EV users can take their energy provider ‘On the go’ with ReBeam

Zug, Switzerland — 16 June 2022 — With the rise in popularity of electric vehicles, the e-mobility experience has become a fragmented one, with EV charging between different charge points often being unpredictable and impractical for the end-user, as well as difficult to quantify for energy companies. This is due to the number of service providers and electricity companies operating across different regions, each with their own different, siloed platforms.

But what if power providers, mobility companies, and end-users could be united under a common platform to build a frictionless, unified charging experience?

In pursuit of this goal, Energy Web has partnered with Elia Group, 50Hertz, and bloXmove to bring to market a new solution called ReBeam.

ReBeam integrates all the different parties typically involved in an EV charging session, including transmission system operators (TSOs), distribution system operators (DSOs), charge point operators (CPOs), and more under a common platform known as the Open Charging Network (OCN). This enables data sharing, messaging, transactions, and verification between different parties, while securely handling the digital identities of each market actor. Bringing all of these functions under one roof enables pairing of any electricity used at any charge point with electricity supplied to the grid by any supplier, allowing CPOs to deliver any power company’s electricity to vehicles without an intermediary.

One outcome of cross-market interconnectivity is that end-users will be able to choose the electricity supplier of their choice at any participating public charging station, simplifying the EV charging process and maximizing choice for EV owners. All of this works without users having to sign multiple contracts or rely on different third-party service providers.

ReBeam leverages self-sovereign identities to secure interactions, which enables participants to prove their identities, validate claims, and sign messages between one another directly.

The protocol was designed with benefits for both users and companies in mind:

• Through the Open Charge Network, EV users are able to take their energy provider ‘on the go’, benefitting from preferential transactions no matter which charging point they use
• By giving them the tools to trust and verify each other, ReBeam is able to directly connect EV owners to CPOs without requiring a third-party service provider, reducing unnecessary costs and difficulty
• Electricity suppliers and grid operators are given transparency on charging demand, allowing them greater visibility for balancing their supply, rather than relying only on standard load profiles

“EV ownership is growing rapidly, backed by national regulations and the Net Zero transition. In turn, we need to ensure that the technologies which support low-carbon e-mobility solutions are as efficient and convenient as possible”, said Kai Schmied, Innovation Manager at Elia Group. “Made possible by cutting-edge capabilities from Energy Web and bloXmove, ReBeam, once fully developed, will facilitate an EV charging process that streamlines interactions and reduces friction between EVs, and suppliers, giving EV users more choice than ever at the charging point.”

In a demonstration of ReBeam completed this month in collaboration with Lichtblick, Germany’s largest independent green energy provider, and LamA, the German charging network led by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Energy Web and Elia Group successfully executed an energy supplier switch at a public charge point in Berlin, Germany. Lichtblick issued verified credentials to their customers, which then presented the corresponding credential to the participating CPO, in this case LamA. LamA then verified the validity of the credential, unlocking the charging point, with Elia Group leveraging their Virtual Balancing Area (VBA) in the background ensuring that all energy is billed to the chosen electricity supplier and respective customer.

While so far ReBeam has been demonstrated with Lichtblick and LamA, the technology can work with any participating providers. Elia Group and Energy Web share the goal to establish an operating area which extends grid-wide and across different countries.

About Energy Web
Energy Web is a global, member-driven non-profit accelerating the low-carbon, customer-centric energy transition by unleashing the potential of open-source, digital technologies. Our Energy Web Decentralized Operating System (EW-DOS) enables any energy asset, owned by any customer, to participate in any energy market. The Energy Web Chain — the world’s first enterprise-grade, public blockchain tailored to the energy sector — anchors the EW-DOS tech stack. The Energy Web ecosystem comprises leading utilities, grid operators, renewable energy developers, corporate energy buyers, IoT / telecom leaders, and others.