Review - HR 6546 Introduced – Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging

Earlier this month, Rep Lawrence (D,MI) introduced HR 6547, the Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Grant Program Act of 2022. The bill would require DOT to establish a grant program “for projects to construct, install, or improve existing wireless charging infrastructure and technology for electric vehicles.” The bill would authorize $50 million to support the new grant program.

Moving Forward

While Lawrence is not a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to which this bill was assigned for primary consideration, one of her nine cosponsors {Rep Castor (D,FL)} is a member. This means that there might be sufficient influence to see this bill considered in Committee. Three of the remaining cosponsors {Rep Titus (D,NV) and Rep Lynch (D,MA)} are members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure to which this bill was assigned for secondary consideration.

There are wage rate requirements and neutrality towards organized labor requirements in the bill that will draw nearly automatic opposition from Republicans. This bill would probably pass in Committee with party line votes, but it would not be able to pass if considered in the Full House under the suspension of the rules process due to the super majority requirement for passage. This bill is not important enough to take up the time of the House for consideration under regular order.

Commentary

There are no provisions in this bill requiring any sort of cybersecurity protections to be included in grant eligible projects. Any EV charging station is going to include cyber controls over the charging process, with communications required between the charging equipment and the vehicle being charged. Inadequate controls over the charging process could lead to damage of the vehicle up to and potentially including fire or explosion. Protecting those controls from cyber attacks should be part of the design basis for these systems. Wireless charging systems are going to be even more vulnerable to attack because the communications between the charging station and the vehicle will not be hard-wired.

Alternatively, there would also be a potential for theft of electricity from a wireless charging system if there were inadequate cybersecurity controls in place. See my recent post on Future ICS Security News for a look at how such theft might happen.

To ensure the consideration of cybersecurity controls, I would insert a new §7(a)(5):

“(5) focus on the cybersecurity of the charging control system and the secure wireless communications between the vehicles to be charged and the charging control system,”

For more information on the details of the bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-6546-introduced - subscription required.