Ford joins the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to launch of the National Charging Experience Consortium, a new effort to rapidly develop solutions to improve electric vehicle (EV) charging across the U.S.

Among other goals, the national labs will develop innovative solutions for testing electric vehicle and charger software before it is deployed to ensure that every electric vehicle works with every charger as the market grows.

Who is Involved in the New Consortium?

The National Charging Experience Consortium (ChargeX Consortium) is a new effort led by U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories that will work to rapidly develop solutions that ensure a reliable and frictionless charging experience for all Americans.

As part of the ChargeX Consortium, Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will collaborate with organizations representing a cross-section of the electric vehicle charging industry, including Ford and GM, on complex issues that require multi-stakeholder collaboration to solve and simplify.

“Creating a seamless and simple public charging experience requires collaboration across the entire electric vehicle ecosystem, and remains key to accelerating EV adoption and providing customers with range confidence,” said Bill Crider, head of global charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company. “Bringing together a cross-section of industry, academia and government will address current challenges and drive swift improvements to the entire charging experience, helping Ford customers and all EV drivers realize all the benefits of driving electric.”

The consortium will immediately focus on:

• Payment processing.

• Uuser interfaces.

• Vehicle-to-charger communication.

In addition, the consortium aims to work toward collaborative diagnostic data sharing to further support solutions for all stakeholders.

"The national labs provide the independent expertise needed to fix the most challenging, systemic problems that can impact the customer charging experience," said consortium director John Smart of Idaho National Lab. "The national lab team shares a sense of urgency and has identified an aggressive timeframe that aligns with the United States' accelerating transition to electric transportation."