AT&T and Schneider Electric Unveil Proof of Concept Enabling IoT Connectivity in Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

AT&T and Schneider Electric have developed a proof of concept solution that helps enable facility managers and drivers to access data from Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) systems. This will help to enable more intelligent load distribution and more effective energy access management. The proof of concept uses AT&T Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to wirelessly connect Schneider Electric's EVlink charging stations to a cloud platform that can integrate with back-end systems. This IoT-enabled solution aims to deliver a solution for both station operators and drivers. Trials of the technology will be held in several U.S. cities.

The proof of concept for this solution was developed and tested at the AT&T Foundry for IoT Innovation, and uses:

• AT&T Flow Designer and AT&T M2X: These aggregate data from the EVC controllers and present it on a screen. This includes real-time charging status; start time; temperature; humidity; and cable position (in-holster vs. out for anti-theft). The stations can see how long a car is parked relative to its charging level. If a user parks a car for too long, the charging station sends alerts. Facility managers can also turn the Schneider Electric EVlink on and off remotely over the AT&T network.

• AT&T Global SIM and AT&T Control Center: AT&T Global SIMs automatically connect to the AT&T network, transmitting data from the EVC controllers to back-end systems and a mobile app. With AT&T Control Center, facility managers can launch, manage and scale connected device deployments.

• Mobile Apps: Schneider Electric's EVlink will integrate with a mobile app, so drivers can manage their accounts and authenticate their cars to the EVC station. Drivers can identify the closest charging stations, know which spots are open and get a notification when charging is complete.

Schneider Electric EVlink offers a full line of EVC stations and services that are available globally for commercial and residential applications.

The EVlink stations utilizing this proof of concept solution will initially be trialed in the United States at Schneider Electric's offices in Dallas, TX; Raleigh, NC; Nashville, TN; and Costa Mesa, CA.

Keywords: Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC), Internet of Things (IoT), Charging Stations, Cloud Platform, EVC stations, ARC Advisory Group.