(By Kevin McGovern for AdobeStock)
Key Points
A multi-institutional research team led by Ravikumar Gelli, associate professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, has demonstrated an electric vehicle charging station design that can charge a car in about 10 minutes while also stabilizing the power grid and defending against cyberattacks.
The study, published in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, used a real-time hardware-in-the-loop testbed at Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems to test extreme fast charging stations delivering up to 300 kilowatts per vehicle.
The research addresses one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption, charging speed, while strengthening the broader EV charging infrastructure against grid instability and cyber threats.
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers advance EV charging infrastructure that’s fast, grid-friendly and resistant to cyberattacks
Today’s fastest commercial chargers can add significant range in about 15 minutes under ideal conditions. A full charge in 10 minutes, closer to the time it takes to fill a gas tank, has remained a harder engineering problem: doing it at scale, across an entire EV charging network, without destabilizing the electric grid or opening the door to cyberattacks.
A research team has now shown it’s possible to do all three at once.
What makes this electric vehicle charging station different?
A multi-institutional team led by Ravikumar Gelli, associate professor at Florida State University in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS), developed a charging framework that combines extreme fast charging with grid-support controls and cybersecurity protections. Gelli worked with Ankit Yadav, a postdoctoral researcher at Tennessee Technological University, and Arif Hussain, an assistant professor at Louisiana Tech University.
The team’s extreme fast charging stations (XFCs) can deliver up to 300 kilowatts per vehicle, cutting charging time to about 10 minutes. Their findings were published in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
“As millions of electric vehicles connect to the electric grid, charging infrastructure must become intelligent, resilient and cyber-secure,” Gelli said. “Our research demonstrates that future charging stations can simultaneously deliver 10-minute charging, actively support grid stability, and remain resilient against sophisticated cyberattacks. That combination is essential for building the next generation of clean transportation infrastructure.”
Why does fast charging strain the power grid?
When several extreme fast chargers operate simultaneously, as they would in a busy EV charging network, they can draw multiple megawatts of power, straining local distribution systems. That surge can cause voltage instability and create openings for cybersecurity threats.
The researchers built their framework to address both problems together, integrating fast charging, grid-support services and cyber resilience rather than treating them as separate engineering challenges.
How did researchers test this EV charging infrastructure safely?
To study these scenarios without risking real infrastructure, the team built a large-scale testbed using electromagnetic transient (EMT) hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) technology. The approach connects real charging equipment to a computer simulation of the power grid, allowing researchers to observe how the system responds to faults or cyberattacks under controlled conditions.
Their setup included a simulated Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 123-bus distribution feeder, multiple extreme fast charging stations and electric vehicles, run on real-time HIL research facilities at CAPS.
“Developing high-fidelity digital twins lets us evaluate new technologies before they are used and deployed in the field,” Gelli said. “With real-time HIL simulation, we can test new control strategies, study cybersecurity risks and speed up the adoption of next-generation charging technologies by utilities and manufacturers.”
How do these charging stations support the power grid?
The team developed Volt-VAR and Volt-Watt control strategies to stabilize grid voltage when many fast chargers operate at once. These controls adjust voltage and power output to help prevent problems such as voltage drops.
The charging stations are also bidirectional: They can charge vehicles and send power back to the grid during periods of peak demand, allowing them to respond to changing grid conditions in real time.
“Our research shows how smart Volt-VAR and Volt-Watt controls, tested on a real-time hardware-in-the-loop test bed, can make extreme fast EV charging stations more resilient against cyberattacks and keep the grid operating reliably and stably,” Hussain said. “This work contributes to the development of a more secure and robust electric transportation infrastructure.”
Why does the EV charging network need cybersecurity protection?
The researchers built customized Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) cyberattack models to test how a malicious actor could manipulate charging commands and disrupt grid operations. They then showed that intelligent control strategies and safeguards could significantly increase the resilience of these systems against such attacks.
“Future charging stations are becoming part of our nation’s critical infrastructure,” Gelli said. “They must be designed to remain reliable, intelligent and secure, even under tough conditions and advanced cyber threats.”
