ISO 15118-3:2015

Overview

ISO 15118-3:2015 - Road vehicles - Vehicle to grid communication interface - Part 3: Physical and data link layer requirements - defines the low-level communication requirements for direct, wired high‑level communication between an electric vehicle (EV: BEV or PHEV) and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). The standard applies to manually connected, conductive charging (IEC modes 3 and 4) and specifies how the physical medium and data link (Layer 1 and Layer 2 of the OSI model) must behave to support secure, reliable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication.

Key Topics

• Scope & architecture: Defines the system architecture for EV–EVSE communication and the relationship between basic signalling (per IEC 61851) and high‑level communication layers.
• Physical layer requirements: Requirements for the wired communication medium and signal coupling, including electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) considerations and crosstalk/coexistence management.
• Data link layer: Layer‑2 interfaces, service access points (e.g., DATA SAP, data link control SAP, ETH SAP), link management and error handling.
• Connection coordination: Procedures for EV–EVSE matching, initialization, logical network setup/teardown, and interplay with basic pilot signalling.
• Operational states & timing: Plug‑in, initialization, sleep/wake, loss‑of‑communication, plug‑out, and related timing constants and behaviors.
• Low‑layer communication technologies: Normative/annex treatments for PLC profiles such as HomePlug Green PHY and IEEE 1901.2 G3‑PLC for control pilot line coupling.
• Conformance considerations: Normative references and required interactions with other ISO 15118 parts (Part 1 and Part 2).

Applications

ISO 15118-3 is targeted at anyone designing, implementing or testing the low‑layer components of V2G systems:

• EV and EVSE manufacturers implementing compliant physical and data link interfaces for interoperable conductive charging.
• Semiconductor and modem vendors developing PLC or other wired transceivers for the control pilot or charging cable.
• Charging station integrators and installers ensuring EMC, signal coupling, and operational behavior match standards.
• Test laboratories and certification bodies validating Layer 1/2 conformance and interoperability.
• Utilities and smart‑charging service providers using reliable EV–EVSE communication for load management, smart charging, and energy services.

Related Standards

• ISO 15118-1: General information and use‑case definition
• ISO 15118-2: Network and application protocol requirements
• IEC 61851-1: Electric vehicle conductive charging system - General requirements
• IEC/TS 62763: Pilot function through control pilot PWM

Keywords: ISO 15118-3, vehicle-to-grid, V2G, EVSE, EV, physical layer, data link layer, HomePlug Green PHY, G3-PLC, control pilot, conductive charging, IEC 61851.