Applications / EV Testing
EV testing with controlled charging conditions
Use a controlled charging-station simulation to validate an electric vehicle (EV). Set the charging communication and electrical conditions supported by your test setup, repeat the test and compare the vehicle response with its requirements.
Test scenario: the charging station replies late
Illustrative test: let the simulated charging station delay a supported response. Check whether the vehicle waits, retries or stops as its requirements specify. The EVCC manages the charging conversation, the BMS supplies battery limits, and the OBC converts AC into DC for the battery. Their responses must agree with the measured electrical behaviour.
Choose the test setup
EV charging testing: response to a lower DC current limit
A controlled EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment, or charging station) simulation makes vehicle tests repeatable from controller integration to complete-vehicle release. Define the supported signal, protocol, power and fault conditions in the test setup. Public chargers and prototypes provide real interactions, but cannot hold every condition constant.
DC EV test example: vehicle reaction to a lower station current limit
| Test element | Defined condition or observation |
|---|---|
| DUT and simulated partner | A real vehicle is connected to a controlled EVSE simulation. The selected EVCA system, source and interfaces must support the DC protocol and operating point used. |
| Changed condition | The simulated charging station communicates a lower available current during charging. Keep the BMS limits and other controlled conditions constant for the comparison. |
| Expected EV reaction | Check that the EVCC charging request reflects the changed station limit together with the applicable BMS limits, within the response required for the chosen protocol and test case. |
| Evaluation | Correlate the announced EVSE limit, EVCC request, available vehicle-network signals and measured electrical response in comframe. Record the defined acceptance criteria, timing and observed result. |
This is a test objective, not a reported measurement result. Physical current-response testing requires the configured power path and released measurement functions. An EVCC communication bench checks messages and states; it does not establish the complete vehicle’s electrical response.
EVCC–BMS integration testing · EVCA Flex · Analysis layers and released scope
- 01Customer situation
Check how EVCC, BMS (battery management system), OBC and vehicle functions work together during charging.
- 02Usual alternative
Observe the vehicle at changing charging infrastructure and investigate the interaction with each charging partner.
- 03Missing evidence
Repeat defined boundary states and compare synchronised measurements across regression runs.
- 04Controlled method
Simulate the EVSE, set the power conditions and record the vehicle response on one timeline.
Choose the device under test
EV test scope: EVCC, integrated charging system or complete vehicle
Choose the charging controller, vehicle subsystem or complete vehicle as the device under test. The integration stage and the requirement you need to verify determine the setup.
EVCC and communication
Develop the charging controller and protocol stack on the bench. Test message content, timing, certificates, low-level states and state transitions before the complete vehicle is available.
Typical path: EVCA ComOnly and comframeEVCC, BMS and OBC integration
Check charging negotiation, battery permission, onboard conversion, vehicle states, contactors and the high-voltage path together. Compare their behaviour with the required vehicle response.
Typical path: EVCA Flex, Battery Cell Simulator (BCS) and comframeComplete vehicle and high power
Validate the real vehicle under controlled AC, DC CCS, CHAdeMO, GB/T DC or MCS conditions. Correlate protocol, signals, voltage, current, safety and thermal reactions.
Typical path: EVCA Flex, Multi Mobile or MCS
Carry charging requirements through each development stage
EV charging requirements from controller development to vehicle release
Keep each charging requirement linked to its test condition and expected response as you integrate more of the physical vehicle.
- 1Component development
EVCC, BMS, OBC and charging-related control functions before the complete vehicle is available.
EVCA ComOnly, BCS, comframe - 2EVCC, BMS and OBC integration stage
Charging requests, battery limits, AC conversion, direct DC charging and vehicle execution on one timeline.
EVCA Flex, BCS, comframe - 3Conformance and robustness
Standards-based behaviour, boundary conditions, missing messages, timing changes and deliberately challenging charging-partner behaviour.
EVCA and Test Libraries - 4Vehicle and high-power validation
Complete-vehicle testing across communication, low-level signals, physical power, safety, thermal behaviour and EMC.
EVCA Flex, EVCA MCS, EMC Link - 5Interoperability and field validation
Test the vehicle with real charging stations and save the exact interaction behind an observed failure.
EVCA Interop and Multi Mobile - 6Regression, release and production
Reuse validated charging scenarios in repeatable campaigns for software releases, vehicle variants and production-related verification.
comframe, EVCA and BCS
Analyse the charging process
Charging-process analysis: EVCC, BMS, OBC, signals and power
Use comframe to correlate protocol, low-level states, vehicle-network information and electrical behaviour. This puts decoded data in the context of the charging process. Automated Standards Analysis and Cross-Layer State Monitoring add the expected behaviour for their released scope.
View the analysis diagram at full sizeSaved configurations, unattended test campaigns, reports and comparable results across variants.
Requests, limits, state of charge, thermal constraints and fault reactions.
Expected, optional, delayed, missing and unexpected messages.
DIN 70121, ISO 15118, certificates, TLS and timing.
Control Pilot (CP), Proximity Pilot (PP) and technology-specific connection and control states.
Voltage, current, energy transfer, contactors, isolation and controlled faults.
Cross-Layer State Monitoring is available for applicable DC CCS, CHAdeMO and DC China / GB/T DC configurations. Exact protocol versions, channels and released functions remain product-specific.
EVCA Interop and Charge Playback
Repeat real charging-station behaviour in the vehicle test
EVCA Interop records the real EV-to-EVSE interaction so you can investigate a charging station that cannot stay in the laboratory. Charge Playback uses supported EVSE-side PLC (power line communication) content and timing to act as a physical charging partner for the EV under test.
