New Delhi, Apr 20 (KNN) At least 20 energy companies have joined forces to create an alliance called the Unified Energy Interface (UEI), which aims to establish an open and interoperable network for electric vehicle (EV) charging payments, similar to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, firms revealed on Friday.

The UEI is the recommended interoperability standard by the Department of Science and Technology in India. Its goal is to facilitate seamless payments and transactions across different EV charging networks.

The alliance includes companies like ChargeZone, Pulse Energy, Kazam, Sheru, Trinity, and Turbo.

It will partner with electricity distribution companies (Discoms) to address interoperability challenges related to EV charging and grid demand response.

"As transportation shifts towards electrification, it's crucial that EV drivers can access charging infrastructure easily, regardless of their vehicle's brand or the charging network," said Raj Kumar, Executive Director at Trinity to the statesman.

The Rocky Mountain Institute and the World Resources Institute have joined the consortium in an advisory role to support the UEI initiative.

Members like ChargeZone have enabled their chargers to be accessed and paid for via the UEI network.

Reji Pillai, CEO of the India Smart Grid Forum, stated, "With UEI, we could enable peer-to-peer payments directly between peers, while utilities can levy energy wheeling charges through electricity bills."

The non-profit alliance will help fund the working group and initial infrastructure costs, split equally among members.

So far, the UEI network has facilitated 1.4 gigawatt-hours of energy transactions and expects 100-fold growth as more apps join in July.

(KNN Bureau)