Mario De’Cristofano is a Head of IT for an EV company in the West Midlands called Petalite, is also a Digital consultant for several organisations in the Midlands & runs a delivery podcast called the Delivery Manager Daily about Agile & programme management. Having previously worked in management consultancy across the UK, Europe & the US for brands such as UK Gov, National Highways, the Home Retail Group, & Roku, helping software delivery teams do what they do faster better & smarter. Mario’s been responsible for leading & delivering UK Public sector digital services, scaling development teams & now focuses on helping organisations deliver & execute their IT & Software strategies.
We’ve known for a whilst that despite the media & press coverage to often say otherwise, EV’s are generally a good thing They are an important & must-be alternative to the internal combustion engine & are fast becoming the centrepiece of a much more efficient energy system all round. I work for an EV scale up that’s innovating in the EV charging solution & energy management space, but there’s heaps of great innovation happening all across the globe. My interest is the infrastructure that will support all of this, in particular the Cloud.
For me, EV doesn’t just mean being about meeting zero emission or carbon reduction targets, it’s about the revolutionary way we’ll end up storing energy, how operators will power energy grids & people like me will be building infrastructure to support the technology & leveraging tools like AI to optimise EV adoption, power delivery & transport systems.
Battery Technology: The Future of Power
Fast progress in battery technology is arguably the most critical enabler of the EV revolution at this time. There is of course in every electric vehicle a battery that determines its range, charging speed, and overall capability. Over the past decade, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have made EVs viable by delivering high energy densities and improving range while lowering costs. However, the future promises even more dramatic advancements. Large batteries need a better technology than (Li-ion) & there’s companies all over working on both battery tech & charging & power management innovation. It’s really exciting.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): A Two-Way Energy Revolution
One of the most interesting & in my opinion game-changing innovations in the EV space is Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, which allows electric vehicles to not only draw power from the grid but also return it when it’s needed like a giant battery on wheels. V2G technology turns them into mobile energy assets that can help balance the power grid. This is really important as currently its very difficult for energy companies to plan & deliver the power requirement needed if everyone were to adopt an EV tomorrow.
When an EV is plugged in, it doesn’t just passively consume energy. V2G technology allows it to communicate back with the grid and discharge power back into the system during periods of high demand to which a consumer could be paid for.
For example, imagine millions of EVs charging overnight when demand is low, and then discharging some of that stored energy back into the grid during peak times the next day. This two-way energy flow can help stabilize the grid, reducing the need for expensive and polluting backup power plants.
So with V2G, there’s potentially some significant financial benefits to EV owners. Through V2G programs I’m sure we’ll see pop up from all the major energy providers, drivers could be paid for the energy their vehicles return to the grid, turning their EVs into income-generating assets. As renewable energy sources like wind and solar grow, the ability to store and redistribute energy becomes even more critical, and V2G is the perfect solution.
Decentralized Energy and Grid Stability
The increase of V2G innovation marks the beginning of a decentralized energy system where consumers can also become producers. This shift could lead to much more resilient energy networks, reducing the risk of blackouts and improving energy security. This is vital to help bring in mass adoption for EV & the infrastructure needed. In regions with high renewable energy penetration, like the UK, this flexibility is crucial. Solar and wind power are inherently intermittent, and V2G allows stored energy to be deployed when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing.
Cloud Infrastructure: The Invisible Backbone of the EV Revolution
V2G technology and the management of millions of electric vehicles on the road demands far more than just smart batteries and charging systems—it requires a robust, scalable cloud infrastructure. The cars in effect become nodes on a network, just like any other device on any other network. Cloud computing will be the invisible backbone that connects EVs, charging stations, and energy grids, enabling the flow of data and power across these systems in real time. There’s a cost associated to this though, & an exponential rise of data centre needs over the next 10 years. This is something cloud vendors are thinking about right now. Whether it’s a looming crisis is yet to be seen.
Managing Real-Time Data & Where To Store It.
As the number of EVs grows, so does the complexity of managing charging, energy flows, and grid stability. Cloud platforms will be essential for handling the real-time data generated by millions of EVs. Think about every time a car charges, discharges, or communicates with the grid, data is collected and analysed to ensure the system functions optimally. This requires massive computing power, super low-latency communication, and high levels of security. There are official communication standards, like OCPP 2.0 & rather excitingly, the team I’m involved with are one of the few who work to this standard by default. But it’s still a huge technical problem as each manufacturer will try & have it’s own proprietary solution which isn’t ideal for consumers.
Smart Charging and Predictive Analytics
Cloud-based platforms will also enable smart charging, which adjusts charging times based on grid demand, energy prices, and renewable energy availability. Think about it, an EV could automatically charge when renewable energy is plentiful and cheap, and avoid charging during peak demand hours when energy is more expensive or know when to sell it back to the grid using V2G for the benefit of the consumer.
Cloud systems can also be used for predictive maintenance. By analysing data from EV batteries and charging stations, cloud platforms can predict when maintenance is needed before a failure occurs, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency, exactly what the team I’m working with is working on. This is particularly important for fleet operators and public transportation systems that rely on EVs to minimize operational disruptions.
How AI will Optimize EV and Energy Systems
AI will be the core that brings all of these technologies together, enabling them to operate in harmony at scale. The insights will be useful for both charge point operators, consumers but also the energy companies themselves as they consider new charging facilities, understand how many charge points are needed, the power they will consume etc.
The incredible amount of data that will be generated by the various batteries, the EV’s themselves, various V2G system interfaces & the grid itself is mammoth & far beyond what a human will ever be able to handle.
AI will be crucial in automating and optimizing these processes.
Optimizing Energy Flow with AI
AI can be used to predict energy demand and supply, helping to balance the grid in real-time. We see simulation tools already available, & cloud vendors do great things with things like carbon calculators anyway to help plan machine workload, so it’ll be similar for the data for EV charging.
I anticipate we’ll have machine learning algorithms which can analyze historical data, weather patterns, and real-time conditions to optimize when and where EVs should charge or discharge, providing this data to both charge point operators, (to help meet predicted demand for example). This means that rather than relying on static charging schedules, the system can dynamically adjust to the needs of the grid and drivers. This last bit is important as this predictive analysis allows energy companies to meet the demand flexibly & efficiently.
I was at the MOVE2024 conference & I was listening to companies like NVIDIA & BAIDU talk about their fleet management technology & implementing it for things like automated Robotaxi’s, using AI to analyse usage patterns, driver behaviour & things like that to help plan more efficient routes & ease the burden on traffic systems in areas like LA. It was super insightful but the mammoth amount of data being collected & subsequently needing to be stored is eye-watering.
Conclusion: We’ll need to meet the infrastructural scale challenge.
As EV adoption grows, scaling up the supporting infrastructure—both physical and digital—will be one of the most significant challenges.
The role of cloud infrastructure cannot be understated—it’s the digital backbone that will enable smart charging, predictive maintenance, and real-time optimization of energy flows. And with AI playing a central role, we’ll see unprecedented levels of efficiency and automation across the entire EV ecosystem.