World Electric Vehicle Journal Vol.

8 - ISSN 2032-6653 - ©2016 WEVA Page WEVJ8-0557

EVS29 Symposium
Montréal, Québec, Canada, June 19 - 29, 2016

Developments and Challenges for EV Charging

Infrastructure Standardization
Van den Bossche Peter1 , Turcksin Tom1, Omar Noshin1, Van Mierlo Joeri1
1
Vrije Universiteit Brussel –MOBI, Belgium, pvdbos@vub.ac.be

Abstract
Although charging infrastructure standardization has come a long way and publicly accessible infras-
tructure has been deployed in several countries, the standardization process is still going on and several
issues remain open. This article aims to highlight current activities in the field on global and European
levelnl analyzing the described projects.

1 The current state of standardization

In urban traffic, due to their beneficial effect on environment, electric vehicles are an important factor
for improvement of traffic and more particularly for a healthier living environment. The successful
global deployment of the electric vehicle is dependent on the availability of international standards; on
a global level, standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure are prepared by IEC TC69, whileas
the accessories are dealt with by IEC SC23H. The standard’s third edition (IEC 61851-1) is nearing
publication, with the FDIS expected in the summer of 2016 [1]. This part states general requirements for
conductive charging and defines among others the ”charging modes”:
• Mode 1 charging, where the connection of the EV to the a.c. supply network (mains) makes use
of standard (non-dedicated) socket-outlets with currents up to 16A.
• Mode 2 charging, where the connection of the EV to the a.c. supply network (mains) makes use
of standard non-dedicated socket-outlets. It provides however additional protection by adding an
in-cable control box (ICCB).
• Mode 3 charging, involving the direct connection of the EV to the a.c. supply network utilizing
dedicated electric vehicle supply equipment. This may refer to both private or public charging
stations. The standard IEC61851-1 mandates control pilot protection, which has the following
functions mandated by the standard:
– verification that the vehicle is properly connected
– continuous verification of the protective earth conductor integrity
– energization and de-energization of the system
– selection of the charging rate (ampacity)
• Mode 4 charging, where the vehicle is indirectly connected to the a.c. supply network (mains)
utilizing an off-board charger. This pertains to d.c. charging stations, which are mostly used for
fast charging.
The standards for d.c. charging (IEC61851-23 [2] and -24 [3]) were published in 2014 and are
under maintenance.

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Wireless charging interface EV electrical aspects

IEC 61980 (TC69) (if not charging)
ISO 6469 (TC22 SC37)
Fixed installations Charging interface (when charging)
IEC 60364 (TC64) IEC 61851 (TC69) ISO 17409 (TC22 SC37)

Data transfer
ISO/IEC 15118 (JWG)

Connective
Assemblies Interfaces
IEC 62196
IEC 61439-7 (SC23h) Battery cells
(TC121B) IEC 62660 (TC21)
Battery assembly
ISO 12405 (TC22SC37)
Figure 1: EV standardization scene

Accessory standards have been published in the IEC 62196 series ([4, 5, 6]).
Work is also ongoing for wireless charging (IEC 61980 series) and for light electric vehicles (IEC 61851-
3 series). Most documents in this series will, in a first time, being published as Technical Specifications.
A TS is not a full-blown standard but can be published faster, allowing the availability of a published
document as reference pending the development of a final standard. Such procedure may be beneficial
to standardize evolving new technologies.
The standardization of the electric vehicle is a complex matter due to the electric vehicle uniting both
automotive and electrical technologies, the international standardization of which is treated by the inter-
national bodies IEC and ISO, respectively. Whereas automotive manufacturers are traditionally vertically
integrated and less dependent on external component suppliers and standards, the electrotechnical world
has a longer and stronger tradition of standardization, with the IEC being constituted in the first decade
of the twentieth century. Due to the different cultural approach to standardization in these two technolog-
ical realms, a consensus had to be established as to the division of the work, with vehicle-centric aspects
being dealt with by ISO on one hand and infrastructure-centric aspects and electrical components dealt
with by IEC on the other hand. The main responsible committees are TC69 on IEC side and TC22 SC37
on ISO side, several other committees are involved however on aspects such as batteries or accessories
making the standardization landscape a complex one as shown in Fig. 1.

