CharIN Testival NORTH AMERICA 2024 – California

CharIN has extended the scope of the Testival with an additional testing option. Together with our technology partner Hubject, we offered 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 could test the interoperability of Plug & Charge under real conditions. Hubject provided a CPO backend, an eMSP service and a Plug & Charge ecosystem. The CPO Backend and the eMSP Service were connected to the Plug & Charge Ecosystem and participating EVSEs could connect to the CPO Backend via OCPP.

At CharIN Testival, for the regular round-robin testing the provision of an Online V2G PKI for PnC via a CPMS for End2End testing was provided. This testing option featured a CPMS Backend, eMSP service, and Plug & Charge ecosystem, where EVSEs could connect to the CPMS Backend via the OCPP standard. Participants were required to complete the onboarding process for both EVSEs and EVs.

Additionally, an exciting new feature, Multi V2G PKI Testing, allowed for testing multiple V2G PKIs at a dedicated location, requiring prior EV onboarding. The testing was conducted at a dedicated test location where separate EVSEs or Test Systems with different V2G PKIs were prepared. Participants were required to complete the onboarding process for EVs, ensuring smooth testing procedures. The testers received the opportunity to sign up during the technical registration.

As part of the CharIN Testival, IoTecha showcased the latest version of its ISO/IEC 15118-20 protocol analyzer, The Original Sniffer™, in a live demonstration. This non-invasive tool is designed for real-time, low-level analysis of EV charging communications, providing valuable insights into complex communication issues. The demonstration highlighted The Original Sniffer™'s ability to detect and resolve communication issues, providing comprehensive diagnostics across all protocol layers. Attendees saw firsthand how The Original Sniffer™ can offer valuable insights into EV/EVSE communications, from identifying signal interference to tracing low-level signals.

Following the demo, participants had the opportunity to reserve dedicated, hands-on sessions with IoTecha’s engineers. These sessions allowed participants to further explore The Original Sniffer™'s features and work through specific communication issues in real-time. IoTecha’s engineers were there to assist with troubleshooting and ensure participants got the most out of the tool.

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 CharIN Testival NORTH AMERICA, a select subset of these testing cases were implemented. Participants had the exclusive opportunity to engage in prescribed testing sessions, with incentives to those who chose to take part.

Prescribed testing sessions, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, offered 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 ensured 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.

CharIN has long advocated for the use of a complementary, native charging connector that matches the EV charge port and has previously prohibited the use of adapters as part of CharIN Testivals. However, CharIN recognizes the use of adapters will increase until the time that SDO certified, SAE J3400 compliant charging connectors are widely installed for public use in North America. Given the need for critical testing of the SAE J3400 standard, CharIN has amended its position on the use of adapters at Testivals and allowed the following compliant adapters discussed in CharIN’s statement in November 2023. These include adapters that comply with UL 2252, EV OEM approved adapters, EVSE OEM approved adapters, and CPO approved adapters. Compliance will be requested during the technical registration process.