Alfen and Pionix: ISO 15118-20 and Plug & Charge on one shared open source stack
Alfen is scaling up its work with Pionix and building its ISO 15118 implementation on EVerest. We explain what a shared, tested stack gives charger makers and the operators who run their chargers.
On October 28, 2026, Alfen announced that it is scaling up its work with Pionix through its implementation of LF Energy EVerest. The two companies have worked together for some time. Alfen's stated ambition is an industry-leading implementation of ISO 15118, the standard family behind ISO 15118-20 and Plug & Charge, built on the open source stack we started in 2020 and that LF Energy hosts today.
Every charger maker was writing the same protocol stack
ISO 15118-2, ISO 15118-20 and three versions of OCPP (1.6, 2.0.1 and 2.1) add up to a lot of specification. For years, most charger manufacturers implemented them on their own. Each of them then found and fixed the same interoperability problems with the same vehicles and backends, one product line at a time.
Alfen has shipped chargers for homes, businesses and public sites across Europe for years. When a manufacturer with that installed base builds its ISO 15118 implementation on a shared stack, engineering time goes where it pays off for the manufacturer, into commissioning, validation and support of its own products, and the protocol layer becomes shared work across the industry.
Alfen builds on a stack that is tested and pre-certified
EVerest includes implementations of ISO 15118-2 and ISO 15118-20 as well as OCPP 1.6, 2.0.1 and 2.1. Through our work with Hubject, the stack holds official Plug & Charge pre-certification, and as far as we know EVerest was the first software stack to receive it. That gives manufacturers a tested starting point for their own certification at Hubject.
The code goes through review and automated testing, is tested against third-party systems and improves with feedback from field deployments. The project has also completed an independent security audit, coordinated by OSTIF and carried out by Quarkslab.
The product work stays with Alfen
Alfen develops and validates its implementation for each charger and ships it through tested, supported firmware releases. What the stack can do is therefore not automatically what every Alfen product offers: features such as Plug & Charge depend on the product, the vehicle and the backend. Our part is the standards knowledge, from integrating EVerest and testing against it to following new versions of ISO 15118 and OCPP.
Operators and drivers notice the difference in the field
For charge point operators, a common implementation means OCPP behavior that is consistent and tested against the standard, across sites and charger generations. Installers get more predictable commissioning. Drivers with a compatible car get Plug & Charge: they plug in, and car and charger authenticate each other without a charging card or an app.
In their words
"Alfen has shipped charging hardware across Europe for years and knows what dependable operation means for installers, operators and drivers. Seeing that expertise combined with EVerest, ISO 15118 and OCPP is exactly what the open source project was created for. Together we can make a difference for EV Drivers and Operators by making EV Charging easier and more reliable."
Dr. Marco Möller, CEO, Pionix
"Smart charging only works when the whole ecosystem works together."
Michael Colijn, CEO, Alfen
Next stop: Gen E, and the 2027 deadline for everyone else
We will join Alfen at Gen E, its event for customers and partners, to share our latest thinking on ISO 15118 and bidirectional charging. Alfen's own announcement is on alfen.com.
For every manufacturer selling into the EU, there is a date attached. Under AFIR, charging points installed or renovated from January 1, 2027 must support ISO 15118-20 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/656). Our EVerest and AFIR overview shows what the stack covers today.
If you are planning your own path to ISO 15118-20 and Plug & Charge on a tested stack, talk to our team.