VOLTS, North America's Largest Interoperability Testing Event for EV Charging took place in Long Beach, California organized by CharIN

On May 09, 2023, more than 354 global attendees joined the VOLTS Conference, which featured 34 top experts on a wide range of interoperability and reliability topics focused on ISO 15118, including features like Plug & Charge, V2X, cybersecurity, and other features enabled by the ISO communication standard. Discussions on key challenges to public charging were also discussed, such as workforce development, electric utility interconnection, and success metrics for public charging infrastructure investments. 

The Testing Symposium from May 10-11, 2023, provided the ideal platform for over 400 attendees to observe industry experts actively testing ISO 15118 and its features through a series of public demonstrations. Compliance with this standard is crucial for the seamless and secure charging of EVs. Testers had the opportunity to address equipment issues, and test different ISO 15118 implementations, including features such as Plug & Charge and smart charging. For the first time ever, results of this testing will be publicly-available in the coming months. There were 4 school busses, 4 trucks, 13 electric cars, 18 charging stations, and 7 test systems, which resulted in 182 testing slots.

The on-site demonstrations showcased at VOLTS included many solutions, such as robotic charging, V2X (e.g., Vehicle-to-Home, Vehicle-to-Grid), Plug & Charge, and advanced equipment, including automated vehicles, which are all required to have a fully functioning EV ecosystem.