278 Int. J. Grid and Utility Computing, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2020 Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Preferential charging for government authorised emergency electric vehicles Raziq Yaqub* Department of EECS, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama, USA Email: raziq.yaqub@aamu.edu *Corresponding author Fahd Ali Shifa and Muhammad Fasih Uddin Butt Department of Electrical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad Campus, Pakistan Email: fahd.shifa@comsats.edu.pk Email: fasih@comsats.edu.pk Abstract: The proliferation of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is exponential. However, the power grid is not able to provide simultaneous charging of several EVs due to limited power production capabilities and old distribution infrastructure. Scheduled charging is one of the most advocated solutions. However, it is not viable for emergency vehicles. This paper proposes to provide priority charging service for government authorised emergency EVs. For enablement of this proposal, a complete solution that includes architecture, as well as the protocols suite is suggested. To realise such a service, the paper suggests a major functional entity called a Priority Charging Server, i.e. a database server where authorised emergency EVs’ IDs are registered, and their record is maintained. The paper also proposes modifications in the IEC15118 and IEC 61850 protocol suites. These protocols provide communication between vehicle and grid. The solution also inculcates roaming as well as non-roaming scenarios, i.e. a priority charging request may be originated by an authorised emergency EV from a Home Utility Network, as well as Visiting Utility Network. The paper is concluded with a MATLAB-based proof-of-concept simulation. Keywords: EV charging; priority charging; EC15118; IEC 61850; simulation. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Yaqub, R., Shifa, F.A. and Butt, M.F.U. (2020) ‘Preferential charging for government authorised emergency electrical vehicles’, Int. J. Grid and Utility Computing, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp.278–289. Biographical notes: Raziq Yaqub is an Associate Professor in AAMU, Normal, USA. He earned his PhD from Tokyo, Japan, and an MBA from New Jersey (NJ), USA. He filed 50 patents and received “Inventor of the Year Award” and got inducted in NJ Inventors Hall of Fame. He also received an award of “Excellence in Scholarship and Research” from the President, AAMU, an award of “Innovator Young Faculty” from the Dean, AAMU, and an award of “Outstanding Educator” from IEEE. He remained an Executive Director of Toshiba America Research, Department head of NIKSUN Training, NJ to lead Cybersecurity, and Director of Global R&D, Tecvox, Huntsville, AL. Fahd Ali Shifa is a Lecturer in Department of Electrical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad. He has done Masters in Electrical (Power) Engineering from COMSATS University Islamabad and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila. He has supervised multiple student projects in the fields of smart metering, smart grids and hybrid power systems. His fields of interest include hybrid power systems, electric vehicles and integration of renewable energies in conventional power grid. At present, he is searching for international PhD opportunities in the mentioned fields of interest. Muhammad Fasih Uddin Butt (S’08–M’10) received BE degree from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan in 1999. He received his ME degree from Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering, UET Taxila, Pakistan, with specialisation in Digital Communication/Computer Networks in 2003 and his PhD degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK