Today, BPT has announced their investment in Switch!  The Switch platform will be the world’s first single operating system for electric vehicle charging infrastructure created in the UK.

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Switch, a UK software company, is eliminating poor user experience that is growing exponentially across public electric vehicle charging networks because multiple devices are operating with many different standards. The company is creating the first open source operating system that can be used by every device, eliminating all complexity for charger manufacturers and facilitating interoperability within the e-mobility market.

Switch founder Marc Mültin explains: ‘Charging devices with different operating systems simply can’t keep up with each other, delaying electric vehicle adoption because the net result is poor, unreliable user experience. Our single, open source solution means the charging ecosystem is better equipped to manage the sophisticated mobility scenarios of the future because every charging device will speak the same language’.

The company has received investment from hydro-electric power company BPT of Slovenia. Sabina Gros, CEO says: ‘We are delighted to join Switch on its mission to unify electric vehicle charging with a single operating system. Difficulty with charging is a major pain point that prevents wider adoption of electric vehicles. We recognise that Switch is a breakthrough moment that will forever change the electric vehicle world’.

The operating system of a charging device works in the background, quietly organising functions that are common to every type of charger.

Having a common operating system doesn’t restrict charging operators from introducing individual innovations and service offerings. It eliminates duplicated technology overhead and allows breakthrough features such as user-friendly and secure Plug & Charge, Vehicle-to-Grid energy sharing, and Smart Charging innovations.

Marc Mültin (formerly V2G Clarity) has spent more than a decade understanding and building world-renowned expertise on how electric vehicle charging devices, charge point operators, mobility service providers, and the energy network need to communicate with each other to create the best possible user experiences. 

Switch is driven by the growing need for improving end-user experience that will require charging hardware devices to talk with each other more often and more reliably. It is looking to create the same intuitive experience and functional reliability at scale as Apple’s iOS and the App Store have brought to mobile computing and communications.‍

For more information and interview arrangements with the Switch management team, please contact Dr. Marc Mültin, Founder & CEO of Switch, at marc@switch-ev.com 

Editor’s notes‍

The London-based company (www.switch-ev.com) is an active member of the ISO 15118 standardisation body and the Open Charge Alliance (OCA). The ISO 15118 international standard governs the communication between an electric vehicle and a charging station, whereas OCA’s de facto standard Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) specifies the communication between a charging station and the charging station management system sitting in the cloud. 

The new operating system is called Josev (Joint Operating system for Seamless EV charging). It releases charging device manufacturers from the cost and complexities of developing their own independent operating systems and keeping them updated with continually evolving communication standards such as OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118. This ongoing task comprises hundreds of technical requirements, tests and updates. Josev has everything covered with its over-the-air update approach:

- ISO 15118-2 including Plug & Charge: enables the most user-friendly and secure charging experience for both AC and DC chargers.

- ISO 15118-3 including SLAC: establishes the data link between EV and charger via the charging cable (through power line communication via HomePlug Green PHY).

- ISO 15118-8: establishes the data link between EV and charger via wireless communication (based on IEEE 802.11n).

- ISO 15118-20 including Plug & Charge: second generation ISO 15118, for vehicle-to-grid, wireless charging, ACD-P (pantograph charging for buses), higher data security, and more.

- OCPP 2.0.1: Facilitates future-proof features like built-in ISO 15118 support, plug & play installation, powerful remote control & monitoring


About BPT‍

BPT (www.bpt.si) is a hydro-power energy company that is actively engaged in supporting innovation across the energy sector, on the journey to net zero.

The company’s mission is to support passionate entrepreneurs that develop disruptive technologies in the energy industry.  It sees e-mobility as one of the pillars of an emission free society.