Siemens has won a$1.6m grant from the Department of Energy(DoE)to support research intended to reduce the current costs of electrical vehicle(EV)chargers and develop'smart'charging capabilities that support power grid efficiency and consumer demand.
The DoE grant,awarded to Siemens,Corporate Research and Technology(SCR&T)will be supported by nearly$750,000 in matching research funding,an investment shared with Siemens Low Voltage Electronics,which is responsible for residential EV supply equipment.
Ford and Duke Energy have collaborated with Siemens in the overall development effort in order to validate concepts intended for their respective industries and markets.
In addition to validating concepts,Duke Energy will offer input and help guide communications development,which will provide ways for utilities to manage increasing demand without having to add costly generation and distribution capacity that would be passed on to consumers and increase carbon emissions.
According to the DoE,the intent of the research grants is to improve the functionality and affordability of EV chargers.