New standards for EVs connected to the home
Two new standards for the home charging of electric vehicles (EVs), including the bi-directional process which enables EVs not only to receive energy, but also to feed it back to homes or the electricity grid, have been published by a joint ISO/IEC committee.
The two new standards, ISO/IEC 14543-4-303 and ISO/IEC 14543-4-304, are part of the ISO/IEC 14543 home electronic system (HES) architecture series. This suite of standards enables lighting, heating, home appliances like washing machines or ovens, home entertainment equipment, as well as different forms of security control and energy and water management devices to work together as part of a controlled network.
The first standard specifies an application-layer communication protocol for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) - the chargers and controllers that deliver energy to EVs. The standard ensures that charging equipment from different manufacturers communicates seamlessly. "By enabling true interoperability, the standard reduces integration costs, and ensures a more reliable experience for users worldwide," describes Matthias Fritsche, Chair of the joint ISO/IEC technical committee.
The second standard extends the communication framework to cover bi-directional charging. This Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capability transforms every EV into a mobile energy asset. "As smart grids evolve and distributed energy resources become mainstream, this standard provides the common language that makes it all work together," Fritsche adds.
The Convenor of the group which developed the standards, Dr Kenneth Wacks, explains how the standards fit in with the HES series: "The ISO/IEC 14543-3-303 and ISO/IEC 14543-3-304 standards extend the specifications for EV charging and discharging management to communicate via home networks. Inside the HES series, we have developed a series of standards for energy management. These include specifications for managing energy sources and consumption including EVs in homes and buildings," he says.
"Home charging often requires interoperability with HES to access other devices within the home network. Therefore, these standards were developed to improve interoperability between EV chargers and dischargers, and HES controllers in residential environments," he adds.
Cooperation with other technical committees
The IEC has several technical committees producing standards for EVs and distributed energy systems, including IEC TC 69, which specifies energy transfer systems for EVs comprising industrial trucks. These include conductive energy transfer, wireless energy transfer and battery swapping.
According to Kenneth Wacks, the TC was widely consulted during the drafting of the new standards. "Although these standards specify extensions to the architecture of home networks, they are also highly relevant for EV charging. Therefore, during the voting and circulation process, many comments related to and from TC 69 were received. In response to those comments, these standards show the technical relationship with the TC 69 IEC 63380 series, which specify the interfaces for connecting charging stations to local energy management systems. The IEC 63380 series refer to ISO/IEC 14543-4-3. The standard is a normative reference in IEC 63380-3 (communications protocol) and is cited in the bibliography of IEC 63380-2 (data mapping)."
According to Matthias Fritsche, the standards are an important step forward for connectivity and interoperability as we move towards an increasingly decentralized energy system. "Modern energy systems are shifting from centralized generation to dynamic, distributed grids - where homes, buildings, and vehicles interact intelligently, as specified in ISO/IEC 15067-3. Automated energy management at the grid edge is key to balancing supply and demand sustainably. Standardized protocols like those specified in both new standards are the connective tissue that makes this vision a reality. Without common standards, the risk of fragmented markets, incompatible hardware, and stranded investments is real. Thanks to these standards, manufacturers, utilities, grid operators, and consumers can collaborate within a shared framework – accelerating deployment, lowering barriers, and scaling impact globally."