A “station” for verifying compatibility between electric vehicles and charging networks
A laboratory designed to quickly verify, within a limited space, the charging efficiency of electric vehicles. This has been made possible with the Charging Lab, by the Department of Energy-DENERG of Politecnico, designed within Spoke 1, Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility, of the NODES Ecosystem, funded by the PNRR and now ready to open its doors to companies.
The Charging Lab is a “station” capable of testing electric vehicle charging operations, checking the interaction and efficiency of every vehicle model and brand with the grid through the various types of charging stations. “Our research has solved an important problem for electric vehicles, both from the manufacturer’s and user’s perspectives: one time out of seven, charging fails. We are the only ones able to understand why, by simulating in a single location all protocols, brands, and types of charging station,” explains Paolo Guglielmi, professor at DENERG and project lead.
The system enables the identification of errors in the information transmission between charging station and vehicle, as well as compliance with the established communication protocols, with particular attention to what is needed for bidirectional charging. “In many cases it’s a matter of response times – Professor Guglielmi points out – There is a time limit for exchanging and verifying information, and once that limit is exceeded, issues can arise.”
The laboratory was conceived and has already been partially shared with local companies in order to design a space compatible with industrial development and research. The Charging Lab is also distinctive in that it is housed in a compact, fully equipped space that allows easy analysis of both the vehicle (or its components, such as its software) and the charging station, or both devices together. “We even went as far as hosting the entire vehicle – Paolo Guglielmi adds – because it’s very important to verify charging and the compatibility of vehicle–station communication systems in real-world conditions, going beyond a simple test bench.”
The testing setup developed by DENERG also has an educational dimension: it is intended not only to teach students how a verification protocol is built, but also to train them in its practical use.
“A system like the Charging Lab is ideal for enabling students, PhD candidates, and external personnel to actually work hands-on with what has been theorized – Guglielmi concludes – It also makes it possible to advance the university’s applied research and to actively contribute to the drafting and adoption of international protocols and standards.”
With the Charging Lab, Politecnico also strengthens its relationship with local companies: the Charging Lab will in fact be accessible to businesses starting in January 2026.