Sofia Audet-Abdulnour
Research Mentor: Bruce Belzowski
Mentor Department: Automotive Futures, Other
Author(s): Sofia Audet-AbdulNour, Bruce Belzowski, Sofia Audet-AbdulNour
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 32
Abstract
Bidirectional electric vehicle charging, like vehicle to home and vehicle to grid, is often described as a way for EVs to act like small batteries that can support the power system. It could help during outages, reduce stress during high demand periods, and make it easier to use variable energy. Even though a lot of pilot projects have shown that bidirectional charging can work, it still has not turned into something that is common. A big reason is that it is not just a vehicle feature, it is an infrastructure problem. For bidirectional charging to scale, utilities and charging networks need clear interconnection pathways, compatible hardware, reliable communication and control systems, and safety and cybersecurity requirements that work across different vehicles and charger brands. This project looks at what infrastructure pieces are required for wide scale adoption of bidirectional charging. It maps the full system from the EV and the charger to charger network software and utility systems that would monitor and manage these resources. The analysis compares AC versus DC bidirectional setups, since inverter location affects how certification and commissioning would work in practice. It also reviews the communication standards and data exchange needed so that a vehicle can plug in at different sites and still be recognized and controlled correctly. Battery degradation is treated as a technical limit, since using the battery for grid services changes how often and how deeply it cycles over time. Finally, the project discusses distribution system limits like transformer loading and feeder constraints that could restrict how much bidirectional power can be used in one neighborhood. The final outcome will be a framework of the main infrastructure requirements and bottlenecks, plus practical steps that could help move bidirectional charging from pilots to real scale deployment.