- Real charging session
Connect the real EV and EVSE under the field or interoperability conditions you want to investigate.
- Record
Capture the EVSE-side PLC content, timing and related charging measurements from the real session.
- Extract
Select the recorded behaviour supported by the EVSE simulation configuration and retain the source session.
- Active simulation
Apply the recorded charging-station behaviour to the EV through its physical charging interface.
- Repeat and modify
Repeat the vehicle test, changing one charging-partner condition at a time. Use the recorded vehicle response to build automated regression cases.
Replay reproduces data for the engineer.
Charge Playback reproduces charging behaviour for the device under test.
Analyse the real charging pair
Use EVCA Interop to investigate a real vehicle with a real charging station and record synchronised evidence. Choose a configured EVCA Multi Mobile system when the task also needs broader portable measurement and charging-partner simulation.
Explore EVCA InteropSimulate the recorded charging-station behaviour
Use released Charge Playback functions to repeat recorded charging-station behaviour at the vehicle’s physical charging interface.
Explore Charge PlaybackGlobal charging technologies
EV charging interfaces: AC, DC CCS / NACS, CHAdeMO, GB/T and MCS
Use the same test method across charging technologies, with the standards, communication, low-level signals, power hardware and released software functions required for each technology.
AC charging
IEC 61851-1, SAE J1772 and ISO 15118 where applicable. Test EVCC and OBC interaction with the charging-station side.
DC CCS and NACS
DIN 70121, ISO 15118-2, ISO 15118-3 and ISO 15118-20 according to the configured system and release.
CHAdeMO
CAN-based charging communication, low-level states and functional workflows for supported versions.
DC China / GB/T
GB/T 18487.1 and GB/T 27930 variants with technology-specific communication and state evaluation.
Megawatt Charging
10BASE-T1S, ISO 15118-20, CE and ID, thermal interfaces, safety and high-power validation in the dedicated MCS path.
Check product pages, datasheets and Standards & Knowledge for the exact standard editions, Test Libraries, interfaces and released functions.
Select the test equipment
EV test equipment for communication, integration and complete vehicles
EVCC and protocol development on a communication bench, without full-power laboratory equipment.
Integrated laboratoryCommunication, low-level signals, external power, faults and automation.
Portable simulation and measurement for multi-standard vehicle and field tests.
Dedicated MCS communication, signals, cooling and high-power architecture.
Virtual cells, sensors, balancing, isolation and fault conditions for BMS integration.
Optically isolated charging communication across the chamber boundary.
Software and evidenceUse comframe to compare the vehicle response with the charging stimulus and keep the test record.
Defined test cases, standard editions, DUT roles, verdicts and evidence.
Vehicle charging validation in practice
“Currently the best and most complete vehicle simulator / sniffer / man in the middle we have used.”
What does EVCC mean in an EV charging test?
Here, EVCC means Electric Vehicle Communication Controller: the vehicle-side charging controller that communicates with the charging station’s SECC (Supply Equipment Communication Controller). It is distinct from the separate energy-management application named evcc.
Use the chosen test scope to select the EVCA configuration, charging partner, protocol editions and signal coverage.
Frequently asked questions
EV testing
What is EV testing?
EV testing checks how an electric vehicle, EV communication controller or charging-related vehicle subsystem responds to a controlled simulated charging station. The vehicle side is the device under test.
What is the difference between EV testing and EVSE testing?
During EV testing, the vehicle or EVCC is the device under test and the test system simulates a charging station. During EVSE testing, the charging station is the device under test and the system simulates the vehicle.
Can an EVCC be tested before the complete vehicle exists?
Yes. A communication-focused EVSE simulator provides the charging interfaces needed to test an EVCC on the bench. Engineers can inspect message content, timing, certificates and state transitions before integrating the complete vehicle.
Why test EVCC, BMS and OBC together?
The EVCC negotiates charging, the BMS supplies battery limits and the OBC converts AC energy. Testing them together checks whether their limits, states, timing and physical responses agree. These interactions are not visible in isolated ECU tests.
How is direct DC charging different from AC OBC testing?
During AC charging, the onboard charger is part of the vehicle power path. During DC CCS, CHAdeMO and GB/T DC charging, the OBC is bypassed and the external charger supplies the high-voltage battery path through the vehicle inlet and contactors.
How does EVCA Interop support EV testing?
EVCA Interop records the real vehicle-to-station interaction on one synchronised time base. Use the recorded evidence to narrow down a field issue and prepare controlled validation or laboratory reproduction.
What is an EVCC, and what should an EVCC test verify?
The EVCC is the vehicle-side controller for charging communication with the charging station. EVCC testing checks relevant messages, state transitions and timing against a controlled station counterpart.
Integration tests also correlate its requests with BMS limits, contactor and precharge states, and the measured electrical response. AC tests include the OBC power path; direct DC charging bypasses the OBC in the energy path. The required test interfaces and functions depend on the charging technology and configured system.
Explore EVCC, BMS and OBC integration testing · Review controller communication testing
Select the EV charging tester for your test plan
EV testing needs a defined charging-station side; EVSE testing needs a defined vehicle side. The EV charging tester connects both roles within the EVCA platform. Select interfaces and Test Library release around the test plan. The product page describes configurations; this application page describes the workflow.
Vehicle-side test planning
Plan vehicle charging validation
Start with the vehicle or controller requirement. Define the charging-station behaviour, operating points and acceptance criteria, then select the EVCA configuration for that test.