Plug&Charge

The first AC charging station with a Bender charger controller has received the Plug&Charge certification. The Bender charger controller, model CC613, is now officially certified, allowing manufacturers to equip both new and existing charging stations with Plug&Charge functionality. Customers benefit from regular software updates that make the Plug&Charge feature available on nearly all Bender charger controller models.

What are the benefits?

We simplify the certification process for you. The most important aspect for charging station manufacturers is that Bender provides pre-certified hardware and documentation, reducing the manufacturer's effort to a minimum.

Plug&Charge is defined in ISO 15118 and enables the automatic authentication of an electric vehicle (EV) at a charging station. This allows for fully automated charging processes. Thanks to automatic authentication technology between the electric vehicle and the charging station, drivers can simply plug in and charge without the need for an app or RFID card. The entire charging process, from authentication to initiation to billing, is handled automatically.

How does Plug&Charge work for the user?

  1. Communication between the EV and the charging station begins as soon as the plug is connected.
  2. The EV’s charging contract is identified and matched with its e-mobility service provider, completing the authentication process.
  3. Charging begins within seconds.
  4. The cost of charging is automatically calculated, and an invoice is sent to all relevant parties.

 

How is Plug&Charge integrated into the AC charging station?

If your product uses a controller listed as compatible, the most important step is already completed. In general, all charger controllers are pre-certified if they include the hardware option for Power Line Communication (PLC) and support the OCPP protocol. Most of our devices have met this requirement since 2015. It is crucial that your charging station uses or can use the latest firmware version >5.33.x.

The certification by Hubject applies to the specific charging station model. A certificate is then issued for this model, proving certification to operators.

For the audit itself, Bender provides a pre-filled compliance report. The availability of this document, along with the pre-certification of the controllers, accelerates the certification process for a charging station based on the Bender controller. This significantly reduces the effort required by Hubject and the charging station manufacturer.

For your own tests, we recommend using a Plug&Charge-capable vehicle (e.g., a Volkswagen ID series with software version 3.2 or later) and a suitable backend (e.g., Gridware from Grid&Co.).

 

Process for the Charging Station Manufacturer

Contract
Sign a contract with Hubject for the charging station to be certified.

Certification fee payment
Bender enables a significant reduction in the certification effort and, as a result, a low registration fee. These are to be paid to Hubject

Compliance test
Simplified compliance test or audit with Hubject (using a pre-filled compliance report provided by Bender).

Certification
The certification information is automatically communicated to the operator(s).

Do you have any question?

Tel.: +49 6401 - 807-707 / E-Mail: emobility@bender.de

Contact form