eMI³ releases first standard specification, sets its vision for interoperability in the EV market and establishes itself as a formal association.
Delivering a turbo-boost to their vision of unlocking seamless electric vehicle (EV) driver experiences by enabling interoperability across EV products and services, eMI3 (e-Mobility ICT Interoperability Innovation Group) is today launching its first standard specification.

Focused on presenting the EV market place with a first set of industry agreed standardized use cases and business objects, the coalition of EV market players behind eMI3 hope to deliver an innovation and interoperability boost to this important and growing sector. Interoperability matters to this sector as it means the speed at which new products and services which enrich an EV driver’s experience can be accelerated. In practical terms, interoperability means EV users should be able to use any charging point, in any country and benefit from any service from any supplier with ease and simplicity because cross-device communication is enabled.

Therefore, the delivery of this first standard specification marks an important milestone for the EV sector and arrives as a product of cross-sector collaboration. eMI3 itself boasts a membership of over twenty internationally focused EV product and service providers ranging from car makers, original EV equipment manufacturers and utilities, and is growing. The fact that this specification is a collaborative end product should not be understated. It serves to emphasise the innovation potential that can be released when conventional sector boundaries and mind-sets are crossed for a common goal – in eMI3’s case interoperability across the EV eco-system.
The goal of delivering interoperability, which central to eMI3 and its members’ mission and vision, is strategically important to the growth prospects of EV’s globally and their contribution to fighting climate change.  To promote this vision and to highlight the challenges facing the delivery of interoperability, eMI3 is today also launching its proposal for unlocking interoperability in the European EV market. In this paper eMI³ describe challenges facing eMobility in 3 main areas. For each specific challenge a short description and possible actions for European Commission to consider covered. The 3 main challenge areas are:

  • Setting up a fair business case for all actors respecting investments and running costs
  • Defining clear interoperability rules and pieces of evidence
  • Ensuring pan-European coherent and equivalent service levels

eMI3 contest that these challenges can be overcome by providing an open reference market framework, typical players, roles, use cases and interfaces that is continuously updated with support from European Commission. Given its broad international active membership, representing all parts of the EV eco-system, and today’s specification launch, eMI3 believes it is well placed to help overcome challenges in this area by:

  • Drafting a set of industry agreed functional or non-functional requirements for interoperability of charging.
  • Maintaining a list of critical services related to interoperability and a short set of requirements and checks to prove those services are interoperable.
  • Supporting the European Commission (and other Governments globally) in providing a pragmatic and effective solution for ID issuing in all EU member states (and globally)
  • Providing the guidelines for charging infrastructure dictionaries.
  • Supporting European Commission by engaging with cross-sector associations

Finally, to support the execution of these actions in a streamlined way, eMI3 has also revised its constitutional structure to an AISBL status (under Belgium law and in the process to be registered), enabling the group to operate as an independent membership based association, supported by ERTICO.

For more information, click here.

eMI3 proposal for unlocking interoperability in the European EV market prepared for the European Commission: Electro-mobility Interoperability Challenges