20 energy firms create alliance for EV charging via UPI-like system in India

At least 20 energy companies have joined hands to create an alliance for an open energy network called the Unified Energy Interface (UEI), which is a unified payments interface (UPI)-like system for EV charging, the firms said in a statement on Friday. UEI is the recommended interoperability standard as per the Department of Science and Technology.

Aimed at facilitating seamless payment and transaction interoperability within EV charging networks, the alliance will help address interoperability challenges pertaining to EV charging and grid demand response by partnering with electricity distribution companies (Discoms).

The alliance includes member companies like ChargeZone, Pulse Energy, Kazam, Sheru, Trinity and Turbo, etc. “As the transportation sector shifts towards greater electrification, it's crucial to ensure that EV drivers can access charging infrastructure easily, regardless of their vehicle's brand or the charging network,” said Raj Kumar, Executive Director, Trinity.

Leading public policy think tanks and research organisations such as the Rocky Mountain Institute and the World Resources Institute, have also joined the consortium in an advisory capacity to advance the initiative. While ChargeZone enabled their chargers to be discovered and transacted over the UEI network, Kazam and Pulse Energy allowed their customers to discover, pay and charge at any of their chargers via the UEI network.

The alliance is committed to ensuring that the protocol in action remains relevant and adaptable to market needs, guiding technical evolution and governance. Reji Pillai, CEO, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), said that with UEI, “we could enable peer-to-peer (P2P) payments directly between the peers while the energy wheeling charges for the utility can be levied in the electricity bills by the utility”.

“This is going to unleash a green energy revolution in the country, particularly with 10 million rooftop solar PV systems being rolled out on fast track under the PM Suryoday Yojana,” Pillai added. The non-profit alliance is being formed to help fund the working group and any minimal infrastructure cost the network may have at the inception.

The cost will be equally split between all alliance members. To date, the network has facilitated 1.4GWh (watt-hour) of energy transactions across the entire network and is poised to grow 100 times more with more B2C apps expected to join the UEI network in July.