2 A.C. charging
For conductive a.c. charging, the use of dedicated accessories according to IEC62196-2 for Mode 3
charging (according to IEC 61851-1) is now well established. American and Japanese vehicles come
with Type 1 inlets, whileas the Type 2 inlet is more common on European vehicles.
On the wall side, American charging points come with fixed cables (case ”C”), so no plugs or socket-
outlets are used. In Europe however, plugs and socket-outlets (case ”B”) are found. Case ”C” charging
points with attached cables are generally used only in private premises. High-rate fast a.c. charging
stations (43 kW) however are always case ”C” due to the heavy cables involved.
The Type 2 plug and socket-outlet is now in general use in Europe, being prescribed by the European
directive on alternative-fueled vehicles [7] . Type 3 accessories knew some development in France and
Italy, due to the presence of ”shutters”, required by local wiring regulations for the domestic environ-
ment. Following the European directive, Type 3 will be phased out. It is still widespread in France
though. Shutters are not strictly needed for Mode 3 charging, as the socket is always dead when no
vehicle is connected; where regulations enforce them, they can also be provided on Type 2 accessories.
The Type 1 connector allows single-phase charging up to 32A, corresponding to a power of 7 kw.

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The Type 2 accessories can be used for single-phase charging (3 to 7 kW) as well as three-phase charging;
with three-phase supply being widely available in European electricity distribution systems, this allows
easy semi-fast charging at 22 kW (3×32 A) or even fast charging (case ”C” only) at 43 kW (3×63 A).
For opportunity charging where no Mode 3 outlet is available, Mode 2 cables with in-cable control box
are used, these are mostly limited to 10 A as not to overload domestic socket-outlets which are not de-
signed to deliver their maximum rated current (16 A) for several hours[8]. The Mode 2 ICCB devices
are described in the international standard IEC62752 [9] developed by IEC SC23E.
On the supply side, IEC60364-7-722 [10] was published in 2015. This document gives particular re-
quirements for circuits intended to supply energy to electric vehicles, as well circuits intended for feeding
back electricity from electric vehicles into the supply network, the latter being still under consideration.
Wireless charging is not covered.

3 D.C. charging
For d.c. charging (generally fast), several systems co-exist, all making use of case ”C” connections. The
charging system is described in IEC 61851-23, with IEC 61851-24 dealing with specific communication
issues and IEC 62196-3 defining the accessories. There are three, mutually incompatible, systems de-
fined in these standards: the Japanese ”CHAdeMO” with a dedicated d.c. inlet, the European ”Combo”
with a combined inlet which also accepts Type 2 (or Type 1) connectors for a.c. charging, and a third
system used in China. This third system is not applicable in Europe.
The European directive [7] prescribes the adoption of ”Combo type 2” accessories for fast d.c. charging
in Europe. However, with large numbers of CHAdeMO-equipped vehicles in use, both systems will have
to co-exist. Considering also the use of Mode 3 a.c. fast charging (43kW) by some vehicles, public fast
charging stations in Europe are now being deployed as multi-mode devices with three outlets, adding
considerably to their cost.
A new development however is the use of Type 2 accessories for both a.c. and d.c., with pins commutable
for either a.c. or d.c. use (Fig.2). This allows a smaller vehicle inlet to be used. The system has been
supported by German car manufacturers and may be introduced as an amendment in future revisions of
IEC62196.

CP PP CP PP

L1 N + -

L2 L3 + -

Figure 2: Type 2 accessory (left) used for d.c. (right)

This system is now already in use however for Tesla vehicles on the European market. These are fitted
with a Type 2-sized inlet accepting a.c. charge from a standard Type 2 connector, allowing the vehicles to
access standard charging points Europe-wide. The same inlet is used however for d.c. charging at Tesla’s
proprietary ”supercharger”, with the a.c. pins are used (two in parallel) for d.c., at a rating exceeding the
standard rating for IEC62196-2 accessories. The inlet may in fact be 62196-sized, but it is higher rated
due to special non-standard construction. In the US, Teslas come with a propietary non-standard inlet.
There exists however some reserve towards the commutable pin concept, particularly from the electricity
sector. There is in fact fear for a fault condition which may occur when d.c. fault currents are injected in
the a.c. mains, where the a.c. circuit breakers are not able to deal with d.c. currents.
New developments in d.c. charging standardization also focus on automatic connection systems which
are particularly useful for heavy-duty vehicles such as buses. A new project, IEC61851-23-1, has been
started up to this effect in 2016.

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4 Light electric vehicles

Light electric vehicles such as two-wheelers may usually charge from standard domestic socket-outlets
(Mode 1), but they possess their own safety issues, taking for example into account the fact that many
chargers for electric bicycles are designed as domestic appliances for indoor use only. To this effect, new
standards for charging light electric vehicles are now being prepared in the IEC 61851-3 series, with the
corresponding accessories treated in IEC 62196-4. These documents will be firstly published as Techni-
cal Specification.
The main issue on what consists a ”light” electric vehicle, and thus which standard is applicable to its
charging, either 61851-1 or 61851-3, discussions are still ongoing concerning the exact scope of these
standards. Rather than considering the mass or the registration category of the vehicle proper, the division
is likely to focus on the electrical characteristics of the connection, with ”light” electric vehicles either
making use of reinforced insulation for protection against electric shock (Class II equipment) or using a
d.c. input voltage of less than 120V.

