Richard Scholer, Chair, SAE Hybrid Vehicle Communications Task Force Committee

San Ramon, CA, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- January 31, 2011 - The ZigBee Alliance and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) have entered into a collaboration on the development of ZigBee Smart Energy to support plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) and enable vehicle to grid (V2G) communication and power capabilities.

Using ZigBee Smart Energy to define how PEVs and the grid interact, whether at the consumer’s home or at a remote location, will be one of the goals the two groups address. Ultimately, this initiative will provide future PEV drivers with the real time information needed to control their transportation energy use, manage their charging costs and receive utility incentives for participating in PEV programs. It also provides the essential control functions necessary to safely manage the charging of PEVs while maintaining grid integrity.

“Adding ZigBee Smart Energy to PEVs will give automakers and utilities a common language to manage the charging, storage and use of energy in PEVs,” said Richard Scholer, chair of the SAE Hybrid Vehicle Communications Task Force Committee. “SAE’s formidable task is to help coordinate the urgent efforts of many different companies, industries and disciplines. It realizes the faster standards appear, the sooner electric powered vehicles can gain consumer acceptance as a new and reliable mode of transportation."

Work between the groups is already underway with completion targeted for this year when ZigBee Smart Energy version 2.0 is scheduled for completion.

“With an estimated 40 million smart meters integrated with ZigBee Smart Energy in homes, SAE’s involvement will give consumers an effective way to manage their PEV energy needs,” said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. “With SAE and ZigBee working together to create the needed standardized infrastructure, millions of consumers will be able to take advantage of rechargeable vehicles, speeding their adoption and allowing everyone to benefit.”

SAE International is a global association of engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries and is acting as the focal point for integrating automobile communication with emerging energy management requirements.