, and CPOs “tuning” their AC charging loads to existing tariffs. By incentivizing drivers to charge when prices are low, EV owners save money and the grid is less stressed during peak times.
The problem: EV participation in VPPs is effective but hard to scale
Although EV charging networks have the ability to aggregate EVs for demand response and VPP programs, scaling EV participation can be challenging.
A BNEF analysis of system flexibility in the UK revealed that EV batteries were not maximized as a resource because of limitations in predicting EV charging behavior and a lack of suitable charging infrastructure.
AC charge points, which account for over 80% of public chargers in both the UK and the EU, are well-suited for VPP participation due to their longer charging times.
Unfortunately, many older AC chargers lack smart charging capabilities, hindering their contribution to grid optimization. These drawbacks create a missed opportunity for EV charging networks to tap into a majority of their charge points as an energy resource.
The solution: Enrolling AC charge points into VPP programs
In this guide, we dive into how charge point operators can use the Smartcar EV charging API to allow AC charge points to participate in VPP or demand response without bidirectional vehicle-to-grid communication.
By integrating with Smartcar, operators gain access to critical EV data, like state of charge (SoC), to accurately determine when to charge each vehicle and how much energy that vehicle needs during the charging session. Smartcar also enables remote start and stop charging functions through the vehicle's telematics system, eliminating the need for charger-based control mechanisms.
The Smartcar EV charging API gives charge point operators access to EV telemetry data across 200+ EV models in North America and Europe. Keep reading for a technical walkthrough and best practices on how to retrieve EV battery and charging data via Smartcar to unlock smart charging capabilities for a wider range of charge points.
The app experience
Creating your application
To create an app with Smartcar, first set up a Smartcar account. Once your account is established, you'll need to register your application to obtain your client ID and secret. Smartcar offers a few paths to help developers start right away including a Postman test guide and our Starter Apps.
Next, you can implement the Smartcar Connect flow in your application, which is an essential component for authenticating and authorizing users.
After you've successfully integrated the Connect flow, you'll be able to make requests to the Smartcar API!
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How to use Smartcar to enable smart charging with AC power points
We’ll walk you through how to use our API to enroll drivers at AC charging stations into demand response programs.
- GET /vehicles
- GET /location
- GET /battery
- GET /charge
- POST /charge
- After a vehicle is onboarded with Smartcar Connect, use GET /vehicles to retrieve the vehicle ID for future requests.
- Use GET /location to understand where it is currently parked. This will help you enroll an EV in the right demand response program and optimize charging sessions to the corresponding rates.
- Retrieve the battery level and charging status with GET /battery and GET /charge to gain insight into a customer's battery and determine if a charging session needs to be initiated or adjusted.
- You can then use the POST /charge endpoint to start or stop the charging session as required by the demand response program.
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FAQs and best practices
Would this use case require regular polling or scheduled polling?
Scheduled polling or use of scheduled webhooks should help identify current location and battery charge.
What other data sources do I need besides the data retrieved via the Smartcar API?
Understanding current energy rates is helpful for smart charging.
Does Smartcar store any data?
Smartcar does not store data responses on our platform and does not maintain any data centers of our own. We remain a pipe that facilitates the movement of data from vehicles t applications upon receiving customer consent, but we are not an automotive data marketplace that stores, buys, or sells personal or anonymized data.
Under GDPR, Smartcar is considered a data processor with regard to vehicle data. This means that we process personal data on behalf of each data controller, in this case being the individual vehicle owners. You can find more details in Smartcar’s Data Processing Addendum.
Will using Smartcar infringe on driver privacy?
Smartcar operates on a permissions-based model that gives drivers clear visibility into the data points they’re sharing with the applications of their choice. Our consent-based OAuth2.0 flow, Smartcar Connect, lets vehicle owners review data permissions (e.g. state of charge, battery level, location) before linking their EV, allowing you to clearly build trust with customers on how that data is used by your application.
Our platform also adheres strictly to industry-grade best practices and compliance standards, including SOC 2 Type II compliance, ISO 27001 and 27701, GDPR, CCPA, and an API tokens management system. When a driver connects their car to your application via Smartcar, you receive a token that grants it the ability to access only the permissions that drivers consent to share — you are not able to see or store their credentials. Drivers can also disconnect their car at any time.
What else do I need to know about integrating with Smartcar for EV data?
Take a look at this vendor assessment checklist for a full of capabilities to look for in an EV API platform.
Why use an EV API to scale virtual power plant deployment?
Virtual power plants need standardization to seamlessly connect devices regardless of their manufacturer. This is especially challenging for electric vehicles because of the complexities of each automaker's API and how resource-intensive it is to standardize data in a growing market for EV models and EV charging hardware.
An EV API platform allows CPOs, EMSPs, and VPPs to:
- Streamline EV data access and management: Instead of scaling a VPP one brand at a time, businesses can implement a platform that centralizes EV data points across brands and acts as a single point of accountability for managing these EV integrations. Businesses won’t have to call out to fragmented APIs within their EV data infrastructure or coordinate communication with multiple organizations if issues arise.
- Gain consistent insight into an EV’s state of charge regardless of charger type: EV APIs give charging networks up-to-date visibility into an EV’s state of charge regardless of what type of charger an EV is plugged into. Energy providers can accurately forecast customer behavior and shift charging schedules without limiting enrollment to those using more technologically advanced chargers.
- Automate proactive load control: EV APIs help VPP programs easily coordinate and automate EV charging actions such as remotely starting or stopping charging sessions and setting EV charge limits. These automated actions power real-time load shifts, introduce more convenience for drivers and provide consistent data for load forecasting and modeling efforts.
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