What is ISO 15118?

ISO 15118 is the standard for communication between an electric vehicle and a charger. It enables Plug & Charge, where the car identifies itself and charging starts without an app or card, and it is the basis for bidirectional charging.

The standard has several parts: ISO 15118-2 defines the messages used for Plug & Charge in today’s vehicles, and ISO 15118-20 adds bidirectional power transfer for vehicle-to-grid, along with stronger security. The charger passes the vehicle’s identity and certificates on to the management system over OCPP.