IN Brief:
- Versinetic has expanded its ISO 15118 offering as charger manufacturers prepare for new interoperability and smart charging requirements.
- The Charging Blox platform combines controller hardware, communication stacks, and integration tools for Plug and Charge, TLS security, and V2G readiness.
- EU deadlines in 2026 and 2027 are pushing ISO 15118 from optional capability into core charger design.
Versinetic has strengthened its ISO 15118 electric vehicle charging offer as manufacturers prepare for new UK and EU interoperability requirements and the shift toward more intelligent charging infrastructure.
The company’s modular Charging Blox platform combines communication stacks, controller hardware, and integration tools designed to simplify ISO 15118 deployment. The standard builds on the legacy IEC 61851 electrical signalling layer by adding secure, IP-based communication between the vehicle and charger.
ISO 15118 supports Plug and Charge authentication, encrypted communication, contract-based authorisation, and bidirectional charging capability. It is becoming central to charger design because the charging process now has to manage identity, security, tariff data, flexibility, and energy system interaction alongside power transfer.
Versinetic’s platform includes hardware and software modules that allow manufacturers to integrate automatic vehicle authentication without RFID cards or mobile applications, Transport Layer Security for sensitive vehicle and contract data, ISO 15118-20 support for vehicle-to-grid readiness, and advanced AC charging functions for workplace and residential infrastructure.
In the EU, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation is pushing ISO 15118 into public charging infrastructure requirements. EN ISO 15118-2 support applies to new public AC charging points from January 2026, while EN ISO 15118-20 support is expected to become mandatory for new and refurbished public and private Mode 3 AC and Mode 4 DC charge points from January 2027.
The UK does not place ISO 15118 into domestic regulation in the same way, but manufacturers selling into both UK and EU markets are having to design around the European standards timetable. Charge point operators are also increasingly specifying ISO 15118-ready equipment as a baseline for future-proofed infrastructure.
For charger manufacturers, the transition reaches beyond firmware. Many AC chargers were designed around lower-cost microcontrollers and relatively simple communication requirements, while ISO 15118-20 can require more capable processors, power line communication hardware, certificate handling, security architecture, and bidirectional energy control. Products that were originally specified around basic charging functions may need redesign work, retesting, and recertification.
EV charging infrastructure is also moving into a more grid-connected role. Plug and Charge simplifies authentication and payment, while the same communication architecture supports managed charging, roaming, smart tariffs, and future vehicle-to-grid operation. As EV numbers rise, chargers will increasingly need to interact with local network capacity, building energy management systems, flexibility markets, and site-level storage.
High-capacity charging projects are already being designed around that system view. ABB E-mobility’s megawatt charging architecture places storage, power conversion, and power sharing into a site-level design for high-capacity charging, while UK Power Networks’ Future Fleet project is modelling where electric HGV charging demand may emerge and how local networks could respond.
Software and communications standards now sit close to the physical grid challenge. A charging site can no longer be specified only by connector type and maximum power. It has to be assessed through authentication, cybersecurity, load management, grid connection capacity, electrical protection, resilience, interoperability, and future flexibility value.
Vehicle-to-grid readiness remains an emerging market, but standards work must be in place before large-scale commercial deployment can develop. ISO 15118-20 provides a technical basis for bidirectional power transfer, allowing vehicles to support buildings, depots, local networks, and wider grid services where regulation, tariffs, metering, and commercial models allow. Not every charger will immediately provide V2G, although ISO 15118 support reduces the risk of hardware becoming obsolete before the business case matures.
Versinetic’s Charging Blox approach is intended to reduce integration complexity for charger manufacturers facing that transition. Modular controller hardware, communication software, and power line communication support can shorten development cycles, while certification, cybersecurity, electrical safety, thermal performance, grid code requirements, and product lifecycle support remain part of the full engineering workload.
The next phase of EV charging infrastructure will be defined by interoperability as much as rollout volume. Charging networks that cannot authenticate securely, exchange data reliably, or support managed operation will be under growing pressure as standards, fleet requirements, and grid constraints tighten.
More information is available through Versinetic’s ISO 15118 software stack page.
