Electric vehicles (EVs) are an important part of our clean energy future in the U.S. and integrating more public EV charging stations into the electric grid so that all Americans can access affordable, reliable, and convenient charges is essential.
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
April 24, 2024
minute read time
If you have not seen part 1 (Why Cybersecurity Matters) and part 2 (Game Changing Research) of this blog series, we suggest reading those before diving into part 3.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are an important part of our clean energy future in the U.S. and integrating more public EV charging stations into the electric grid so that all Americans can access affordable, reliable, and convenient charges is essential. Ensuring this EV charging system is secure and protected from cyber threats will help drive the adoption and use of EVs across the country.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) is dedicated to building cybersecurity into the EV charging infrastructure and EV supply equipment (EVSE). Read on to learn about the diverse partners across DOE doing this important work.
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office) was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to connect DOE and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on efforts to electrify our transportation system. The Joint Office supports the deployment of zero-emission, convenient, accessible, and equitable transportation infrastructure. The Joint Office is staffed by both Departments and aligns resources and expertise across the two agencies, playing a critical role in the implementation of $18 billion in funding from BIL.
CESER and the Joint Office are collaborating on several research and development projects to address cybersecurity as part of the buildout of a national EV charging network. In October 2023, the Joint Office held an interdisciplinary workshop with the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC), of which CESER is a member. With help from national lab partners, the Joint Office developed sample cybersecurity procurement language clauses that can be modified for use in requests for proposals (RFPs) and electric vehicle service provider (EVSP) contracts.
Other DOE Offices
Cybersecurity is a cross-cutting issue for the energy sector, including the EV charging system. The DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy oversees a significant number of EVSE cybersecurity research and development projects, typically in collaboration with other DOE offices and federal agencies, national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and community leaders. Most recently, through participation in the Grid Modernization Initiative (GMI), CESER collaborated with VTO to award a three-year $2.4 million project with the recent Grid Modernization Lab Consortium lab call that will focus on EV cybersecurity standards and various levels of cybersecurity testing.
In addition to working directly with other DOE offices, CESER is an active member in several DOE-wide initiatives related to securing EV charging infrastructure:
- Vehicle Grid Integration Initiative (VGI): CESER joins other offices, like VTO, the Office of Electricity, the Office of Technology Transitions, and the Office of Policy, to ensure the smooth and secure integration of EV chargers with the electric grid.
- Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): CESER is one of several DOE offices to sign the V2X MOU. Over the last two years, CESER has funded $1 million in research and development (R&D) at national labs towards securing bi-directional EV charging.
- EV/EVSE Cybersecurity R&D Platform: CESER is developing a centralized coordination and collaboration platform for cybersecurity R&D across the DOE enterprise, including national labs, that will include work within the EV and EVSE sphere. This tool, which will be available later in 2024, may be open to other relevant federal partners working to secure the EV/EVSE ecosystem.
DOE National Laboratories and Private Industry Partners
The bulk of the federally funded hands-on research, development, and demonstration related to cybersecurity of the EV charging infrastructure occurs in DOE national laboratories. Their state-of-the-art facilities have the capacity to develop, build, and test tools and technologies to address cybersecurity issues today and in the future.
The success of these research programs, however, depends on a strong, trusted relationship with industry partners, like the Joint Office’s CIPAC, which will help guide the widespread adoption of EVs across the country and solidify America’s position as a global leader of clean energy jobs and manufacturing.
Join the Clean Energy Transition
The push for a secure, reliable, and convenient EV charging infrastructure across the U.S. is not over. As we continue the clean energy transition, there are many opportunities to incorporate new partners, innovative thought leaders, and solution seekers who can contribute to this vision. We are actively seeking partnerships through:
- Applying for a funding opportunity led by VTO which includes a topic area seeking R&D projects dedicated to Cybersecurity for Smart and Secure Electric Vehicle Charging. Concept papers are due May 2, 2024.
- Staying up-to-date with the DOE’s EVGrid Assist: Accelerating the Transition, offering technical assistance to facilitate the rapid deployment of EVs and the associated charging infrastructure. EVGrid Assist offers several webinars and resources for more information.
- Sharing new innovative ideas in the coming year. CESER is focusing on fostering lab partnerships for future investments in securing EV charging infrastructure. Be on the look-out for information on those opportunities in the coming months.
- Learning from the (now closed) funding opportunity through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program that, among other topics, sought R&D for tools, techniques, and/or methodologies that address gaps related to infrastructure/software architecture for securing EV charging infrastructure. Selected projects will be announced in late 2024.
The path to electrifying America’s roadways is not without its speed bumps, but CESER and partners across DOE and private sector are committed to ensuring cybersecurity in EV charging infrastructure is not of them. To learn more about the cybersecurity and energy security work happening across CESER, visit the CESER website.