This spring Daimler will introduce the third generation of its smart fortwo electric drive (ED) vehicle to the North American consumer market.  Technically, the electric version of the vehicle has already made landfall through Daimler’s carshare program car2go in San Diego and Portland; however, this year’s introduction is especially important, as the vehicle will be the lowest priced battery electric vehicle (BEV) on the market at $25,000 MSRP.

The vehicle entered mass production in June of last year, and sales to various European markets have begun over the last few months.  In Europe the automaker offers an optional on-board 22 kW charger for its 17.6 kWh battery, which can charge the battery from a high capacity AC power supply in around an hour.  This gives the ED the potential to charge from AC power at a rate 3 times faster than all other BEVs.  Daimler has yet to announce whether the 22 kW onboard charger will be an option in North America, but it probably won’t since the standard outlet in North America can supply far less power than outlets in Europe.

The onboard charger capacity determines the amount of time it takes to recharge a vehicle’s battery.  The first generation Nissan LEAF used a 3.3 kW onboard charger, but 2013 versions are being outfitted with 6.6 kW chargers.  This upgrade allows the LEAF to be charged twice as fast when using Level 2 charging equipment.  High capacity chargers generally require a lot of space and therefore most BEVs have a max capacity charger of 6.6 kW.  Daimler’s integration of a 22 kW onboard charger is a leap forward.

Low Power Solution

However, in order for individual and fleet EV owners to use the higher capacity onboard chargers they must first install the infrastructure capable of delivering such a charge.  This is much easier in Europe, where the standard electrical outlet is 230V, whereas outlets in the United States and Canada are 120V.  The difference means that (depending on amperage) standard outlets in Europe can theoretically deliver around 19 kW whereas standard North American outlets max at 1.8 kW.  In North America, 230V outlets are usually for high power appliances like washers and dryers, but they can also be installed with the addition of a circuit from the electrical panel to the outlet.

Installing the necessary infrastructure to deliver such a high power charge is not necessarily expensive in comparison to the purchase price of the BEV; however, the cost may be unnecessary as charging at lower power capacities is proving sufficient for many early BEV adopters.  A survey of 3,703 fleet EVs administered by Fleetcarma measured vehicle rest times and states of charge (SOC) at the end of the day.  The survey found that charging at 1.3 kW could meet the needs of 88% of the average fleet BEV.   The 22 kW onboard charger would be an intriguing option for the North American market, but its incremental costs will make it of interest to only a few early adopters.  Like the 35-hour work week and real Champagne, it will likely remain a European luxury.

The emerging competition between the fast EV charging standard CHAdeMO and the Society of Automotive Engineers’ new “combo charger” technology took another twist last month when Tesla Motors said that the version of its new Model S released in Japan will include an adapter that makes it compatible with the CHAdeMO charging system.  Tesla, which uses its own proprietary “Supercharger” technology for fast direct-current (DC) charging, has also produced an adapter to go with the SAE’s enhanced J1772 specification.  Tesla thus becomes the latest automaker to attempt to straddle the divide between charging protocols in this fast-evolving sector.

The SAE’s new system, officially called the “J1772 SAE Electric Vehicle and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler,” augments the original J1772 technology to enable charging with AC Level 1 and 2 charging infrastructure, or with fast DC systems.  Finalized last October, it is expected to become the de facto worldwide standard – except in Japan, where the major Japanese automakers including Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi have all already adopted CHAdeMO, which first became available in 2010.

Tesla’s decision to produce a CHAdeMO-compatible sedan when it already has an in-house fast charging system highlights the period of market confusion and standards competition the plug-in EV industry finds itself in.  “This is exactly not what plug-in vehicles need,” commented Danny King, on Autobloggreen.  The name-calling has already begun: Japanese officials scoff at the SAE spec as “the plug without the cars,” while GM executive Shad Balch effectively called for an embargo of CHAdeMO chargers during a public hearing in California last May.

The major U.S. and German automakers have all lined up behind the combo charger, and new models compatible with the technology are expected later this year.  Given the hype over slower-than-expected sales of EVs, both in the United States and abroad, it’s unfortunate that the industry would allow itself to be sidetracked over what is, at bottom, an argument over the plug.  It will likely take 3 to 5 years for this standards confusion to work itself out.  The only bright side is that motorists, unlike smartphone users, rarely transport their vehicles to other continents.

