CharIN and Dutch lab ElaadNL sign MoU to standardise V2G charging

CharIN, the Berlin based industry group behind the CCS charging standard, signed a memorandum of understanding with ElaadNL, the Dutch smart charging research institute, on 9 November 2026. The deal is about vehicle to grid, or V2G, technology that lets a parked EV send power back into the electricity network instead of only drawing it.

CharIN chairman Claas Bracklo said interoperability is essential to connecting e-mobility with the energy system. ElaadNL chief executive Onoph Caron called the pact a deepening of a relationship the two organisations have already built through joint Testivals, the hands on interoperability test events CharIN runs with national partners.

What the MoU actually covers

The agreement itself sets up knowledge sharing on research findings, joint events and workshops, work on common technical, operational and regulatory barriers, and coordinated use of V2G terminology across the industry. ElaadNL has supported CharIN as a member since 2019 and has hosted CharIN Testival Europe at its Arnhem test site. The new MoU formalises V2G as a dedicated area of joint work rather than one topic among many.

This matters because V2G only works if a car from one maker, a charger from another, and a grid operator's software can all talk to each other reliably. The relevant communication layer is ISO 15118-20, the newer version of the EV to charger protocol that supports bidirectional power flow, alongside OCPP 2.1 for managing the charger and the grid connection. Without agreement on how these layers interact, a V2G capable car bought in one country can end up unable to sell power back to the grid through a charger built for another market.

Why India should be watching

India has no V2G capable public charging network yet, but it has run one demonstration. The India Smart Grid Forum, working with BSES Rajdhani Power, BSES Yamuna Power, Tata Power Delhi Distribution and Kerala's ANERT, with technical support from the University of Delaware, retrofitted four Tata Nexon EVs with bidirectional power modules for South Asia's first V2G pilot, reported in May 2026. The pilot used AC V2G, which ISGF noted costs less in equipment than the DC version, and found it relevant for balancing rooftop solar on the grid.

The Ministry of Power asked the Central Electricity Authority to frame reverse charging guidelines back in March 2023, and a CEA committee drawing on IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee and BRPL has recommended a bidirectional charging system built on standard, open protocols, and updating Indian standards to match. That recommendation has not yet turned into a notified BIS or CEA regulation.

Bengaluru's BESCOM has moved on a related but narrower idea, a pilot at its own corporate office that links rooftop solar, battery storage and EV chargers, run by CSTEP. That is solar charging an EV, not the EV feeding power back out, which shows how far Karnataka's utilities still are from true V2G.

For Indian buyers, the practical point is that any EV marketed here as V2G ready today is tied to whichever charger and software the maker controls. A global push like the CharIN ElaadNL MoU, if it produces common test criteria, is what would eventually let an Indian V2G car plug into any compliant charger rather than one brand's own box.

Sources