Standardization In The EV Charging Industry: How Pionix, The EVerest Community & CCV Benefit From Working Together

The electric vehicle (EV) charging industry is evolving rapidly, but challenges persist, particularly in the realm of standardization. As EV charging infrastructure continues to grow, integrators often adopt disparate solutions, leading to compatibility issues and the need for expensive software development.

In this blog post, we delve into the current state of the EV charging industry, explore the need for standardization, and highlight the synergy between Pionix, Linux Foundation Energy (LFE) project EVerest and CCV, and how all can benefit from each other to make integrator’s life easier.

The Patchwork of EV Charging Infrastructure

Currently, EV charging infrastructure is powered by various patchwork solutions, with different manufacturers focusing on specific aspects of charging standards. This lack of standardization results in companies investing substantial resources to fix incompatibilities between electric vehicles and chargers. There’s no question: EV charging works, but there's a consensus that improvements are not only desirable but necessary for the industry's sustained growth.

The Call for Standardization

Addressing the challenges of the EV charging industry requires a shift towards standardization. Already with the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) the European Union planned to have a simple and standardized payment at EV charging stations in whole Europe, which must accept the most common debit and credit cards. More information about AFIR here.

What also seems to be crucial is a uniform software basis that guarantees interoperability among different players in the EV charging ecosystem. This is precisely where LFE project EVerest, initiated by Pionix, comes into play. EVerest is an open-source software and firmware stack designed for EV charging stations. It is highly customizable for various business cases, from Home Charger, Public Charging, DC Fast Chargers, and supports a wide range of use cases, such as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) and Plug & Charge. This is because EVerest supports all relevant industry standards, including OCPP 1.6/2.0.1, ISO 15118-2/20, IEC-61851, ChaDeMO, GB/T, ChaoJi (coming in 2024), ensuring comprehensive compatibility.

The project, since 2021 part of the Linux Foundation Energy, has become one of the most active and rapidly evolving initiatives, thanks to a growing community of software developers, EV OEMs, EVSE businesses, academics, research institutes, and government agencies. It enables the EV industry to overcome one of their typical challenges: struggling with EVSE software integration.

Benefit from the Power of Together

Offering all players in the EV charging industry the possibility to use a shared and common software basis makes it possible to solve the biggest challenges in EV charging station development: ensuring compatibility and interoperability with existing and upcoming EV models, standards, and communication protocols. Regardless if you're a charger manufacturer, a Charge Point Operator, or another player in the EV ecosystem: EVerest is a full stack charging station software you can not only rely on, but you can customize to any of your use cases.

Introduction of EVerest

EVerest is an open source software & firmware stack for EV chargers. It’s customizable for any business case (e.g. Home Charger, Public Charging, DC Fast Chargers including features such as Vehicle-to-Everything V2X, Plug & Charge, …). EVerest supports all relevant industry standards, such as OCPP 1.6/2.0.1, ISO 15118-2/20, IEC-61851, ChaDeMO*, GB/T*, ChaoJi* (* coming in 2024). EVerest is able to manage the communication between different players in the EV charging ecosystem:

• EV/Car
• Local energy generation & batteries Adjacent chargers (WIP)
• Grid
• Cloud backends, e.g, payment providers

The EVerest project was initiated by Pionix. The project is now part of Linux Foundation Energy and today one of the most active ones. EVerest is rapidly evolving, thanks to its growing community of software developers, academics, EV OEMs, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) businesses.

Pionix offers a commercial version of EVerest, called BaseCamp. It’s based on EVerest and adds constant testing, regular updates and ease-of-use. BaseCamp enables the EV industry to overcome one of their typical challenges: struggling with EVSE software integration.

Why Pionix and EVerest are a powerful duo

Pionix and EVerest make what is typically one of the most difficult parts of developing an EV charging station a low risk item. to ensure compatibility with EV models (already on the road, new models hitting the street), standards and communication protocols. No matter if you’re a charger manufacturer, Charge Point Operator, or another player in the EV ecosystem: With BaseCamp (based on EVerest), you’re all set with a standardized, hardware agnostic software stack. BaseCamp is the perfect solution for a reliable and future-proof EV charger.

Motivations and Goals: Pionix & CCV

The collaboration between Pionix and CCV is driven by a shared belief in the benefits of open-source standards. By joining forces, these entities aim to avoid reinventing the wheel in EV charging and related functions, recognizing that doing so is a waste of resources and talent. Their commitment to open-source fosters efficiency, collaboration, and outcomes beneficial to all stakeholders involved. EVerest will come with out-of-the-box support for CCV's payment terminal protocol meaning no extra integration efforts will be needed. This opens new opportunities for the participating parties as well as the entire market. It not only simplifies the integrator's life, but also the end customer experience when charging their EV. All in all, it is beneficial for everyone involved in the chain and makes a positive contribution to a more sustainable future.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Pionix, the EVerest community, and CCV represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges faced by the EV charging industry. By offering a standardized and interoperable software foundation, they contribute to the efficiency, collaboration, and future-proofing of the entire EV ecosystem. The payment terminal from CCV doesn’t need a separate integration. As the industry continues to evolve, this innovation is guiding the way towards a more sustainable and seamlessly integrated future for electric vehicle charging.

About CCV

CCV is an international payment solutions provider that services over 600,000 businesses with end-to-end payment solutions in Europe. Our extensive portfolio includes a processing and settlement platform, online and closed-loop payments, acquiring services, and a wide range of in-store and unattended payment terminals. CCV’s focused partnership strategy, as well as direct SME offerings, enabled us to take leading positions in all home markets: the Netherlands (HQ), Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. Our success is based on innovation and a long-term customer-focused commitment via partnerships and SME businesses.