The DOE has announced more than $7 million in funding for a Michigan-based cybersecurity company, Dream Team (DTLLC), to develop an infrastructure that protects the electric grid from cyber-attacks on EVs and EV charging systems. Once the electric roadway and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has been developed, it will be tested at the American Center for Mobility (ACM).

“The convergence of power and automotive and more broadly, power and IoT, will help us realize unprecedented new economic opportunities, but will also introduce new risks.  Dream Team is committed to developing and transitioning technology that improves the safety, security and reliability of the grid by changing the way that power is delivered, bought and sold,” said CEO Duncan Woodbury. “We are on a mission with the DOE, its leading national laboratories, industry and academia to democratize access to new energy markets and to de-risk investments and widespread adoption of renewable and sustainable energy systems.”

The technology will be applicable to both existing EV charging systems and new technologies such as in-motion or dynamic wireless EV charging. By developing approaches to protect these technologies while they are in their infancy, DTLLC intends to demonstrate how cyber-technology can be integrated with charging systems to protect the electric grid from attacks. 

“Cybersecurity is an integral part of the equation as we work toward developing the next generation of transportation here in Michigan,” said Mark A. Burton, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “Federal investments in our companies and testing facilities through critical grants like this from the DOE continue to position Michigan as a leader at the crossroads of mobility, technology and automotive R&D.”

The ACM will provide a test bed to demonstrate that cyber-systems are properly developed and implemented, to ensure systems are hardened from attacks, are able to detect attacks in real time, and can take mitigation actions to limit attacks on the distribution grid, the charging network and EVs.

Source: ACM