Nissan joins BMW, Honda, and Ford in common EV grid for US (update)

Nissan joined the ‘club’ one month after BMW, Honda, and Ford started operating their shared US EV-charging network ChargeScape. The three founding automakers have been researching the possibility of a standard charging service network for some time and have turned their findings into a business.

Nissan will be a 25% equity partner in the charging joint venture, which is open to other carmakers to join later. ChargeScape is not a fast-charging network. The equally owned platform connects utility companies with BMW, Honda, Ford, and, in the future, Nissan car owners. It aims to be cost-effective for all parties when charging at home, work, or publicly.

ChargeScape’s potential to unlock vehicle-to-grid services will help grid operators avoid reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuel power plants when the grid becomes overloaded.

To the benefit of all (customers)

Everyone should benefit. The energy provider can easily tap into a new customer pool, smart management or energy must stabilize the grid, EV owners will receive financial benefits, and the platform will unlock the possibilities of bidirectional charging.

With the latter, battery-powered vehicles can provide their stored energy to the grid, which is especially interesting in peak times. However, that technology isn’t readily available in the current EV generation from the involved automakers, except for the Nissan Leaf. The young joint venture is already developing ‘virtual power plants’ in California, Texas, and other states.

Chargescape wants to offer a solution as EVs will increasingly strain the electricity network and help utility companies so that a shortage doesn’t hamper their roll-out in energy provision.

Also, the US is considered to become a leader in electromobility just by sheer volume, as the zero-emission market will be vast. Car brands offering favorable charging schemes will have an edge over the competition.

The consortium isn’t an overnight idea. The trio of automakers were involved in the study, researching the feasibility of an open vehicle grid integration platform (OVGI). ChargeScape builds upon the years invested in this study.

What the brands say

Vice President of Engineering at BMW of North America Thomas Ruemenapp said at the time of the founding one year ago: “ChargeScape aims to accelerate the expansion of smart charging and vehicle-to-everything solutions all over the country while increasing customer benefits, supporting the stability of the grid, and helping to maximize renewable energy usage.”

Bill Crider, global head of charging and energy services at Ford Motor Company, pointed out those benefits for utility companies. Direct access to the carmaker’s customers through ChargeScape can reduce marketing and outreach costs. “ChargeScape will help accelerate the true potential of the EV revolution by providing significant benefits to utilities and EV customers through smart vehicle-to-grid services,” he added.

“We must find solutions like ChargeScape that enable all stakeholders to work together for the good of our customers, society, and industry by enabling greater use of renewable energy for and from mobility,” said the Vice President of Sustainability and Business Development at Honda America Jay Joseph.

Ionity for America

Joseph’s comment focuses on automakers’ collaborations in connectivity services and charging. ChargeScape is not the only initiative. During the summer, seven car groups (BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis) announced they had joined forces to roll out a high-power network in the US. It must rise into a platform of 30,000 charging points for the US.

This mirrors what the Ionity project has established in Europe as a joint venture between carmakers to rapidly construct a fast charging network in a bid to rival Tesla. ChargeScape is the first cross-brand collaboration to focus on low-power and peak-shaving while including the grid benefits of two-way charging.

It seems unlikely that the now four car manufacturers will pursue a similar project in Europe. Honda and Ford’s local market shares don’t justify prioritizing these customers, while the landscape of utility companies is much more complex.