Smart charging communication is a focus of innolectric’s product development. This is developed entirely in-house by the team and is integrated into numerous customer applications. Like the entire product portfolio, the software is also continuously developed. In this way, we ensure that the innolectric On-Board Charger as well as the DC Charging Controller always comply with the current standards on the international market.

A condition for standard-compliant charging is smooth charging communication between the vehicle and the charging station. For a regular comparison with real-life conditions, the innolectric team regularly conducts field tests at public charging points in cooperation with Stadtwerke Bochum. In this way, it is possible to test the interoperability between the vehicle and the charging pole and to robustly prepare the firmware for different deployment scenarios. In regular field tests, the interoperability of our products is tested according to the DIN 70121 standard. As part of these tests, the products are also already being prepared for the new ISO 15118-20.

The ISO 15118 standard defines the communication interface between vehicle and charging station. Published in 2022, ISO 15118-20 is a partial document of the ISO 15118 standard and defines a new generation of high-level communication protocol for electric vehicles and charging stations. It covers both AC and DC charging as well as Plug & Charge and further standardises the charging process. In this way, charging will be much more convenient in the future and the load on the power grid can also be contained in this way, for example through bidirectional charging.

Thanks to the cooperation between innolectric and Stadtwerke Bochum, the software and testing team is able to test all charging scenarios and the necessary charging communication with its mobile test stand, which was specially developed for these field tests, and to check the standard-compliant behaviour.

The innolectric portfolio sets the benchmark on the international market in many aspects. Intelligent, standard-compliant charging communication is integrated into our components right from the start and represents a core element of development. Thanks to regular field tests under real charging conditions, innolectric products are optimally prepared for existing and upcoming charging standards.