Thales secures Electric Vehicle (EV) charging for a seamless user experience

The future of automotive is electric

84 million* EVs  are expected to be on European roads by the year 2030 with : 

• 5 million public charge points and 
• Over 30 million home wallboxes installed

Increasing climate change concerns have accelerated the desire for more electric vehicles (EV) and the market is expected to grow exponentially in the next five years. As car manufacturers create more electric designs, reliable electricity grid expansion is fundamental to accommodating the new demand. 

But the charging experience is challenging for EV drivers as the market is very fragmented. 

Today each charge point operator (CPO) works with an individual e-Mobility Service Provider (eMSP) who sells a proprietary solution to access only their specific charging station network. These solutions use an RFiD card, individual credit cards or apps to authenticate and bill users complicating and slowing the charging process.  

There are not yet enough charging stations to be convenient for drivers and the expected demand who need: flexibility in billing and autonomy to charge their vehicles anywhere, anytime.

ISO 15118: creating a seamless “Plug & Charge” experience 

The international ISO 15118 standard has been developed to correct this fragmented charging issue, offering consistency that simplifies the integration of Electric Vehicles into smart energy grids. The user-friendly standard enables automatic identification of EVs for easy charging and single billing at any ISO 15118-compliant station.

It enables EVs to easily and securely store energy and also discharge electricity back to the grid, whenever needed. This bi-directional energy transfer will be key to support the increasing electricity demand from tens of millions of EVs and ensure a secure energy load balance. 

Secure communications between vehicle and charging station need to protect personal identifying and financial information, as drivers link bank accounts with their vehicles for automatic billing and a streamlined experience. 

Securing and simplifying EV Charging with Thales

The Thales solution offers automotive stakeholders a secure and interoperable solution that implements the ISO 15118 standard. Thales has been a key player in cybersecurity and the “smart grid” for years and leverages this expertise to help the automotive industry succeed in the EV future.

Our cybersecurity solution will bring trust to drivers when plugging their electric cars into a large array of compatible ISO 15118 charging stations. This will remove the current and recurring pains faced by EV owners and help move to a seamless charging and billing experience. This will be crucial for mass adoption of EVs in coming years. 

The solution is based on digital identities and credential certificates provisioned to electric vehicles and charging stations. It ensures secure mutual authentication between EV – regardless of manufacturer or model – and charging points. 

The Thales Trusted Key Manager generates these certificates, handles credential management and secure updates needed throughout a vehicle’s long lifecycle.

Simple and secure, the solution from Thales will help to keep EVs charged and running as the industry gears up for this unprecedented growth.

*Source: Delta-EE: https://www.delta-ee.com/front-page-news/ev-forecasts-84-million-evs-on-european-roads-by-2030.html