We joined together at Lincoln Electric in Cleveland, Ohio, for an exciting Testival and Conference at the beginning of Summer 2024. From June 11 to 14, 2024, we immersed ourselves in the world of e-mobility charging and cutting-edge testing.
We discovered the latest developments in e-mobility and interoperability while testing a variety of vehicles, charging stations, and communication controllers. We networked with stakeholders from across the e-mobility value chain, forging valuable connections in person.
Event Info
Date:
06/11/2024 – 06/14/2024
Location:
Cleveland, OH, USA
Recap of the Combined Conference and Testival
From June 11 to 14, 2024, the combined Conference and Testival provided a platform for experts to exchange innovative ideas while participating in conformance and interoperability testing. The event featured electric vehicles, charging stations, electronic test systems, and communication controllers.
Participants had the opportunity to connect with CharIN members and gain insights from industry speakers. These experts shared strategies for addressing the region’s most challenging issues related to the development and effective implementation of smart charging solutions.
Thanks to our sponsors!
The CharIN NORTH AMERICA Conference
The 7th CharIN NORTH AMERICA Conference on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Lincoln Electric in Cleveland, OH, provided the latest information from industry leaders on trends, challenges, and opportunities for the North American e-mobility industry.
Conference topics included the latest developments in interoperability, reliability, cybersecurity, standardization activities (e.g., SAE J3400), communications (e.g., ISO 15118), vehicle-grid integration, federal and state policy activities, and more.
The CharIN Testival NORTH AMERICA
We are grateful to the over 300 testers and observers who registered for the Testival. The event took place at Lincoln Electric in Cleveland, Ohio and involved around thirty testing companies actively engaged in testing 18 charging stations (EVSEs), 15 passenger cars, 3 heavy commercial vehicles, and 6 test systems.
For the first time, this Testival included a variety of "Side Events" conducted by our technical partners, including Sven Gröning from Keysight Technologies and Ryan Hillman from Lincoln Electric. Topics such as V2G PHI, backend integration, and multi V2G PKI testing for Plug&Charge were expertly explained by Amit Bhonsle from Hubject – our trusted partner for all things Plug&Charge.
In addition, participants were offered a factory tour at Lincoln Electric, providing deep insights into their operations.
The enthusiasm and dedication at this Testival underscore its significance as a key event in advancing technology and infrastructure for electric vehicles. We are excited to continue this journey of innovation and collaboration in future events!
Additional features at Testival 2024
CharIN has extended the scope of the Testival with an additional testing option. Together with our technology partner Hubject, we offer the possibility to perform Plug & Charge end-to-end testing.
What does this mean?
In addition to the Plug & Charge Conformance Testing as part of the standard Testival ticket, you can test the interoperability of Plug & Charge under real conditions. Hubject provides a CPO backend, an eMSP service and a Plug & Charge ecosystem. The CPO Backend and the eMSP Service are connected to the Plug & Charge Ecosystem and participating EVSEs can connect to the CPO Backend via OCPP.
At the upcoming CharIN Testival, for the regular round-robin testing the provision of an Online V2G PKI for PnC vis a CPMS for End2End testing use will be used. This testing option will feature a CPMS Backend, eMSP service, and Plug & Charge ecosystem, where EVSEs can connect to the CPMS Backend via the OCPP standard. Participants are required to complete the onboarding process for both EVSEs and EVs.
Additionally, an exciting new feature, Multi V2G PKI Testing, allows for testing multiple V2G PKIs at a dedicated location, requiring prior EV onboarding. The testing will be conducted at a dedicated test location where separate EVSEs or Test Systems with different V2G PKIs are prepared. Participants are required to complete the onboarding process for EVs, ensuring smooth testing procedures. The testers will receive the opportunity to sign up during the technical registration.
Explore the Cleveland facility on 06/12/2024, equipped with state-of-the-art testing areas and equipment to support EVSE manufacturers’ testing needs.
Step inside the CSA´s cutting-edge testing laboratory, for an exclusive and close-up look at how EV chargers and batteries are rigorously tested. This is your opportunity to gain a better understanding of the applicable standards, specifications, and best practices that guide our testing processes.
Follow the link to the registration page for more information!
CharIN, in collaboration with ChargeX Consortium, is proud to support the charging industry by developing and providing a standard set of interoperability test cases. As part of the upcoming CharIN Testival NORTH AMERICA, a select subset of these testing cases will be implemented. Participants have the exclusive opportunity to engage in prescribed testing sessions, with incentives to those who choose to take part.
