Intelligent connection

Working to ensure that electric cars and buildings are ‘on the same wavelength’.

Electric cars and buildings sharing a common language? As part of the EEBUS standard, this communication standard will establish a uniform language in the ‘Internet of Things’.

30 January, 2019


Imagine a system of co-operation between machines, to help maximise performance of, in this instance, the use of power to meet needs across a range of areas, but without overloading power systems. Machines communicating to ensure that each power need is fulfilled with maximum efficiency.

It is this very aim that sees Audi involved in the EEBUS initiative which is promoting networking across manufacturer and industry boundaries. The Audi e-tron is the first electric car whose charging system uses the new communication standard, and at what’s called the ‘Plugfest E-Mobility’ at the Audi plant in Brussels, developers are testing cross-industry compatibility before the EEBUS standard for energy communication is introduced in February. 

The electric car will play an important role as a power consumer in the digital energy world. As an energy storage device, the electric car has great potential to drive the energy transition forward and absorb peak loads resulting from regenerative generation. Cars are stationary for most of the day, which leaves a great deal of time for flexible charging. Because of this, the new power consumers not only present an additional load on the power grid, but can potentially serve as flexible storage devices in the context of the variable availability of power sources such as solar and wind. 

Cars are stationary for most of the day, which leaves a great deal of time for flexible charging

To optimise this function though, requires the electric car to literally be on the same wavelength as other ‘power users’ within the building or shared space. With a common language, household appliances, heat pumps, and other consumers can co-ordinate their particular power needs and prevent overloads to the system. This is what the EEBUS initiative has defined as its goal – essentially an accepted, cross-industry communication in the energy system of the future. To this end, Audi is working together with more than 70 international companies to create the common language for energy management in the Internet of Things. 

During the two-day ‘Plugfest E-Mobility’, EEBUS members are testing their developments on the basis of the open communication standard at the Audi plant in Brussels. Developers and engineers are performing model tests to check whether the photovoltaics system, the charging infrastructure, the electric car, and the heating system can communicate without interference. 

The devices are connected via what is known as a home energy management system (HEMS). All the information runs together in this control centre, which allows all energy-relevant devices to exchange information on their electricity requirements. Following the ‘Plugfest’, the companies involved will pass the EEBUS specification for the area of e-mobility. 

With a common language, household appliances can co-ordinate their particular power needs without overloading the system

Audi offers various solutions for charging at home and in its highest expansion stage, the optional connect charging system allows a charging capacity of up to 22kW. This means a full charge for the Audi e-tron takes only around four and a half hours and means that with the connect charging system, the Audi e-tron can always be charged with the maximum output possible with the home electrical system and the car. The system also considers the power requirements of other consumers in the household and adjusts accordingly to prevent overloading the home electrical system and tripping the circuit breaker. This presumes that the home is equipped with a compatible HEMS to which the charging system connects via the home’s Wi-Fi network. 

In combination with the connect charging system and an appropriately equipped HEMS, the Audi e-tron also takes advantage of variable electricity rates. It can charge the battery when electricity is less expensive while simultaneously considering the customer’s mobility requirements, such as departure time and charge level. 

But the potential for this system in the future is tremendous and it is conceivable that EEBUS devices will interact with the power grid to an even greater extent in the future. For now though, the specifications of the communication standard will be rolled out in Europe at the beginning of February, introducing a Europe-wide standard that connects all major power consumers in the home in a comprehensive and manufacturer-independent way.  

In the future, there is no reason why EEBUS devices will not be able to interact with the power grid to an even greater degree