Forging the future of bidirectional charging: Why industry collaboration is the key

Interoperability isn’t a nice-to-have

Let’s be honest: in today’s EV ecosystem, just getting a vehicle and charger to talk to each other isn’t guaranteed. Add in features like V2X, and the challenge gets even bigger. That’s where interoperability becomes essential.

CharIN has been working on this for years. Through our Conformance Testing Program and hands-on CharIN Testival events, we bring together OEMs, charging station manufacturers, test system vendors, and grid operators to test communication protocols, cybersecurity features, and charging behavior in real-world conditions.

Now that bidirectional charging is moving into CharIN’s advanced testing phase, we’re expanding our test cases to include AC and DC power return, energy management with buildings and grids, and secure energy transactions.

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Why CharIN Testival matter

Our global CharIN Testivals are not just technical meetups. They’re where real progress happens. These events let teams test structured use cases in practical settings, surfacing issues that often go unnoticed in lab environments.

As part of our work with Task 53, we’ll be hosting at least two dedicated Testivals focused on V2X testing. The insights from these events will help shape the next version of CharIN’s Advanced Conformance and Interoperability Specifications, making bidirectional charging a real, deployable solution.

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Laying the groundwork for certification

To ensure this technology can be trusted, we’re aligning tools across vendors, calibrating systems for consistency, and recognizing test labs that meet CharIN’s requirements. These steps are essential to building a repeatable certification process that gives confidence to manufacturers, regulators, and users alike.

The final phase involves sharing what we’ve learned. Our results will contribute to global standards discussions and help shape informed energy policies.

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Real progress takes real partnership

The energy transition isn’t just a technology project. It’s about coordination, trust, and shared commitment. CharIN and Task 53 are proving that when the right players come together to solve real-world problems, meaningful change is possible. Whether you’re working on EVs, power systems, testing tools, or policy - your input matters. Interoperability isn’t automatic. It’s something we have to design, test, and build together.

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