Plug & Charge, ISO 15118 and the Role of Root CAs

The ISO 15118 Plug & Charge standard relies on trusted certificate authorities (CAs) to authenticate vehicles, charging stations, and backend systems. Two major players operate today:

1. Hubject V2G Root CA (long-standing operator, widely embedded in European vehicles)
2. Irdeto CrossCharge / CharIN PKI (recently took over operation of CharIN’s PKI, expanding in Europe & North America)

For EV adoption, it is crucial to know which OEMs are likely to trust which Root CA.

The last months have been busy with (re)starting teams somehow. This is a small note to self in order to keep a record of aspects that need to be addressed.

The kick off is the first step of a continuous mechanism to learn and deliver the best possible outcome for your audience.

Ensure your kick off allows to change everything, including the process.

Process, Content and Operations need to be part of the kick off.

Everyone in software development knows the words: ‘just add this small thing and…’.
Mostly the people requesting the addition don’t have to live with the consequences. These consequences double each and every time you add another option to an existing structure.

Every option you add, adds to the number of combinations your software must be capable to handle and combinations double according to the formula 2^n. So when you say yes for the 7th time. you go from 64 (2^6) to 128 (2^7) combinations that need to work and tested.