Manipulation of Actual Demand in Electric Vehicles (MaD EV): A Cyber-Security Perspective

In recent years, the penetration of Electric Vehicles (EV) has increased owing to the advancement in battery technology and the need for cleaner transportation. This trend is transforming EVs into an integral part of our power grid ecosystem, where they can act both as a provider and consumer of energy. However, the cybersecurity risks of large fleets of EVs within our power grids remain under-explored. This paper defines and analyses a specific cybersecurity risk for EVs, which we refer to as Manipulation of Actual Demand. This attack involves coordinated charging of a large number of EVs across multiple charging stations to disrupt the power grid. We provide a detailed analysis and quantification of the impact of this unique cyber-attack on the power grid in terms of demand-side load. The findings of our analysis guide future considerations on cybersecurity risks of coordinated EV charging and their mitigation.