The role of IoT in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

access_time28.05.2025
by  Kostiantyn Nosachov
Electric Vehicle Charger

As electric mobility gains momentum, the demand for smarter and more efficient electric vehicle chargers continues to rise. Integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into charging systems enhances performance through real-time data, remote diagnostics, and energy optimization. This article explores the evolving role of IoT in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and its impact on the future of sustainable transportation.

The EU saw even higher adoption, with EVs making up over 21% of new car registrations.

Market Forecast:

  • The U.S. EV market is projected to reach 6.9 million units sold annually by 2030. Source: BloombergNEF
  • The EU EV charger market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31% between 2023 and 2030.
  • By 2030, over 50 million chargers will be needed across the EU and US combined to support the growing fleet of electric cars.

Governments across both regions have pledged to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035–2040, with major investments being directed into EV infrastructure. The Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. and the Green Deal in the EU both support this transition, not just with subsidies for cars but also with billions allocated to charging station deployment.

The Importance of Electric Vehicle Chargers Infrastructure

Electric vehicles are only as practical as the charging infrastructure supporting them. In major cities, public chargers are now as essential as fuel stations once were. Urban areas typically offer:

  • Level 1 chargers for overnight home charging.
  • Level 2 chargers in public garages, supermarkets, and workplaces.
  • DC fast chargers (Level 3) for quick top-ups along highways and urban centers.

The availability of accessible and well-maintained chargers directly impacts EV adoption rates. Cities with comprehensive infrastructure – like Amsterdam, Oslo, and Los Angeles – report higher satisfaction and usage rates among EV owners. Source

In rural and suburban areas, having reliable home chargers is crucial. Additionally, fleet operators and logistics companies need dependable charging systems to ensure uptime and avoid operational disruptions.

How Electric Vehicle Chargers Work

At a basic level, an electric vehicle charger is a device that transfers electricity from the grid to a vehicle’s battery. It involves:

  • Power input: Draws energy from the grid (AC or DC, depending on the charger type).
  • Power conversion: Uses inverters, rectifiers, and transformers to manage voltage and current.
  • Vehicle communication: Uses protocols like OCPP to negotiate the charging rate and authenticate the session.
  • User interface: Screen, RFID reader, or mobile app interaction.
  • Charging cable and connector: Connects to the EV’s inlet.

Smart chargers also include embedded processors, IoT modules, and cloud connectivity features that allow them to communicate with backend systems for management, monitoring, and updates.

 The Role of IoT in Smart Electric Vehicle Chargers

IoT transforms traditional chargers into smart infrastructure that can self-monitor, be remotely controlled, and interact with both users and grid systems.

Monitoring & Telemetry:

IoT-enabled electric vehicle chargers continuously track key metrics, such as:

  • Current (A) and Voltage (V) levels during charging
  • Power consumption (kWh) per session and over time
  • Temperature of internal components
  • Charging time, idle time, and session duration
  • Connector status (plugged in, removed, locked)
  • Device health (e.g., firmware version, internal errors, communication uptime)

Control and Configuration:

Operators and users can:

  • Remotely start/stop charging
  • Limit power output during grid peak hours
  • Schedule sessions to benefit from off-peak pricing
  • Lock or unlock chargers

These capabilities are accessible through mobile apps or dashboards, powered by real-time IoT data.

MQTT and Real-Time Communication:

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is widely used for lightweight, publish-subscribe communication between IoT devices and the cloud.

  • Devices (EV chargers) publish metrics to topics like ev/charger/001/status
  • Cloud systems or dashboards subscribe to these topics and react accordingly
  • MQTT enables low-latency, persistent sessions and QoS levels for guaranteed message delivery

AWS IoT Services:

AWS offers a complete suite for managing IoT-powered charging infrastructure:

Architecture Overview:

  1. Device publishes telemetry to ev/charger/zone1/123/telemetry
  2. AWS IoT Core processes the data through the IoT Core Engine.
  3. Data is saved to Timestream for analytics
  4. Rules Engine triggers alerts or updates dashboards
  5. OTA update job is pushed via IoT Device Management when a new firmware version is published

Fordewind.io – Building the Future of EV Charging

At Fordewind.io, we specialize in building secure, scalable IoT systems for modern EV charging infrastructure.

Our Capabilities:

  • Custom edge firmware with MQTT support
  • AWS integration with full-stack observability
  • Over-the-air update management across thousands of devices
  • Mobile and web apps for live monitoring and control
  • Multi-region deployment and device fleet management

Real-World Applications:

We’ve delivered systems that:

  • Monitor and control hundreds of chargers across cities
  • Detect faults and notify maintenance crews in real-time
  • Integrate with utility grid APIs to dynamically reduce power draw during peak hours
  • Enable car-sharing companies to view usage statistics and billing reports in real-time

Fordewind.io delivers from prototype to production with a secure, modular IoT architecture that adapts to your specific needs.

Conclusion

Electric vehicles are reshaping how we think about transportation, and they depend on smart, scalable charging infrastructure to thrive. IoT plays a foundational role in this ecosystem by enabling real-time monitoring, control, updates, and data-driven insights.

With advanced tools like MQTT, AWS IoT Core, and time-series databases, operators can manage large fleets of EV chargers with confidence and precision. Real-time access to performance, energy consumption, and operational health leads to faster diagnostics, better maintenance, and smarter user experiences.

With our proven expertise, Fordewind.io is ready to support businesses, cities, and innovators in building the future of sustainable transportation.

Let’s electrify the road ahead together.