chargecloud brings Plug & Charge to AC charging

The partnership was announced at ICNC26 in Berlin and is intended to make Plug & Charge available to chargecloud CPO customers without requiring each operator to build its own PKI integration.

Plug & Charge is not limited to DC fast charging

Plug & Charge is widely associated with rapid and ultra-rapid DC networks, but ISO 15118 has supported certificate-based authentication on AC charging for years.

On a compatible installation, the vehicle identifies its charging contract after it is connected and authentication can take place without an app, RFID card, QR code or separate interaction with the charger display.

That can be particularly useful at workplaces, fleet depots, municipal AC networks and destination sites where the same vehicles charge repeatedly.

The CPMS integration does not upgrade incompatible chargers

chargecloud says the Plug & Charge function will be rolled out automatically to CPO customers, but only at chargepoints whose hardware meets the requirements.

The charging point must support ISO 15118-2, the vehicle must be Plug & Charge capable, and a valid charging contract must be installed in the vehicle by a compatible e-mobility provider.

chargecloud recommends hardware with a full ISO 15118-2 implementation, ideally devices certified through Hubject.

An existing AC charger without the necessary communication hardware or firmware does not become Plug & Charge capable simply because the CPMS supports Hubject’s PKI.

Hubject provides the trust infrastructure

Hubject operates the PKI that validates the digital certificates used by Plug & Charge.

chargecloud is integrating that trust infrastructure into its operating system so CPO customers do not have to create their own direct PKI implementation.

A pilot phase with initial CPOs is already under way.

AC expands the potential use case

Extending Plug & Charge into AC infrastructure gives certificate-based authentication another route into locations where drivers currently rely heavily on RFID cards, apps or other account-based access.

It does not remove the need for interoperability across the full chain: vehicle, EVSE, CPMS, PKI and e-mobility provider still have to support the same process.

The importance of the announcement is therefore less about a new authentication standard and more about making an existing ISO 15118 function easier for CPOs to deploy on compatible AC estates.