Twenty energy companies have come together to establish an Alliance for an open energy network known as the Unified Energy Interface (UEI). This system, similar to UPI, is designed to enable seamless payment and transaction interoperability across EV charging networks. The Alliance counts companies such as ChargeZone, Pulse Energy, Kazam, Sheru, Trinity, and Turbo among its members. Additionally, leading public policy think tanks and research organizations specializing in energy, climate, and technology, including the Rocky Mountain Institute and World Resources Institute, have joined the consortium in an advisory role to propel the initiative forward.
Members like ChargeZone have already configured their chargers to be discovered and used via the UEI network, while tech enablers like Kazam and Pulse Energy have made it possible for their customers to discover, pay, and charge at any of their chargers through the UEI network
The UEI Alliance is committed to promoting global development, adoption, and adherence to unified standards for economic transactions related to energy between digital platforms. They aim to scale transaction volumes within the UEI network to improve efficiency and extend its reach. The Alliance strives to ensure the protocol remains relevant and flexible to adapt to market changes, overseeing technical evolution and governance. They also support a scalable model that eases the integration of new and existing participants, simplifying processes and broadening their impact.
Trinity is leading initiatives like the UEI to ensure seamless backend integration, which enhances convenience for EV drivers by removing the need for multiple access cards or accounts and spurs competition and innovation among charging operators.
Akhil Jayaprakash, CEO of Pulse Energy, mentioned that accelerating the global transition to EVs requires systems that are interoperable and can seamlessly interact.
Reji Pillai, CEO of the India Smart Grid Forum, highlighted their promotion of peer-to-peer trading of green electricity from rooftop solar PV systems. They have already completed three successful pilot projects on blockchain-based P2P trading of green energy in India. He pointed out that the key challenge in scaling up the P2P projects is the payment settlement mechanism among participants.
He added that the UEI would be instrumental in driving a green energy revolution in India, particularly with the rapid rollout of 10 million rooftop solar PV systems under the PM Suryoday Yojana, marking a significant shift in the power sector’s operational regime globally.
The UEI network, which operates on the Beckn protocol—a Made in India open-sourced protocol that supports various open networks—has been endorsed by the Department of Science and Technology in their latest e-Mobility White Paper.
The not-for-profit alliance aims to fund the working group and cover any minimal infrastructure costs at the network’s inception, with expenses shared equally among all alliance members. To date, the network has facilitated 1.4GWh of energy transactions and is expected to grow exponentially, with major B2C apps planning to join the UEI network in July