Yadav said the findings shift how charging stations should be understood. “Extreme fast charging should not come at the expense of grid reliability,” he said. “Our work demonstrates that charging stations can deliver rapid charging, actively support grid voltage and remain resilient against cyberattacks, transforming them from large electrical loads into intelligent energy resources.”
“The charging station of the future should do more than recharge vehicles,” Yadav added. “It should also strengthen the reliability, resilience and security of the electric grid while advancing clean transportation.”
When could this reach real EV charging stations?
Gelli said the digital twin model was built specifically to speed up that transition.
“With this setup, we can test how our solutions perform in real-world scenarios, validate new control algorithms and safely examine cybersecurity threats before they are deployed,” he said. “This approach lowers development risks and helps utilities and charging manufacturers adopt new charging technologies more quickly.”
He also pointed to a broader shift in how electric vehicles could function within the grid.
“Electric vehicles shouldn’t just be seen as passive electrical loads,” Gelli said. “They can become smart energy resources that help stabilize the grid, improve resilience and support cleaner, more reliable energy infrastructure. Our work is an important step toward this vision.”
Gelli estimated a realistic path to market. “If charging station vendors work with us, our control algorithms could be put in place in as little as six months to a year,” he said. “It depends on how quickly they can integrate our solutions to speed up charging and protect against cyberattacks.”
Why does this research matter?
Faster, more secure charging infrastructure touches transportation, energy policy and the job market alike. Broader adoption of extreme fast charging could make electric vehicles more practical for drivers who rely on quick refueling, particularly on long trips. A more resilient EV charging network also means fewer outages and more predictable energy costs as demand grows. And as utilities and manufacturers build out this infrastructure, the work is likely to create engineering, cybersecurity and energy-management roles tied to the technology.
“The charging station of tomorrow is no longer simply an energy dispenser,” Gelli said. “It is becoming an intelligent cyber-physical energy resource that can actively support the power grid while remaining resilient against sophisticated cyber threats.”
What is the GridAI Lab, and who funded the research?
The study is part of broader research at Florida State University’s GridAI Lab, where researchers develop artificial intelligence and cyber-physical security technologies for power grids and critical infrastructure. The lab combines expertise in power systems, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and real-time simulation.
The work also draws on the Center for Advanced Power Systems, whose real-time HIL facilities enable researchers to evaluate next-generation energy technologies before deployment in the field.
The research began while several team members were at Iowa State University and has continued at Florida State University. It was supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, through grants supporting cybersecurity research for critical energy infrastructure, including cyber-physical anomaly detection in electric vehicle charging stations.
Editor’s Note: This article was edited with a custom prompt for Claude Sonnet 5, an AI assistant created by Anthropic. The AI optimized the article for SEO/GEO discoverability, improved clarity, structure and readability while preserving the original reporting and factual content. All information and viewpoints remain those of the author and publication. This article was edited and fact-checked by college staff before being published. This disclosure is part of our commitment to transparency in our editorial process. Last edited: 09/07/2026.
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FAQ
Extreme fast charging refers to electric vehicle charging stations capable of delivering very high power, in this study up to 300 kilowatts per vehicle, to cut charging time to roughly 10 minutes instead of the 30 minutes to an hour typical of many current fast chargers.
The research was led by Ravikumar Gelli, associate professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and its Center for Advanced Power Systems, with Ankit Yadav of Tennessee Technological University and Arif Hussain of Louisiana Tech University. It was published in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
When multiple extreme fast chargers on an EV charging network operate at the same time, they can create a multi-megawatt demand on local power grids, which can cause voltage instability and create cybersecurity vulnerabilities if not managed carefully.
The team built a hardware-in-the-loop testbed at Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems, connecting real charging equipment to a computer simulation of a power grid. This let them safely test fault conditions and simulated cyberattacks that would be too risky to try on an actual grid.
Yes. The extreme fast charging stations in this study are bidirectional, meaning they can both charge vehicles and send power back to the grid during periods of high demand, helping to support grid stability.
Researcher Ravikumar Gelli estimated that if charging station vendors adopt the team’s control algorithms, they could be implemented in as little as six months to a year, depending on how quickly manufacturers integrate the solutions.