May 24, 2012 – The National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s (NEMA) Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)/Systems Section created two new working groups to develop standards that focus on network roaming for a public charging station and communication of electric vehicle (EV) metering data.

The Section created the working groups to address several gaps in EV charging standards identified in the ANSI Electric Vehicle Standardization Roadmap.

To address gaps in network roaming, the Section organized a working group to develop a standard that:

• permits EV drivers to universally locate and reserve a public charging spot
• supports roaming that allows charging services from a provider other than the EV user’s home charger, and
• addresses offline access control at charging station.

To address gaps related to communication aspects of EV meters, a second working group will develop a standard that will communicate metering data from the end user to the vehicle.

“This is a key step forward in the development of electric vehicles, as it is a collaboration of manufacturers in support of a great experience for EV drivers. It will certainly help expand this new and important industry,” said Richard Lowenthal, chair of the EVSE Technical Committee Software Communication Subcommittee, and Founder and CTO of Coulomb Technologies.

NEMA is the association of electrical equipment manufacturers. Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Arlington, Va., its member companies manufacture a diverse set of products including power transmission and distribution equipment, lighting systems, and factory automation and control systems.