Smart Charging Protocol Analysis and Testing With CANoe
CANoe Quick Tip
When it comes to electric vehicle development, CANoe is more than just a simulation tool — it’s a technical enabler. With the increasing complexity of charging communication protocols, diverse integration levels, and an increasing need for security and interoperability, testing becomes a key enabler for innovation.
Vector’s CANoe ecosystem provides a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that address these challenges — from protocol analysis to automated conformance testing and turnkey test systems.
This short article highlights three key components:
1. CANoe Option SmartCharging
2. CANoe Test Packages for EV and EVSE
3. vCTS (Vector Charging Test System)
... each designed to streamline development, ensure compliance, and accelerate time-to-market.
What Can You Do With It? | What Problems Does It Solve?
One of the biggest challenges in charging development is the multitude of standards and regional differences. The CANoe Option SmartCharging is the cornerstone providing a single, integrated solution for analyzing, simulating, and testing charging communication across all relevant protocols between electric vehicles (EVs), charging stations (EVSEs), and charging station management systems (CSMS):
- CCS (Combined Charging System)
- MCS (Megawatt Charging System)
- NACS (North American Charging Standard)
OppCharge
This broad protocol support ensures global applicability and saves engineering teams from managing separate tools for different markets – all within a single toolchain.
A standout feature is the SCC Protocol Analyzer, which gives engineers a powerful view into message sequences, timing, and protocol deviations. With its intuitive GUI, developers can quickly identify misinterpretations or integration issues across layers – boosting efficiency during development.
For OEMs, suppliers, and charging infrastructure providers, validating compliance and robustness against global standards is critical. The CANoe Test Packages for EV and EVSE provide a ready-to-use, yet fully customizable, test suite for validating conformance and interoperability. Each package is delivered with full source code, allowing teams to reuse the strong test framework and develope
- GB/T 27930
- CHAdeMO
OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol)
custom tests for their specific needs. Alternatively, a Run-only variant is available for teams that prefer a turnkey solution without modification.
While CANoe provides a flexible software backbone, many teams need a complete hardware setup for executing charging tests. The Vector Charging Test System (vCTS) bridges this gap. It combines the proven CANoe Test Packages with optimized hardware in a turnkey lab solution. A particularly innovative concept is the cassette principle: interchangeable cable sets allow quick switching between Outlet and Inlet configurations, as well as between different connector standards. This reduces setup time dramatically and enables flexible test scenarios in one system. The vCTS is optimized for executing the CANoe Test Packages, enabling automated, reproducible, and high-throughput testing.
Where Can You Find This Function In CANoe? | How to Start the Process?
The Option SmartCharging integrates seamlessly into the CANoe configuration. Once enabled, protocol-specific nodes and panels are available to set up simulations, run protocol traces, and analyze results in real time. The SCC Protocol Analyzer is accessible via the Ribbon Menu located in the “Analysis” section under “SCC” and can be activated in any CANoe configuration.
Related CANoe Topics