5 Wireless power transfer

Standards for wireless power transfer (”inductive charging”) are prepared in the IEC 61980 family. Part
1, giving general requirements (including safety) was published in 2015 [11], subsequent parts are still
under preparation. As the technology is still evolving and as not to stifle its development while having
relevant documents available in a short timespan, these documents will in a first phase be published as
Technical Specification (TS) which allows to expedite the process. Relevant parts include IEC61980-2,
dealing with specific requirements for communication between electric road vehicle and infrastructure
with respect to wireless power transfer systems, and IEC61980-3, giving specific requirements for the
magnetic field power transfer systems. The latter document defines among others the geometry of the
systems and is thus essential for interoperability.

6 EMC
A clear need was perceived to cover EMC issues for charging. The influence of the extended use of power
electronic converters as used in battery chargers will have to be closely followed up in order to avoid
potential problems regarding electromagnetic compatibility either in the form of radiated electromagnetic
waves or as conducted interference on the interconnecting cables, issues which are not covered by the
traditional ISO and CISPR standards for vehicle-related EMC, which focus on radiated emissions and
radio disturbances. EMC for charging will be covered by IEC61851-21-1 for on-board charging and by
IEC61851-21-2 for off-board charging, both of which are now under development.

7 Specific European issues

7.1 European standards
European standardization is dealt with by CEN and CENELEC, which represent the European pendant of
ISO and IEC. As such, these organisms are independent and are not part of the EU administration. Stan-
dardization for electric vehicle infrastructure is dealt with by technical committee CENELEC TC69X.
Taking into account the global market however, TC69X generally avoids to draft specific separate Euro-
pean standards on its own, preferring to expedite the adoption of published IEC standards as European
EN standards. This avoids double work which is inefficient and may lead to conflicting documents.
The adoption of an international standard as European standard involves the creation of a cover page
with normative references to corresponding European standards, and with specific country notes, if any.
For those standards referring to issues covered by European ”New Approach” directives (this is for ex-
ample the case for the 61851-1 facing the Low Voltage Directive [12]), the preparation of a so-called
Annex ”ZZ” shall be provided, stating the relationship between the standard and the essential (safety)
requirements defined in the directive. Conformity with the standard can thus imply presumtion of con-
formity with the directive. This ”New Approach” is now generally followed for most applications in the
European Union, with exception however of vehicle type approval which is dealt with by United Nations
(UNECE) regulations.

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7.2 Influence of EU policy on standardization

As the executive branch of the European Union, the European commission issues mandates to the Eu-
ropean standardization bodies CEN and CENELEC, who are responsible to publish relevant European
standards, to be referred to as harmonized standards in the EU directives. In this framework, mandates
have been issued on electric vehicle charging [13] and alternative fuels [14]. These mandates result in
the publication of relevant European standards (based on parallel international standards). CENELEC
will expedite the adoption of international standards (or TS, wherever appropriate) and develop specific
EN documents only where no corresponding international documents are in existence.

7.3 Specific distribution network issues

The typical European low-voltage distribution network is 3×400 V + N, giving a single phase + neutral
voltage of 230 V. However, 3×230 V networks are widely used in Belgium (particularly in urban areas)
and are also found in Norway and Italy. In such systems, single-phase supply is taken between two
phases (Fig. 3) [8].

L L1

230V
230V 230V
400V

230V 230V
400V
L2
L2
230V
400V

L3 L3

N
Figure 3: Distribution networks 3×400V (left) and 3×230V (right)

The a.c. charging outlets (Type 2) are provided for 3 × 400 V three phase, but are also deployed with
single-phase connection (L1 and N pins), particularly for private charging points, as domestic users often
have one phase available only. On a 3 × 230V connection, two phases will then be connected to the L1
and N pins. This configuration works fine with most electric vehicles, but some types of vehicles, being
designed for 3×400 V + N in countries where the 3×230V system is unknown, refuse to charge when
they do not perceive a neutral wire. This may force EV users having 3×230 V at home to purchase a
separation transformer, an unnecessary cost to be avoided. As these 3×230 V installations are perfectly
safe and conform to wiring regulations (all Belgian electrical installations have to comply to the AREI
regulation [15]), there is no reason for EVs not to charge on such systems.
For three-phase charging from a 3×230 V network however, a transformer will be necessary in any case.

