victorian electric vehicle trial mid-term report - Department of Transport

Consultation with the trial charginginfrastructure providers found thatuniversal agreement existed on thegoal for full interoperability acrossdifferent EV charging networks. Thisgoal was agreed to be outside the trialtimeframe due to the large numberof higher priority issues that needto be dealt with in the near-term bythe fledgling companies involved.The companies also agreed that fullinteroperability requires a uniqueand universally-recognised useridentification key.The trial experience in negotiatinga common data schema for use byall providers illustrated the issuesand opportunities in this space. Eachprovider characterises chargingevents taking place on their networkslightly differently, which necessitatedsome manipulation of data in mostcases to make it suitable for exportand incorporation into the main trialdata-set. The trial defined uniqueuser identification codes which weremaintained on a ‘look-up’ table to becross-referenced with the charginginfrastructure provider’s ownuser identification.In most cases it was found that theRFID cards issued by the charginginfrastructure providers formed theonly unique user identification, asan individual user account may havemultiple cards linked to it that aresupplied and/or replaced as needsarise. The Department’s look-up tableand user identification codes to whichthe charging infrastructure RFID cardsare mapped effectively provide a modelfor business-to-business or industrywideinteroperability models forthe future.5.1.5 What are the charginginfrastructure network issuesand opportunities?A clear issue for the charginginfrastructure network is provisionof information to would-be users.Information is not supplied in astandardised way, nor is it availablethrough easily-found or streamlinedchannels. This information is a keyenabler for promotion of awareness,understanding and acceptance ofEV technology. Additional opportunitiesexist to streamline user roamingacross the electric vehiclecharging network.Signage is a prime example of thechallenges and opportunities in thisspace. The visible presence of EVcharging stations has a recognisedimpact upon electric vehicle take-upand ultimately the economic benefitsto the state (refer to Sections 6.1.2and 6.1.3). Electric vehicle driversneed to locate the actual bays in whichcharging of their vehicle is possible –no small challenge in large multi-levelcar-parks. Educating non-EV driverson recognition and avoidance of EVparking bays is critical to increasingEV driver confidence, recovering thevalue of the charging infrastructureinvestment, and minimisingenforcement overheads.The foresight of the Victorian roadregulator has provided an excellentstarting point in the form of the EVsymbol depicted in Figure 31. However,this design is not currently availableonline, nor has it been formallyrecognised within the manual ofstandard drawings for road signs.Adoption of the symbol nationally willoccur at the discretion of the roadregulator in each jurisdiction.A further challenge in promoting morewidespread use of this symbol andstandardised signs generally lay in theuncertainty around the distributionof responsibilities. Local governmenthas responsibility for the majority ofinformational signage of this naturein the public domain, however thereare 79 councils in Victoria who mustbe educated as to the existence andappropriate use of these standardiseddesigns. For private property thesituation is even more complicateddue to the large number of potentialplayers who may be involved.Drawing upon lessons from both thefleet and public charging infrastructureroll-out (refer to Sections 5.3.2 and5.4.2), the best solution for the signageappears to be:• The road regulator in eachjurisdiction to formally adopt theEV signage symbol depicted inFigure 31 as part of their standarddrawings for road signs• Charging infrastructure providersto arrange for the signage design/manufacture as part of their‘turn-key’ EV charging product/service offering• A leading council to designstandard work practices andtraining of staff for signage,enforcement etc. in relation toEV parking arrangements, andfor them to make this informationavailable through the relevantlocal government networks.