The ZigBee Alliance and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) announced their collaboration on ZigBee Smart Energy™ standard development. Their efforts will make ZigBee Smart Energy the preferred technology supporting Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PEV) and enabling essential vehicle to grid (V2G) communication and power capabilities.
ZigBee Smart Energy is described as the market leading home area network and advanced metering infrastructure standard for the Smart Grid. The collaboration recognizes the important role SAE plays as the focal point for integrating automobile communication with emerging energy management requirements. Using ZigBee Smart Energy to define how PEVs and the grid interact, whether at the consumer’s home or at a remote location, will be one of the goals the two groups address. Ultimately, this initiative will provide future PEV drivers with the real-time information needed to control their transportation energy use, manage their charging costs and receive utility incentives for participating in PEV programs. It also provides the essential control functions necessary to safely manage the charging of PEVs while maintaining grid integrity.