The 8th ISO 15118 Testing Symposium will be a communication controller-testing event in Shanghai, China.

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It's that time again. Twice a year, e-mobility giants and industry cohorts come together with one purpose: to make sure their electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations conform to the ISO 15118 standard, guaranteeing a future-proof, secure, and user-convenient way of charging EVs.

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The international ISO 15118 & CCS Testing Symposium, also known as the Interoperability & Conformance Testing Event for the Combined Charging System, will take place this April 19th and 20th in Shanghai, China.

The organization committee of the Testing Symposium invites companies working in the area of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), and charging infrastructure to participate in this event. The overarching goal is to strengthen cross-vendor interoperability - leading to the reliable, user-friendly products that speed up global adoption of this important industry. 

Shanghai's Neusoft Reach Automotive Technology will host this 8th edition of the testing symposia that will be a communication controller-testing event only, meaning: no real cars or charging stations will be shipped to Shanghai. Instead, what will be tested are the Electronic Control Units (ECUs) embedded in EVs and charging stations that manage the charging and communication session according to ISO 15118. There will be no power flow.

The feedback gained from these testing events is extremely valuable to further refine the respective ECUs and software, aimed at standard-conformity, maximum interoperability between the testing devices and, ultimately, user trust in the e-mobility industry at large.  

Which communication protocols will be featured?

This testing symposium will focus on testing communication controllers in accordance with 

• the first edition of ISO 15118-2 (high-level communication controlling the charging session),
• ISO 15118-3 (low-level communication establishing the communication link),
• the SAE (US Society of Automotive Engineers) versions of ISO 15118, namely SAE J2847/2, SAE J2931/1, and SAE J2931/4, as well as
• DIN SPEC 70121 (see ISO 15118 vs DIN SPEC).

Major automakers including Audi, BMW, Porsche and VW will employ the first edition of ISO 15118 in their EVs shipping in 2019 and 2020, so you can expect to see advanced implementations at this upcoming event. The German-based Daimler is one of the founding fathers of ISO 15118 and currently employs this standard in its smart electric drive vehicles, which use Innogy SE's ISO 15118-compatible charging stations. Innogy SE continues to be the pioneer out of worldwide charging station vendors but other manufacturers are gaining momentum.  

The ISO/IEC 15118 Joint Working Group will meet prior to the testing event to continue working on the second edition of ISO 151118. Their three-day meeting will take place from April 16th to April 18th.  The second edition is expected to be released as an international standard in 2019. It will include a variety of new features, such as bi-directional power transfer for Vehicle-to-Grid applications, wireless charging and wireless communication, and charging buses via pantographs.

Why should you attend? 

The bi-annual Testing Symposia are international hands-on events held in Asia, Europe and America - rotating each time. The two-day event brings together companies and technology experts from the smart charging community to conduct conformance and interoperability tests for electric vehicles and charging infrastructures.
In any industry, interoperability between different product solutions is key for user acceptance and economies of scale. With ISO 15118, individual use cases have been defined to cover the various technical requirements for charging the full range of electric vehicles in a global and diverse market. The challenge is to guarantee interoperability despite these different use cases and requirements. The more of us that attend these symposia, the more likely we can alleviate this concern altogether.
The individuals and companies that participate in the Testing Symposia benefit from presentations on the most current information in the field and through networking with international smart-charging communication experts. 

What do these events look like?

If you want a sneak peek at past events, join the free RISE V2G Basics course. RISE V2G is the open-source implementation of ISO 15118 and has evolved as a highly appreciated solution by companies and research institutions worldwide. Video 1 of this free, four-part course includes video footage from the 6th Testing Symposium in Versailles, France, which took place in June last year. This was the biggest testing event so far, with numerous EVs and charging stations tested on site.

How to participate 

Visit www.testing-symposium.net to find more information on the upcoming testing event, such as the invitation letter.
Registration closes on Friday, the 16th of March. You can register as a participant bringing your own testing devices, or as an observer to gain an overview of the current development and attend networking events.

See you in Shanghai!

I highly recommend that you aim to attend at least one of these important bi-annual industry events. They offer a unique opportunity for EV and charging station manufacturers and suppliers to test their ISO 15118 implementations for cross-vendor interoperability. If we strive to create products that work together, the end result is a more streamlined, efficient, and user-friendly industry that can grow and meet consumer demands much more quickly. I'll see you there!