In a groundbreaking move aimed at revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) charging landscape, 20 leading energy companies have joined forces to establish the Alliance for an open energy network, unveiling the Unified Energy Interface (UEI). This innovative platform, akin to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), is designed to facilitate seamless payment and transaction interoperability within EV charging networks, transcending brand limitations and enhancing user experience.
The UEI Alliance boasts a stellar lineup of member companies including ChargeZone, Pulse Energy, Kazam, Sheru, and Trinity, among others. Complementing their expertise, prominent public policy think tanks and research organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Institute and World Resources Institute have also lent their support to the consortium in an advisory capacity, aiming to propel the initiative forward.
Key players like ChargeZone have already integrated their chargers into the UEI network, enabling effortless discovery and transactions. Similarly, tech enablers like Kazam and Pulse Energy have empowered their customers to seamlessly discover, pay, and charge at any of their chargers via the UEI network.
At the heart of the UEI Alliance’s mission lies a commitment to fostering global development, adoption, and compliance with unified standards for energy-related economic transactions across digital platforms. By focusing on scaling transaction volumes and enhancing efficiency within the UEI network, the alliance aims to promote widespread accessibility and drive innovation in the EV charging ecosystem.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Raj Kumar, Executive Director of Trinity, emphasized the importance of seamless integration in facilitating EV adoption, while Mr. Akhil Jayaprakash, CEO of Pulse Energy, highlighted the organization’s customer-centric approach and the need for interoperable systems.
Explaining the significance of the Unified Energy Interface, Mr. Reji Pillai, CEO of India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), underscored its potential to revolutionize the power sector by enabling peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of green electricity, particularly with the rapid rollout of rooftop solar PV systems.
The UEI network has garnered endorsement from the Department of Science and Technology in their latest e-Mobility White Paper, and crucially, it is built on the Beckn protocol, an open-source Made in India protocol known for enabling open networks like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Unified Health Interface (UHI).
As a not-for-profit alliance, the UEI consortium aims to fund the working group and any minimal infrastructure costs jointly among its members. With 1.4GWh of energy transactions facilitated to date, the network is poised for exponential growth, with prominent B2C apps expected to join in July, signaling a significant milestone in the evolution of the EV charging ecosystem.
