Automaker BMW, Ford and Honda join hands to create a new company: ‘ChargeScape'

BMW Group, Ford Motor Company and American Honda Motor Co., Inc on Tuesday (September 12) entered into an agreement to create ChargeScape, LLC, a new company that will create a single platform connecting electric utilities, automakers and interested electric vehicle customers to support electric vehicle grid services.

Through ChargeScape, BMW, Ford and Honda will utilize its years of cross-industry research around the Open Vehicle-Grid Integration Platform (OVGIP) to create a single platform that will connect electric utilities, automakers, and their interested EV customers to manage energy usage for a broad pool of EVs. The equally owned new company is expected to be operational by early next year and plans to add value to both EV customers and the electric utility industry in the US and Canada.

"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," said Thomas Ruemenapp, Vice President, Engineering, BMW of North America, LLC.

"We're proud to be a founding member of ChargeScape and are looking forward to the opportunities this collaboration will create."

ChargeScape will enable the smart use of plugged-in EV batteries by securely providing energy data to electric utilities and system operators like aggregated demand response, alignment of charging and EV battery utilization with off-peak, low-cost hours and the availability of high renewable energy.

EV customers using ChargeScape will be able to earn financial benefits by charging at "grid-friendly" times through flexible and managed schedules. Further, the customers would eventually also have the opportunity for creating a significant impact by sharing the energy stored in their EV batteries with the grid during times of peak demand through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications.

"With automakers accelerating toward the electrified future, we must find solutions like ChargeScape that enable all stakeholders to work together for the good of our customers, society and our industry by enabling greater use of renewable energy for and from mobility," said Jay Joseph, vice president of Sustainability & Business Development, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.