EU V2G Grid Rules Enter a Critical Phase as Open Standards Move to the Center of the Debate

INDUSTRY NEWS
|   August 16, 2026
|   EV Charging Software, V2G & Interoperability

Europe’s rules for connecting vehicle-to-grid charging infrastructure to the electricity system are entering an important phase, as industry stakeholders push for harmonised and open communication standards between charging infrastructure and electricity-system operators.

European grid rules are expanding into V2G

On July 30, 2026, the Open Charge Alliance (OCA) announced that it had submitted a contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation on a draft Delegated Regulation establishing a revised Network Code on Requirements for Grid Connection of Generators.

The proposed revision is relevant to the EV charging industry because its scope extends beyond conventional generation to electricity storage and vehicle-to-grid applications.

The consultation is scheduled to remain open until August 25, 2026.

Vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, changes the role of an electric vehicle from a conventional electricity consumer into a potentially flexible energy resource. Depending on the technical configuration, market structure and applicable grid rules, an EV may adjust its charging schedule or return electricity from its battery to a building or electricity system.

That creates a more complex communications environment than conventional EV charging.

OCA identifies a communication gap

According to OCA, the current draft does not sufficiently define the communication interface between V2G electric vehicle supply equipment and the relevant electricity-system operator.

The organisation argues that an undefined interface could result in individual system operators adopting their own technical and cybersecurity requirements.

If that happens, charger manufacturers, charging-network operators and software providers could face different implementations in different European markets, increasing integration complexity and potentially reducing interoperability.

IEC 63584 moves into the policy discussion

OCA recommends explicitly naming IEC 63584 as the communication protocol for relevant system-operator data-exchange interfaces, including interfaces involving V2G charging equipment, electricity storage modules and power-generating modules.

The organisation also proposes referencing the OCPP 2.1 Certification Programme in national compliance schemes.

The objective, according to OCA, is to provide a more harmonised route for manufacturers and charging operators to demonstrate compliance instead of requiring different system-operator-specific approaches.

OCA additionally recommends recognising standardised IEC 63584 security mechanisms in the context of cybersecurity requirements and supporting remote adjustment of relevant grid-code parameters.

Remote adjustment could become important for deployed charging equipment because grid requirements can evolve during the operational lifetime of an EV charging station.

OCPP 2.1 is now an IEC standard

The standards discussion is taking place after another significant development for the EV charging industry.

OCPP 2.1 Edition 1 was officially published by the International Electrotechnical Commission as IEC 63584-210:2025.

OCPP 2.1 builds on OCPP 2.0.1 and introduces functionality designed for more advanced charging environments.

• Support for ISO 15118-20
• Bidirectional charging functionality
• Distributed energy resource control
• Expanded smart-charging capabilities
• Battery-swapping support
• Additional authorisation functionality

Those capabilities matter because future charging infrastructure may need to coordinate not only with vehicles and charging-management backends, but also with energy-management systems and grid-related services.

V2G makes charging software part of the energy system

Conventional charging-management platforms have largely focused on functions such as charger connectivity, authentication, transaction processing, tariff management, remote operations and fault monitoring.

V2G introduces an additional operational layer.

A charging system may need to consider electricity-system constraints, energy prices, local power availability, flexibility requests, distributed energy resources and the state of charge of connected vehicles.

This increases the importance of reliable communications between several technical domains.

These capabilities are industry implications of increasingly energy-aware charging systems rather than requirements imposed by the current European consultation.

Interoperability is becoming a grid-level issue

Historically, EV charging interoperability often focused on whether a vehicle could connect to a charger, whether a driver could authenticate across charging networks, and whether charging stations could communicate with different backend platforms.

V2G adds another dimension: whether charging infrastructure can exchange information consistently with electricity-system operators and other energy-market participants.

That makes interoperability increasingly relevant not only to electric mobility, but also to grid flexibility and energy-system integration.

The outcome of the European regulatory process will therefore be closely watched by charging-equipment manufacturers, charge-point operators, charging-management software providers, vehicle manufacturers, utilities, aggregators and other energy-service providers.

What happens next

The European consultation remains open until August 25, 2026.

After the consultation process, policymakers will determine how the final framework treats communication interfaces, compliance and cybersecurity for grid-connected technologies including V2G equipment.

Until that process is complete, OCA’s recommendations should be understood as an industry proposal for a harmonised technical approach rather than adopted regulation.