OMRON and Ubiden Start Demonstration Experiment for Spread of EV Charging Service Contributing to the spread of EVs with an easy-to-retrofit EV charging service for individual installations

• June 26, 2023

OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan; President and CEO: Junta Tsujinaga; hereinafter, "OMRON") and Ubiden, Inc. (Head Office: Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan; CEO & Co-founder: Norio Yamaguchi; hereinafter, "Ubiden") started the demonstration experiment on June 1 at OMRON Corporation Okayama Office for an easy-to-retrofit EV charging and billing service for individual installations, which is being developed jointly by OMRON and Ubiden. In the demonstration experiment, we install EV charging outlets equipped with OMRON's EV charging smart plug module (hereinafter, "Module") and Ubiden's EV charging service "WeCharge"^*1 at OMRON Corporation Okayama Office to evaluate the performance of the Module under the actual environment and verify the service.

Demonstration experiment at OMRON Corporation Okayama Office

In recent years, the use of electric vehicles has been accelerating in order to achieve carbon neutrality, and this has led to the need for the widespread expansion of electric vehicle charging service infrastructure suitable for residences, companies, and commercial facilities. Since 2021, Ubiden has been providing "WeCharge", a charging service compatible with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), with the aim of　allowing you to freely use your preferred electricity, anywhere, anytime, unrestricted by location or the planet’s health.
OMRON and Ubiden are jointly developing a power supply service that can be introduced to each EV charging outlet with the aim of expanding the EV charging infrastructure for individual installations. This time, OMRON will develop a module that can be easily retrofitted to individual chargers and can measure electricity usage. By installing this module in the EV charging outlet and linking it with "WeCharge", a service that calculates the charging fee for each user can be realized from a single charger.
OMRON and Ubiden will contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by accelerating the spread of electric vehicles through the joint establishment of EV charging services for individual installations.

Details of demonstration experiment

• Module basic performance evaluation: Evaluation of communication performance, charging function, and power measurement function under the actual environment
• Module operation test: Environmental testing with EV charging outdoors (sunlight, rain, wind, temperature, humidity, etc.)
• System test: Connection linkage with "WeCharge" core system and operation check

Role of both companies

● OMRON:	Development of the EV charging smart plug module that can be installed inside an EV charging outlet. Power supply control at the start of EV charging, measurement of the amount of electric energy charged, and provision of measured electricity data to Ubiden's charging and billing system.
● Ubiden:	Verification of connection between the EV charging smart plug module and billing operation network service. Realization of billing service by calculating the electricity bill for each user based on the amount of electricity measured by OMRON's EV charging smart plug module.

[Image of how the service works]

Implementation period
From the 1st of June 2023 to the end of March 2024

*1: EV charging service "WeCharge": WeCharge is a registered trademark of Ubiden, Inc. Charging service compatible with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), with service availability beginning in 2021. This project will create the electricity grid where charging, which is essential for the spread of electric vehicles, can be done freely in response to the needs of various locations such as houses, condominiums, companies, and commercial facilities.
https://www.ubiden.com/services

*2: 1 to 3 bays: One bay is defined as one car space in the parking lot.

About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a leading automation company with its core competencies in Sensing & Control + Think technology, and is engaged in a wide range of businesses including industrial automation, healthcare, social systems, and device & module solutions. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. For more information, please visit https://www.omron.com/global/en/

About Ubiden, Inc.
Ubiden, Inc. is developing innovative services through energy and technology with the mission of “you must design the future of electricity”, aiming of　allowing you to freely use your preferred electricity, anywhere, anytime, unrestricted by location or the planet’s health. https://www.ubiden.com/en/home