DEKRA tests interoperability for charging infrastructure in the world’s most comprehensive testlab
In the Dutch city of Arnhem, DEKRA has established the world’s most comprehensive lab for the testing of charging infrastructure for electrical vehicles. But how exactly is interoperability between electrical vehicles and charging stations tested in the lab?
The electrification of vehicles is a strong global trend. An ever-wider variety of electric cars and charging stations are becoming a common sight in towns and cities around the world. Interoperability – the correct communication between vehicle, charging station and back office – is an increasingly important challenge to ensure the safe, seamless and secure charging of electric vehicles (EVs).
Most comprehensive test lab
Manufacturers of electric vehicles and charging stations use different types of communication standards. Since August 2021, the DEKRA lab has been able to test according to the most important standards, such as CharIN (CCS), EV Ready, CHAdeMO, OCPP and ISO 15118. In addition, because DEKRA can also test regulatory aspects such safety, security, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and robustness of charging stations, the lab can conduct tests across the full breadth of electrical vehicle supply equipment.
Simulator
The charging aspects of electric vehicles are tested in a special section of the Arnhem test lab. Here, charging stations are tested using an EV simulator comprising smart hardware and software. As a result, the test set-up can be programmed to simulate any behavior of the charger or EV, including error conditions. The equipment allows tests to be conducted with charge currents of up to 600A with liquid-cooled charge cables. These roles can also be reversed in the lab, so that a real electric vehicle can be tested in conjunction with a simulated charging station.
Extreme weather conditions
The testing in the lab is extremely thorough. DEKRA’s test engineers assess over 180 aspects of the communication between the charging station and electrical car. For example, they conduct tests at different power levels and charging speeds, and in a controlled area they test whether the charging stations can withstand extreme weather conditions. The whole process takes a week on average.
CharIN test standard
A charging station from ABB is the first to be tested in the DEKRA lab against the CharIN requirements. Both ABB and DEKRA are CharIN members and they have been working together with other CharIN members to develop a test standard for EV charging equipment. DEKRA will publish a test report at the end of the process and, providing it meets all the requirements, the charging station then can be CharIN certified.
If you would like to know more about DEKRA’s testing capabilities for EV charging infrastructure, please get in touch!