8 Conclusions
The development of performant charging network has to keep pace with the growing deployment of
electric vehicles, as to maximize user convenience and flexibility and to do away with range anxiety.
Standard solutions have been developed on a global level and are backed by regulatory instruments such
as EU Directives. A number of issues still have to be resolved however to reach the ideal of global
standard solutions optimally covering user needs and fulfilling the highest safety requirements;
As with all standardization matters, charging standards incorporate the three main pillars of the house of
standardization: safety, compatibility and performance.
Worldwide, experts are working together to draft these standards, overcoming technical and cultural
differences in order to allow unified solutions, with a clear final objective: to allow every electric vehicle
to charge safely anywhere.
Standards are a key factor in allowing the deployment of electrically propelled vehicles on a global
level, and the example of the electric vehicle is an ideal showcase to highlight the technical and societal
relevance of standardization.

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STANDARDS

PERFORMANCE
COMPATIBLITY
SAFETY

Figure 4: The House of Standardization [16]

References
[1] IEC61851-1/CDV, Electric vehicle conductive charging system – Part 1: General requirements, No.
69/364/CDV, IEC TC69 WG4, 2015.
[2] IEC61851-23, Electric vehicle conductive charging system – Part 23: d.c. electric vehicle charging station,
1st Edition, IEC, 2014.
[3] IEC61851-24, Electric vehicle conductive charging system - digital/data communication of d.c. charging
control between off-board d.c. charger and electric vehicle, 1st Edition, IEC, 2014.
[4] IEC62196-1, Plugs, socket-outlet and vehicle couplers – conductive charging of electric vehicles — Part 1:
Charging of electric vehicles up to 250 A a.c. and 400 A d.c., 3rd Edition, IEC, 2014.
[5] IEC62196-2, Plugs, socket-outlet and vehicle couplers – conductive charging of electric vehicles — Part
2: Dimensional interchangeability requirements for pin and contact-tube accessories with rated operating
voltage up to 250V a.c. single phase and rated current up to 32A, 1st Edition, IEC, 2011.
[6] IEC62196-3, Plugs, socket-outlet and vehicle couplers – conductive charging of electric vehicles — Part
3: Dimensional interchangeability requirements for d.c. and a.c./d.c. pin and tube-type vehicle couplers, 1st
Edition, IEC, 2014.
[7] EU, Directive 2014/94/EU of the European parliament and of the council on the deployment of alternative
fuels infrastructure, Vol. 57, OJ L307, 2014-10-28, 2014.
[8] B. Rotthier, T. Van Maerhem, P. Blockx, P. Van den Bossche, J. Cappelle, Home charging of electric vehicles
in belgium, in: EVS-27, Barcelona, 2013.
[9] IEC62752, In-cable control and protection device for mode 2 charging of electric road vehicles (IC-CPD),
1st Edition, IEC, 2016.
[10] IEC60364-7-722, Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 7-722: Requirements for special installations or
locations - Supplies for electric vehicles, 1st Edition, IEC, 2015.
[11] IEC61980-1, ELECTRIC VEHICLE WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER (WPT) SYSTEMS - Part 1: General
requirements, 1st Edition, IEC, 2015.
[12] Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisa-
tion of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment
designed for use within certain voltage limits (recast)., OJ L 96, 29 March 2014, 2014.
[13] European commission, STANDARDISATION MANDATE M/468 TO CEN, CENELEC AND ETSI CON-
CERNING THE CHARGING OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES, 2010.

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[14] European commission, COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 12.3.2015 on a standardisation

request addressed to the European standardisation organisations, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No
1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, to draft European standards for alternative fuels
infrastructure, 2015.
[15] AREI, Algemeen Reglement op de Elektrische Installaties, Kluwer, 2015.
[16] P. Van den Bossche, Matching accessories: Standardization developments in electric vehicle infrastructure,
in: EVS-25, 2010.

Authors

Peter Van den Bossche, civil mechanical-electrotechnical engineer, promoted in Engineer-

ing Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel on the PhD thesis ”The Electric vehicle,
raising the standards”. He is currently lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Since
more than 15 years he is active in several international standardization committees, cur-
rently acting as Secretary of IEC TC69.

Tom Turcksin graduated as industrial engineer from the Erasmushogeschool Brussel and
as aeronautical engineer from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is currently active as
researcher within the Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s MOBI team, focusing on battery thermal
management and ageing.

Noshin Omar was born in Kurdistan, in 1982. He obtained the M.S. degree in Electronics
and Mechanics from Erasmus Hogeschool in Brussels. He is currently pursuing the PHD
degree in the department of Electrical Engineering and Energy Technology ETEC, at
the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. His research interests include applications of
supercapacitors and batteries in HEV’s.

Joeri van Mierlo promoted as PhD degree in electromechanical engineering from the Vrije
Universiteit Brussel in 2000. He is currently head lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brus-
sel, with his research devoted to the development of hybrid propulsion (converters, super-
caps, energy management, etc.) systems as well as to the environmental comparison of
vehicles with different kind of drive trains and fuels.

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