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Energy companies in India have joined hands to create an alliance for an energy network for EV charging. The alliance will be called the Unified Energy Interface (UEI) and work similarly to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). UEI is the recommended interoperability standard as per the Department of Science and Technology.

What is UEI?

The alliance is aimed at facilitating smooth payment and transaction interoperability within EV charging networks. It will partner with electricity distribution companies (Discoms) to help address interoperability challenges about EV charging and grid demand response. 

The alliance includes member companies like ChargeZone, Pulse Energy, Kazam, Sheru, Trinity Turbo, etc. Leading public policy think tanks and research organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Institute and the World Resources Institute, have also joined the consortium in an advisory capacity to advance the initiative.

“As the transportation sector shifts towards greater electrification, it's crucial to ensure that EV drivers can access charging infrastructure easily, regardless of their vehicle's brand or the charging network,” said Raj Kumar, Executive Director, Trinity.

ChargeZone has enabled its chargers to be discovered and transacted over the UEI network. Meanwhile, Kazam and Pulse Energy have allowed their customers to discover, pay, and charge at any of their chargers via the UEI network. 

What does the UEI alliance do? 

The alliance is committed to ensuring that the protocol remains relevant and adaptable to market needs. As such, it will guide technical evolution and governance. The non-profit alliance is being formed to help fund the working group and any minimal infrastructure cost the network may have at its inception. 

All alliance members will equally split the cost. So far, the network has facilitated 1.4GWh (watt-hour) of energy transactions across the entire network. It's expected to grow 100 times more with more B2C apps joining the UEI network in July.