EV Charger Security: Growing Pains of Grid Scale EV Charging
There is plenty of talk about the need for tens of thousands of additional electric vehicle charging stations, but decidedly less about the need to keep stations secure. EV charging security is a vital component of expanding and accelerating EV adoption safely.
EV Charging Security Project Underway
The US Department of Energy is investing $5 million to research ways to secure the nation’s growing network of EV charging stations. Like any connected device, cybersecurity is a sizeable investment designed to mitigate risk to individual chargers, regions and the entire energy grid as more of these networks come online.
Funded by the DoE and undertaken in collaboration with utility giant Exelon, the project will focus on discovering and addressing vulnerabilities. Think of every charging station connected to the grid as a computer on a network. Each station is a potential risk for a security breach that could pose a system risk to the entire grid.
Related: Commercial EV Charging Station Installation
What Are the Security Risks of EV Charging Stations?
The most alarming threat to EV charging stations is a network takeover. A DDoS attack, or distributed denial-of-service, could put tens of thousands of chargers offline, with broad economic and safety impacts. Other security risks posed by compromised EV chargers include:
Identify theft via payment systems
Purposeful damage to the charger or drivers using the charger
Mass outages caused by compromised chargers
EV Standards and Protocols for Security
EV charging companies, EV manufacturers and industry regulators are constantly working to establish and enforce security protocols designed to mitigate security risk. Organizations like the Open Charge Alliance (OCA) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are working with industry leaders to prioritize compatibility, security and standards from sub-suppliers to utility companies.
EV Charging Security: Who’s Liable?
For businesses looking to install EV chargers, know that cybersecurity threats in EV charging stations are almost always the liability of the manufacturer. As long as property owners make a real effort to protect the EV station from physical damage, there are little to no issues with security.
The Long Road Ahead
The US faces a persistent shortage of EV chargers as it races to increase the number of electric cars and trucks on the road. Private property owners can make a strategic investment to welcome EV drivers and invest in their sustainability commitments. Ready to get started? Contact Keen Technical Solutions today to learn more!