Research Project Focuses on Improving Security of the Electric Vehicle Charging Ecosystem

WARRENDALE, Pa. (April 27, 2022) – SAE International has engaged its technical contractors, Eonti, and DigiCert and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to perform the first testing for the SAE Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) project, an industry-led pre-competitive research project to strengthen EV charging system security.

The project successfully completed the EV Charging PKI Platform Draft Design in January 2022 on-time and on-budget.  The draft design package includes the PKI Certificate Policy, Platform Requirements Document, and PKI Prototype.  Other critical deliverables are an Industry PKI Review and Gap Analysis, the PKI Threat Model, and the Operationalization Plan Guidelines.  This last deliverable is the guideline for transforming the Draft PKI Design Platform into an operational EV Charging Industry PKI.   

The project team is now testing the SAE Draft PKI Design Platform and its support for four initial use cases: Automated Mutual Authentication, Secure Automated Payment Services, Inter-Network Roaming, and Advanced Charging Energy Management.  The robust testing includes testing the full functionality of the Draft PKI Design Platform as well as its scalability, and security.  The testing will validate the Draft PKI Design Platform and result in an Industry PKI Launch Package. 

“SAE International is pleased to have gathered our SAE EV Charging PKI Cooperative Research Project (CRP) industry partners at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for our first test event.  SAE CRP projects are joint ventures that perform targeted, pre-competitive research to develop solutions—by industry for industry,” said Tim Weisenberger, SAE Program Manager of Emerging Technologies.  “In this project we are designing and testing an inclusive, worldwide EV charging industry PKI platform that is secure, trusted, scalable, interoperable, and extensible.”

SAE will leverage the world-class CRP team of EV and EV Charging developers and technical contractors Eonti and DigiCert to develop a final Industry PKI Launch Package that will fill a key gap in the future of global interoperable EV Charging. The project is an example of the SAE Cooperative Research Program which uses agile development techniques to deliver targeted research to solve crucial industry problems and lead to SAE International Standards.

The SAE EV Charging PKI CRP project is open to new members to test their equipment and help move the project forward.  Future project activities/initiatives include ensuring the design’s compatibility and interoperability across products and sharing results to influence standards.

To learn more about SAE's EV Charging Security PKI Project and other EV initiatives, register for the complimentary online Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Conference May 3-4, 2022: https://www.sae.org/attend/electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-conference/program.

About SAE International
SAE International is a global organization committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts, and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including award-winning programs like A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. More at www.sae.org.

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