Figure 1: VDV 261 preconditioning of an electric bus Image rights: Vector Informatik
Vector Informatik is expanding its charging and energy management system vCharM with key capabilities for VDV 261-compliant preconditioning of electric bus fleets. In collaboration with Hubject, Vector now enablesautomated certificate management via a public key infrastructure (PKI). In addition, the vCharM.edge hardware supports VDV 261-compliant communication even within existing IPv4 networks. Together, these innovations significantly reduce the effort and error rate when introducing preconditioning in electric bus operations.
VDV 261 preconditioning uses energy from the charging station to preheat or precool various vehicle components before service begins. As a result, electric buses start service fully charged, with maximum usable energy available at departure, since no additional energy is required for heating while driving.
Automated Certificate Management for VDV 261
VDV 261 requires secure TLS connections between the vehicle, the charging station and the backend system. All participating systems must therefore hold certificates created by the same certification authority. Until now, these certificates have had to be generated and distributed manually, resulting in significant administrative effort.
To address this challenge, Vector has partnered with Hubject, one of the world’s leading PKI operators. vCharM is the first charging and energy management system of its kind to support the automated generation of the required certificates via a public PKI, as well as their automatic installation on charging stations and backend systems. As many vehicle manufacturers already pre-install Hubject’s root certificate, manual effort and error rate are significantly reduced. This enables much faster deployment of VDV 261 functionality, especially for large bus fleets and complex depot structures.
VDV 261 Communication in Existing IPv4 Infrastructures
Beyond security requirements, VDV 261 stipulates that communication between the vehicle, charging station and backend must be IPv6-based. In practice, however, many existing company networks and mobile communication infrastructures still use IPv4.
With vCharM.edge, Vector overcomes this limitation. The hardware integrates an IPv6-to-IPv4 proxy, allowing VDV 261-compliant communication without requiring transport operators to modify their existing network infrastructure. Existing IPv4 environments can continue to be used, while the implementation effort is significantly reduced.
More Usable Energy at Departure
By combining automated certificate management with IPv4 integration, Vector and Hubject substantially simplify the implementation of VDV 261. Public transport operators benefit from a straightforward, reliable and cost-efficient approach to preconditioning electric buses.
A key operational advantage is increased energy availability at departure. Vehicles start their routes fully preconditioned, drawing the required energy directly from the charging station. This improves vehicle range, operational planning reliability and day-to-day operational stability.
These new features are now fully integrated into Vector’s vCharM charging and energy management system, and are available to both new and existing customers.
Comments
“We are removing two of the biggest practical barriers to implementing VDV 261: complex certificate management and the requirement for IPv6 in typical IPv4 infrastructures,” says Christian Witt, Product Manager at Vector. “This allows transport operators to deploy significantly faster and to precondition vehicles efficiently with maximum available energy at departure.”
Hubject adds: “By extending the Hubject V2G-PKI to include the VDV 261 use case, we enable transport operators and system providers to implement VDV 261 for their electric fleets in a simpler, more secure and cost-efficient way. Leveraging the established, scalable V2G-PKI infrastructure creates synergies, avoids parallel certificate landscapes and reduces implementation effort and operating costs sustainably. As a neutral V2G-PKI operator, Hubject is supporting the rapid, interoperable market introduction of VDV 261.”
About Hubject
Hubject GmbH is a leading global provider of interoperable charging solutions for electric mobility. Its open platform enables secure, standardized communication between vehicles and charging infrastructure, supporting the international expansion of sustainable mobility.
More information at: www.vector.com/vcharm