End-to-End Fleet Charging Solutions to simplify transition to EVs
I worked as a MTS 3 - Full Stack Engineer on the development of Ford Depot Charging (FDC), it provides consumers with application software that allows the Fleet Manager/Admin to manage the entire electric vehicle charging station with an objective to fully charge each and every vehicle at a very cost-effective way.
Visit websiteThe problem
The electric vehicle (EV) industry is rapidly growing, but it faces several significant challenges: Battery Technology and Range (Charging Time & Battery Degradation), Charging Infrastructure (Availability, Compatibility & Grid Impact), Cost (High Upfront Cost, Battery Cost & Loss From Unmanaged Sessions), Supply Chain Issues (Raw Materials), Environmental Concerns (Battery Production & Recycling and Disposal), Consumer Perception and Acceptance (Range Anxiety & Performance in Extreme Conditions), Regulatory and Policy Issues (Inconsistent Policies & Emission Standards) & Technological Integration (Software and Connectivity) etc. . Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts from governments, manufacturers, and other stakeholders in the EV ecosystem.
Ford Depot Charging UI
Electric Vehicle (EV) communication is crucial for the seamless operation and management of charging infrastructure. Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) and WebSockets are two key technologies that facilitate efficient communication between EVs, charging stations, and management systems. By integrating all these technologies into the management UI, EV charging operators can ensure efficient, real-time management of their infrastructure, providing a seamless and reliable experience for EV users.
Challenges
Vehicle Discovery is a collection of strategies which attempts to successfully identify a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) connected to a charger which is linked to the customer's Charge Management System (CMS). The practice and the strategies used are iterative and evolving, but they principally involve leveraging correlated event streams between the given charge point's Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) Plug-In and Plug-Out events and the connected vehicle's telematics data gathered within a similar time frame from a vehicle telematics service. The desired outcome is to have near real time, accurate determinations for which Ford/ non Ford vehicle is or has connected to a particular charge point.
My contribution in improving the User Experience (UX)
My contribution has been to achieve the product roadmap by meeting functional and non-functional requirements in a timely manner. A significant aspect of my work has been enhancing the telematics infrastructure with reduced downtime, Geotab integration and substantially increasing the vehicle discovery success rate.