WO2023199317A1

WO2023199317A1 - Electric vehicle supply equipment with maximum cyber safety

Info

Publication number: WO2023199317A1
Application number: PCT/IL2023/050383
Authority: WO
Inventors: Avraham MAIMON
Original assignee: Max E.V.S. Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-11
Filing date: 2023-04-10
Publication date: 2023-10-19

Abstract

A method and system for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a charging station with maximum cyber safety, according to which a user of an EV connects to a charging station, while upon detecting that a charging session has been initiated, offline charging is performed by isolating the EV-EVSE connection from remote access via any data network, during the entire charging session and at the end of the charging session, the isolation is terminated and connection with the charging station operator is resumed.

Description

ELECTRIC VEHICLE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT WITH MAXIMUM CYBER SAFETY

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electrical vehicles (EVs). More particularly, the invention relates to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) with maximum cyber safety, using secured offline Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) charging.

Background of the Invention

Charging stations (that employ electric vehicle supply equipment) are widely used by any vehicle which requires charging, such as electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrid vehicles. In order to recharge the battery, the vehicle should connect to the charging station (via a charging cable) and at the end of the process, the owner of the charging station is paid for the consumed electricity, according to the vehicle's identity.

The problem with this process is that during the entire charging period, the vehicle is connected online to one or more remote servers that perform identity verification and financial clearance. This online connection introduces vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and phishing, which can cause serious damages to the charged vehicle, since its computerized systems (such as the vehicle's computer, navigation system and infotainment system) are exposed to intruders. This requires the activation of complicated and expensive cyber defense means.

It is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide electric vehicle supply equipment and DC or AC charging stations, with maximum cyber safety.

It is another object of the present invention, to provide electric vehicle supply equipment and DC or AC charging stations, with plug-and-play capability. Other advantages and objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) allowing a user of an EV to connect to a charging station; b) upon detecting that a charging session has been initiated, performing offline charging by isolating the EV-EVSE connection from remote access via any data network, during the entire charging session; and c) at the end of the charging session, terminating the isolation.

Communication may be disconnected by a relay, a switch, switchable hardware, firmware or some other controllable hardware means.

A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at an AC charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, commencing a handshake process between the EV and the charging station; b) upon starting a charging session, disconnecting communication to the charging station operator within the charging station; c) at the end of the charging process, resuming connection with the charging station operator, and transmitting billing information; and d) performing final payment and billing process within a cloud, using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process.

A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a DC charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, commencing a handshake process between the EV and the charging station; b) before charging, retrieving a unique Vehicle Identifier" (VID) for identifying the vehicle from the original unaltered handshake process, by reading the VID; c) disconnecting communication to the charging station operator within the charging station; d) at the end of the charging process, resuming connection with the charging station operator, and transmitting billing information; and e) performing final payment and billing process within a cloud, using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process, wherein there is no switch and no physical connection to any wires in the charging station.

In one aspect, only the VID is transmitted over a cellular channel, which is separated from the charging station.

At the end of the charging process and once the billing information has been received, a reminder may be sent to the application on the customer's mobile phone, to disconnect his vehicle.

At end of the charging process, the customer may receive a charging summary to an application installed on a mobile device, or on a computer, as well as an account statement that is sent to the vehicle owner's address or the company's address.

The vehicle may be pre-registered and automatically recognized at participating charging stations, where charging and payment are done in a separate process. A system for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) a charging cable the data channel of which is disconnected upon starting a charging station; b) a communication component for disconnecting the communication between the charging station operator and the EV, to prevent the transfer of data; and c) a controller for controlling, via the controlled communication component, the communication disconnection between the charging station operator and the EV and resuming the connection after completing charging the EV.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of the secure AC and DC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention ;

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the secure DC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the secure AC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 shows an AC charging offline configuration, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 shows a DC charging offline configuration, according to an embodiment of the invention. Detailed description of the invention

