Ford joins OpenADR Alliance as European EV market accelerates

As the European EV market accelerates, Ford has become the first automotive manufacturer to join the OpenADR Alliance – a non-profit created to drive adoption and compliance of the OpenADR (Open Automated Demand Response) and related communications standards.

Ford joined the Alliance’s board of directors and as a member company as demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Europe continues to experience immense growth.

The OpenADR is an open, two-way information exchange model and smart grid standard, which standardises the message format used for Auto-DR and DER management so that dynamic price and reliability signals can be exchanged in a uniform and interoperable way among utilities, ISOs (Independent System Operators) and energy management and control systems.

And with 7.8 million EVs sold worldwide in 2022 – around 10% of global automotive sales – OpenADR Alliance cites the implications of such in terms of demands on the electricity grid. Utility companies are looking to expand their networks and charging programmes cost-effectively while avoiding delays in distribution upgrades.

The Alliance states how, based on open standards like OpenADR, they would be able to integrate new technologies like pricing and capacity management and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) communication.

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Rolf Bienert, technical and managing director of OpenADR Alliance, commented: “The OpenADR Alliance ecosystem has traditionally been made up of control manufacturers and utilities, but now we are attracting members from the automotive and associated sectors. Ford will bring a new perspective and insights to help us define and expand innovative new services for OpenADR.”

Sunil Goyal, the advance project leader of Energy Service for Ford Motor Company – who joined the OpenADR Alliance board of directors in September 2022 – added: “Ford supports open standards as a way to overcome interoperability challenges in young but maturing markets – like what we have today for VGI (Vehicle Grid Integration). This aligns well with OpenADR’s mission. We are looking forward to the opportunity to lend our voice to this effort.”

Added Bienert: “We have been well established in other regions, particularly the US, for several years.

“But as European markets like Germany and the UK invest more in technologies for electric vehicle infrastructure, battery storage and renewables, we’re now expanding our reach with the help of our partners and members. The next 12 months will be an exciting next stage of the Alliance’s development.”