Prescribed testing sessions, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, offer targeted opportunities for Plug & Charge evaluation, with each session allocating 30 minutes for prescribed testing and an additional 60 minutes for ad-hoc testing (standard Testival testing). Moderated by ChargeX national lab engineers, these sessions ensure efficient handling of results data, with benefits including cash rebates, uniform testing approaches, and opportunities to influence testing processes for future advancements in charging technology.
On Wednesday, June 12 from 9:00 am-10:00 am, the North America Charging Interoperability (NACI) Task Force will be hosting an open meeting in the Lincoln Electric Auditorium.
Come hear a guest presentation from the ChargeX Hardware Taskforce on Existing Reliability Activities and Future Work, and obtain updates about the latest Task Force activities related to the standardization of SAE J3400.
You do not need to be a CharIN NACI Task Force member to attend.
On Wednesday, June 12 from 10:00 am-5:00 pm, the ChargeX and SAE-ITC teams will be staffing an exhibitor booth to discuss future testing activities to support the development of the J3400, J3400/1, and UL 2252.
The ChargeX team has completed a failure modes and effects analysis and identified several recommendations to these standards to support long-term reliability and adapter safety. Participants will be able to review the teardown work completed for existing adapters on the market and understand how the recommendations were developed. This activity will allow for feedback and discussion of the planned ChargeX evaluations to improve this work and ensure that the CharIN, SAE-ITC, and ChargeX activities are in alignment with the most critical activities to promote a safe, robust, and reliable evolution of the charging ecosystem.
Please stop by the ChargeX & SAE-ITC booth to provide your perspectives and information that will help support these activities.
Come join QualityLogic on Wednesday, June 12 at 11am after the Testival kick-off in the exhibitor area of the Grand Tent to see a demonstration of the recently introduced CCS Charging Session Analyzer.
This is a new class of tool designed to automate the analysis of charging session PCAP files to identify the root cause of failures and collect other important charging session data such as timings of charging session stages. It complements existing interop test tools and improves the efficiency by a factor of 10-30X. This hardware agnostic analyzer fills a critical gap in today’s tool set for reducing CCS charging interoperability issues.
Join JOET on Wednesday, June 12 from 1:45-2:00 PM at the ChargeX exhibitor booth under the Grand Tent to see a demonstration of a basic end-to-end smart charging software stack. Smart Charging, as part of ISO 15118-2 and OCPP 2.0.1, is required by NEVI as of Feb. 28, 2024.
JOET is implementing the OCPP 2.0.1 smart charging functional group in the open-source EVerest project. The demo will start with Appenzell – a standalone tool that can accept a set of OCPP charging schedules and output a composite schedule, both as JSON and as an hourly csv grid. The charging profiles will then be sent to a CSMS, which will push them to the station. When a simulated EV plugs in, either through AC or DC, it will receive a ChargeParameterDiscoveryResponse with the appropriate Pmax SASchedule.
After the demo concludes, JOET staff will be available to answer questions about the demo, Smart Charging or EVerest.
Join ChargeX Consortium members on Wednesday, June 12 from 3:00 pm-3:15 pm at the BTC Power testing area #25, along with Electrify America and Ford Motor Company, to demonstrate seamless retry - an automated resolution process for errors that can be resolved by manual unplug and re-plug to successfully charge.
This is accomplished through an automated retry mechanism that activates upon encountering errors during the EV charging Process and eliminates the need for the customer to unplug and re-plug.
In addition to the demonstration, a technical best practice draft document is available for review. To receive a copy, contact Ed Watt at Edward.watt@nrel.gov.
Join ChargeX Consortium members on Wednesday, June 12 from 3:15 pm-3:30 pm at the ChargeX exhibitor booth under the Grand Tent for a demonstration on the Remote Test Harness (RTH) - a new innovative technology that allows for remote charge discovery to occur between an EV and EVSE in different locations.
The goal of this technology is not to replace conventional testing equipment, but rather to act as an additional tool for testers. Developed in the Testing Task Force, the RTH has undergone an architecture design review, network testing, and is now a proof of concept build ready for showcase.
Testing Companies
EV
Test System
EVSE
Host: Lincoln Electric
With over 12,000 employees, 71 factories and $4.2 Billion in revenue, The Lincoln Electric Company is the world’s largest welding, joining and welding automation company in the world.
Started in 1895 by John and James Lincoln, Lincoln Electric has forged its reputation for performance in mission critical applications by going above and beyond the minimum specifications and focusing on building solutions that exceed customer expectations. In its main 1.7 mm square foot facility in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric produces over 100,000 electric power sources (welders) starting at the PC Board level.
Address
Lincoln Electric Welding Technology & Training Center
22800 St Clair Ave., Euclid, OH 44117 (United States)