The present invention relates to plug-and-play electric vehicle supply equipment and charging stations, with maximum cyber safety, using secured offline AC & DC charging.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of the secure AC and DC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention. At the first step 101 any user (driver) who wants to use the cyber-protection service at a charging session, connects his EV to the EVSE (also called the Charge Point - is the physical system where an EV can be charged). This includes subscribed users or occasional users. At the next step 102 the user initiates his EV authorization method, such as a dedicated application, an RFID or Autocharge (EV charging pedestal). At the next step 103, the user authorization is performed before starting charging. At the next step 104, a remote or local transaction is performed by starting a charging session upon completing the verification of the user or the EV. At the next step 105, the data communication of the connected charger with external resources or devices is interrupted, such that the EV-EVSE connection remains totally isolated during the entire charging session. This way, any user will be protected against any malicious activity.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the secure DC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention. At the first step 201, any user (driver) who wants to use the cyberprotection service at a charging session, connects his EV to the EVSE. This includes subscribed users or occasional users. At the next step 202, the system initiates a hand-shake process between the EV and the EVSE. At the next step 203, the PLC sniffer unit identifies and extracts the MAC address of the EV by connecting directly to the Control Pilot (CP) line (used to communicate the charging system state) at the EVSE. At the next step204, the system encrypts the MAC address and sends it to a dedicated computational cloud (or to a dedicated remote server). At the next step 205, the dedicated computational cloud decrypts the MAC address and runs a whitelist check in a dedicated database, in order to verify whether or not the connected EV is subscribed to the safe charging service. If the connected EV is subscribed, at the next step 208, a start transaction command is sent to the EVSE, to initiate charging of the EV, while concurrently disconnecting the EVSE communication at step 209. Disconnecting the EVSE communication may be done using a relay (an electrical switch that is operated by an electromagnet, which is activated by a separate low-power signal from a micro controller. When activated, the electromagnet pulls to either open or close an electrical circuit), a switch or some other hardware means that is preprogrammed offline in advance, to ensure immunity against any attempt of an intruder to access the software of the EVSE. For example, the relay or switch may be implemented with an embedded software (such as firmware) which is burned into a nonvolatile memory (such s an EEPROM) and autonomously controls its operations, upon detecting that a charging session begins or ends.

During DC charging, as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, a handshake process is commenced between the EV and the charging station, while before charging, a unique Vehicle Identifier (VID) is retrieved for identifying the vehicle from the original unaltered handshake process, by reading the VID. Communication to the charging station operator is disconnected within the charging station. At the end of the charging process, connection with the charging station operator is resumed, and billing information is resumed. The final payment and billing process is performed within a cloud or a remote server, using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process. There is no physical connection to any wires in the charging station.

The established connection between the EV and the EVSE remains isolated from the outside world, for the entire charging session. If the connected EV is not subscribed, at step 206, the user authorization is made by different methods (for example, the user initializes the charging session in ordinary ways, such as RFID card or via the Charging Station application). For DC charging, a hardware device with isolated software (firmware - is programming that is written to a hardware device's nonvolatile memory, such as a static random access memory where the content is saved when a hardware device is turned off or loses its external power source. Firmware is installed directly onto a piece of hardware during manufacturing. It is used to run user programs on the device and can be thought of as the software that enables hardware to run) is used, to detect the exact time when the charging energy starts to flow into the EV and to concurrently disconnect the communication until the end of the charging session. The charging session may be terminated upon detecting that the charging current is essentially zero or below a predetermined threshold (full charging). Alternatively, the user may manually terminate the charging session at any time by disconnecting the EV from the EVSE. In this case, the detected current will be zero, as well.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the secure AC charging process, according to an embodiment of the invention. At the first step 301, any user (driver) who wants to use the cyberprotection service at a charging session, connects his EV to the EVSE. This includes subscribed users or occasional users. At the next step 302, the user taps his RFID card on the charger's RFID surface. At the next step 303, the system performs a user authorization by checking the user's RFID card against the EVSE cache memory of the charger, in which a list of authorized RFID cards is saved for offline activity, such as stopping the charging session. At the next step 304, following the user verification completion, a start transaction command is sent to the EVSE, to initiate charging of the EV, while concurrently disconnecting the EVSE communication at step 305. The established connection between the EV and the EVSE remains isolated from the outside world, for the entire charging session. In order to stop the charging session, the user must use the same RFID that he start with. A dedicated firmware in the AC charger is used to control the charging session. Upon starting a charging session, a communication device (such as WIFI/4G) receives an indication (a signal) from the charger power electronics that the energy starts to flow to the connected EV and disable the component for the entire charging session, until a stop transaction signal is received to terminate the session.

During AC charging, as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, a handshake process is commenced between the EV and the charging station and upon starting a charging session, communication to the charging station operator within the charging station is disconnected. At the end of the charging process, connection with the charging station operator is resumed, and billing information is transmitted. The final payment and billing process is performed within a cloud (or a remote server), using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process.

In AC charging, the charging session data is saved in an EVSE buffer for the whole session. In DC charging the EVSE sends charging data in real-time through the device to the CSMS.

In both charging modes, at the end of the charging session, the EVSE reconnects to the CSMS and sent the charging session report to the computational cloud, for customer billing.

Fig. 4 shows an AC charging offline configuration, according to an embodiment of the invention. Communication between the EV and the EVSE is established, for example, according to communication protocol ISO15118 that specifies the communication between Electric Vehicles (EV), including Battery Electric Vehicles and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, and the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). A Charging Station Management System (CSMS) 401 is the central system that manages EVSE's operations and has the information for authorizing users for using its charge points. SI is a controllable switch that connects between the secured charging unit 404 at the EVSE and the CSMS 401 via a controlled communication component 403, using (for example) the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP -which is an application protocol for communication between EV, EVSE and the CSMS).

