{"id":7010,"date":"2020-08-14T12:43:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T10:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=7010"},"modified":"2020-08-14T12:45:02","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T10:45:02","slug":"electric-vehicle-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2020\/08\/14\/electric-vehicle-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The ISO standard for electric-vehicle \u201cPlug-and-Charge\u201d faces security concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ISO 15118-2 standard provided a Plug-and-Charge method for EVs, but aspects remain surrounding the convenience feature\u2019s security protocols.<\/em> (BMW) <\/span><\/p>\n

The dispute is about how digital security certificates are exchanged between automakers, chargepoint facilitators and mobility operators. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2010, a joint working group of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) started contemplating how the equipment used by two goliath industries, automotive and electric utilities, would \u201ctalk.\u201d The resulting standard was ISO 15118, entitled \u201cRoad Vehicles \u2013 Vehicle to Grid Communication Interface.\u201d It provides the protocols for secure communications that signal charging stations to send current to an electric vehicle (EV).<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2014, the so-called \u201cDash 2\u201d section of 15118 was released. ISO 15518-2 prescribed a method for automakers, charging-station manufacturers and charging network operators to offer the so-called Plug-and-Charge feature. The idea is for EV drivers to roll up to a charging station and strictly by plugging in have the vehicle automatically begin charging. At the same time, financial transactions to pay for the electricity seamlessly and securely occur in the cloud \u2013 no credit cards or RFID membership cards required.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tesla\u2019s closed and proprietary Supercharger network has offered this feature to its users since 2012. Plug-and-Charge, as outlined by ISO 15118, is designed for all players. Six years later, ISO 15118-2\u2019s Plug and Charge system has not yet been implemented by any automaker. Several companies \u2013 including Audi, Porsche and Ford \u2013 are expected to introduce Plug-and-Charge to EV customers in the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Like SSL for electric cars<\/strong><\/span>
\nSome industry players complain that aspects of ISO 15118-2\u2019s technologies \u2013 established in 2014 \u2013 need to be updated (for example, the standard\u2019s interchange format is EXI, a binary XML, instead of JSON). But the stumbling block is not the technology employed for communications between the EV and charger. That\u2019s primarily handled by the HomePlug Green PHY powerline communications device, which is integral to the Combined Charging System (CCS) used by most EVs and chargers today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dispute is about how security certificates are exchanged between entities, including automakers, chargepoint operators (CPOs) and so-called mobility operators (MOs). There are disagreements about the appropriate role for each business entity, which is mostly outside the scope of ISO 15118.<\/span><\/p>\n

The abridged version of standard\u2019s methodology is that secure transactions would be made using communications not identical but similar to client-server exchanges on the web employing Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). In this case, the client is the vehicle and the charging station is the server. The vehicle itself replaces the driver\u2019s use of an RFID card or mobile app. A few more details:<\/span><\/p>\n