Certifying battery usage for V2G and second life with a blockchain-based framework

Abstract

This paper describes a blockchain-based approach for sharing data among all the actors involved in Vehicle-to-Grid programs. The shared information is used both for monitoring the health status of the vehicle’s battery and for remuneration in Vehicle-to-Grid programs. A blockchain platform and a set of appropriate smart contracts have been developed for supporting the interactions among the different actors and for creating battery usage profiles. To protect sensitive data, we limit the visibility scope of such data only to subsets of actors using blockchain channels. This approach preserves the privacy of the car owner on one hand and guarantees the compliance to correct charging and discharging modes, on the other hand, by using dedicated smart contracts to manage data for each of the channels. The approach here described proposes and develops a blockchain-based ecosystem for efficiently managing electric vehicles especially when these are called to provide electrical grid services, such as it happens for Vehicle-to-Grid programs. In this case, it is indeed possible that the battery undergoes an accelerated aging and thus certified recording of charging data for legal liability is one of the issues here dealt with. When possible, data are collected from multiple sources (e.g. the charging station and the Electric Vehicle) and from different parties with conflicting interests for validating data and breaking data silos that are within the car, the charging stations and the Battery Management System.