One reason why plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) haven’t sold as quickly as originally projected is that, to date, they have failed to distance themselves from traditional cars with telematics features.  As we discussed in Pike Research’s Electric Vehicle Telematics report, you can see how many estimated miles you have left on a battery charge and get driving tips to increase your energy efficiency – but that’s about it.  The possibilities for connecting an owner with their PEVs’ unique capabilities are virtually limitless.

The automotive industry designs in 3 to 5 year cycles and has always lagged innovations in software development and information technology, which adhere to 12-month or less development cycles.  The automotive industry’s relatively slow pace of innovation is understandable given the emphasis on safety and the sensitivity to driver distraction issues.

The recent announcements of new vehicle software platforms and the advances in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, however, pave the way for PEVs to take a clear lead in telematics applications.  This month both Ford and GM opened up their development platforms to third parties.  Agero Connected Services recently announced a developer kit to enable telematics apps to talk to the cloud and to continually update vehicle software platforms.

Smarter Than a Smartphone

In his talk at the recent Consumer Telematics conference in Las Vegas, Agero’s Frank Hirschenberger challenged the auto industry to make vehicle applications “safer and better than what is on a smartphone.”  While he was primarily referring to so-called “infotainment” apps, the same can be said for apps that help drivers get the maximum value from their PEVs.

Hirschenberger correctly pointed out that communicating with the cloud enables the data to be aggregated and processed outside the vehicle, so that the amount of code stored under the hood can be kept to a minimum.  As connected vehicles, PEVs are a great arena for software jockeys to let loose their imagination in manipulating big (and small) data.

People (especially guys) love to brag about their gadgets, and adding apps that would (for example) calculate the amount of greenhouse gases eliminated by driving electric, or calculate the total energy cost, would result in lots of bragging to the neighbors.  Privacy must be protected, as Brian Inouye, National Manager of Advanced Technologies, Toyota , noted during the same conference.  Marketers and auto makers are looking forward to siphoning information off the vehicle, Inouye said, but consumers are understandably wary.

It is time for PEVs to carpe data.  Optimizing vehicle performance, understanding vehicle health, maximizing fuel savings, and reducing emissions are just a few of the kinds of information that could be made accessible and useful for drivers, while making PEVs the most advanced telematics vehicles on the planet.

One of the most vexing challenges surrounding EV ownership is how apartment and condominium dwellers will pay for the power they use to charge their cars.  Starting later this year, EVs will be able to send billing information over a power line or via wireless communications to avoid this problem.

As I wrote at the end of 2011, the HomePlug Green PHY standard enables data, such as a vehicle identification number, to be sent over a power line.  The low-power communications channel can send messages about the vehicle, account information, and the amount of power consumed to smart meters or other home energy equipment.

Multi-unit dwellings are particularly challenging environments for EVs because several customers can share a single parking spot.  Moreover, the meters to account for the power consumption are often far from the charging spot and out of range for wireless communications.  Sending billing data over the power line also avoids the problem of having to set up additional meters or manage submetering.

New Models Coming

Qualcomm Atheros was the first to market with a Green PHY chip, and startup Greenvity Community is the first with a hybrid chip that can process both power line and ZigBee communications.  At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, Hung Nguyen, president and CEO of Greenvity Communications, told me that multiple automakers offering EVs will launch models later this year with the company’s chips embedded.  Greenvity is also working with EV charging equipment companies to similarly embed the chips in their products.

Greenvity is partnering with Mitsumi Electric to create modules with the integrated Green PHY and ZigBee chips that can be incorporated into home gateways or home area networks.  Nguyen said that initially smart meter companies that are using ZigBee for communications can purchase a standalone box to bridge communications between power lines and ZigBee.  The data would be sent from the point of charging, which could contain EV charging equipment or a simple 110-volt outlet, over the power line and then converted to ZigBee wireless data close to the meter.  Nguyen expects smart meter companies to embed the hybrid chips in the future.

Also in the future, the power line could be used during overnight charging to send content to a vehicle, such as maps, directions, updates of applications, or even music or videos.  Utilities could send price or demand signals to smart meters, which would pass them along to EVs to instantly react to changing conditions on the grid.  Solving the billing challenge for multi-dwelling units will encourage property owners to support rather than avoid EV charging, as it can create another revenue stream while reducing the technical requirements and cost.