SI is being opened upon starting a charging session. A billing server 402 receives the charging session data and forwards the data to a billing system, for debiting the user.

Fig. 5 shows a DC charging offline configuration, according to an embodiment of the invention. Communication between the EV and the EVSE is established, for example, according to communication protocol ISO15118. A Charging Station Management System (CSMS) 401 is the central system that manages EVSE's operations and has the information for authorizing users for using its charge points. SI is a controllable switch that connects between the secured charging unit 404 at the EVSE and the CSMS 401 via a controlled communication component 403, using (for example) the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP -which is an application protocol for communication between EV, EVSE and the CSMS). The secured charging unit 404 is adapted to identify the MAC address of the connected EV automatically, in order to allow charging of any registered EV without requiring any action from the user. The secured charging unit 404 comprises a controller for controlling the communication disconnection between the charging station operator and the EV and resuming the connection after completing charging the EV. The controller is isolated from any external access and therefore, provides maximum safety against cyber-attacks and malicious activities during charging.

SI is being opened (non-conductive) upon starting a charging session. A billing server 402 receives the charging session data and forwards the data to a billing system, for debiting the user.

This allows payment via any computational cloud, without the need for direct use of a payment card or charge card or credit card by the customer at the charging station. The system will also allow automatic charging of any pre-registered or occasional electric vehicle, at any DC charging station. Therefore, this will provide maximum flexibility to the driver.

As soon as the Vehicle Identifier (VID) is identified (according to a predetermined whitelist), communication to the charging station operator is disconnected within the charging station via a relay, a switch, switchable hardware, or by firmware (or some other controllable hardware means). By doing so, no communication with the vehicle is possible, and a high level of security against cyberattacks or any other online malware activity, is achieved.

At the end of the charging process, a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process resumes connection with the charging station operator, and billing information is transmitted. The final payment and billing process is performed within the cloud.

According to another embodiment, the vehicle is automatically recognized at participating charging stations by the system. Since the vehicle has been preregistered in the system, the user of the vehicle (e.g. a rental car user) can charge the vehicle at any participating charging station without being worried about the payment procedure, language barriers, etc. Company car users can charge the vehicle anywhere, where charging and payment are done in a separate process, to avoid any fraudulent use.

According to another embodiment, at the end of the charging process and once the billing information has been received, a reminder is sent to the application on the customer's mobile phone, to disconnect his vehicle to avoid unnecessary costs. At end of the charging process, the customer will receive a charging summary to his mobile phone application. Although embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out with many variations, modifications, and adaptations, without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) allowing a user of an EV to connect to a charging station; b) upon detecting that a charging session has been initiated, performing offline charging by isolating the EV-EVSE connection from remote access via any data network, during the entire charging session; and c) at the end of said charging session, terminating the isolation for allowing resuming connection with the charging station operator.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein communication is disconnected by a relay, a switch, switchable hardware, firmware or other controllable hardware means.

3. A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at an AC charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, commencing a handshake process between the EV and said charging station; b) upon starting a charging session, disconnecting communication to the charging station operator within said charging station; c) at the end of the charging process, resuming connection with the charging station operator, and transmitting billing information; and d) performing the final payment and billing process within a cloud, using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process.

4. A method for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a DC charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) as soon as the vehicle is plugged in, commencing a handshake process between the EV and said charging station; b) before charging, retrieving a unique Vehicle Identifier (VID) for identifying the vehicle from the original unaltered handshake process, by reading said VID; c) disconnecting communication to the charging station operator within said charging station; d) at the end of the charging process, resuming connection with the charging station operator, and transmitting billing information; and e) performing the final payment and billing process within a cloud, using a specific identifier in the final stage of the charging station to EV communication process, wherein there is no switch and no physical connection to any wires in the charging station. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein only the VID is transmitted over a cellular channel, which is separated from the charging station. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein communication is disconnected by a relay, a switch or by other controllable hardware means. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein at the end of the charging process and once the billing information has been received, a reminder is sent to the application on the customer's mobile phone, to disconnect his vehicle. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein at end of the charging process, the customer receives a charging summary to an application installed on a mobile device, or on a computer. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein at end of the charging process, an account statement is sent to the vehicle owner's address or the company's address. A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the vehicle is pre-registered and automatically recognized at participating charging stations, where charging and payment are done in a separate process. A system for charging an electric vehicle by supply equipment at a charging station with maximum cyber safety, comprising: a) a charging cable the data channel of which is disconnected upon starting a charging station; b) a controlled communication component for disconnecting the communication between the charging station operator and the EV, to prevent the transfer of data; and c) a controller for controlling, via said controlled communication component, the communication disconnection between the charging station operator and the EV and resuming the connection after completing charging the EV, said controller is being isolated from any external access, thereby providing maximum safety against cyber-attacks and malicious activities. A system according to claim 11, wherein the controlled communication component is a relay, switch, switchable hardware, firmware or other controllable hardware means.