The Electric Vehicle Intelligent InfraStructure (ELVIIS) project is a consortium comprising Volvo Car Corporation, utility company Göteborg Energi and Swedish IT research body the Viktoria Institute.

Working together, the companies have developed a system whereby charging times can be pre-set using a smartphone or the in-car screen and managed remotely to reduce bills and avoid overloading the grid. The car can identify which charging point it is using via GPS, and reports problems back to the driver’s mobile.

To make billing simpler, all energy usage is reported back to the owner’s utility bill, regardless of which outlet is being used.

Lennart Stegland, vice president electric propulsion systems at Volvo Car Corporation said: ‘Our basic view is that the owner of an electric vehicle shouldn't have to sacrifice any of the properties he or she expects from a luxury car.

‘This smart technology for charging in any outlet, and paying automatically via your own electricity bill, is an excellent example of how we do everything to make the daily use easier for the customer.’