Date: 2026-03-17Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
India-EU Trade and Technology Council 2nd Workshop on EV Charging Technologies: Advanced Cooperation on Standardisation, Smart and Bidirectional Charging, Megawatt Charging Systems, and Wireless Charging
**Executive Summary**
The 2nd India-EU Workshop on EV Charging Technologies was held from March 15–17, 2026, in Ispra, Italy, to deepen strategic cooperation under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council. The event focused on developing harmonized, interoperable, and future-ready charging ecosystems, covering key areas such as megawatt charging, bidirectional integration, and wireless power transfer. The workshop aimed to align standards and research between Indian and European stakeholders to support a sustainable global mobility transition.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Strategic Collaboration and Framework**
* The workshop was organized under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies.
* Joint organizers included the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (OPSA), the European Commission’s DG RTD, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).
* The partnership emphasizes building resilient innovation ecosystems and future-ready industrial partnerships for sustainable mobility.
* **Technical Focus Areas**
* **Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS):** Deliberations on implementation pathways and international standards specifically for heavy-duty vehicles.
* **Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) & Bidirectional Charging:** Exploration of multi-brand interoperability and the recently published ISO 15118-21 conformance test plan.
* **Wireless Power Transfer (WPT):** Updates on ongoing pre-normative research regarding wireless charging systems.
* **Smart Charging:** Discussions on communication protocols, including the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP).
* **Research and Infrastructure Testing**
* Participants visited JRC’s advanced testing facilities, including the Interoperability Testing Lab, EMC Testing Lab, and Smart Grid Testing Lab.
* The visits provided first-hand exposure to data-driven research and trusted testing environments for EV and smart grid integration.
* Emphasis was placed on pre-normative research to ensure systems are secure and resilient before full-scale deployment.
**Impact Analysis**
**Policymakers**
**Impact:** They are tasked with creating the legislative and policy frameworks necessary to support a clean mobility transition.
**Action Required:** Deliberate on pathways for harmonized and interoperable charging ecosystems to align Indian and European regulatory environments.
**Standards Bodies and Research Institutions (e.g., ARAI, BIS, JRC)**
**Impact:** These bodies are central to the development of technical protocols and the testing of new charging technologies.
**Action Required:** Collaborate on technical cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the implementation of international standards like ISO 15118-21.
**Industry Representatives (e.g., Tata Motors, ABB, SCANIA, etc.)**
**Impact:** Manufacturers and technology providers are affected by shifting requirements for charging infrastructure and the need for harmonized solutions.
**Action Required:** Engage in stakeholder dialogues to adopt globally interoperable standards and integrate advanced technologies like MCS and V2G into future products.
Key Entities Referenced
India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC): A strategic bilateral forum facilitating cooperation between India and the European Union on green and clean energy technologies.
Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA): The lead Indian government body responsible for organizing the workshop and coordinating technical collaboration on EV charging ecosystems.
Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS): A high-power charging standard for heavy-duty vehicles identified as a primary technical focus for international harmonization and implementation.
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD): The European Commission department that co-organized the initiative to align research, innovation, and standards for sustainable mobility.
Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy: The host location and EU research facility providing testing infrastructure for EV interoperability, smart grids, and bidirectional charging.
Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI
India-EU Trade and Technology Council 2nd
Workshop on EV Charging Technologies:
Advanced Cooperation on Standardisation,
Smart and Bidirectional Charging, Megawatt
Charging Systems, and Wireless Charging
Posted On: 17 MAR 2026 8:37PM by PIB Delhi
The 2nd India-EU Workshop on Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Technologies was held at the Joint
Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy, from 15 to 17 March 2026 under the auspices of the India-EU Trade
and Technology Council (TTC) Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies. The
workshop was jointly organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the
Government of India, and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the
European Commission in partnership with Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, the
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), and EU Delegation to India.
The India and the European Union continue to deepen their strategic partnership under the India-EU TTC,
with growing cooperation in green and clean energy technologies contributing meaningfully to sustainable
mobility, resilient innovation ecosystems, and future-ready industrial partnerships.
The workshop brought together policymakers, technical experts, standards bodies, testing and research
institutions, and industry representatives from India and the European Union to deliberate on pathways for
developing harmonised, interoperable, and future-ready EV charging ecosystems. The programme
included updates on policy and standards, strategic industry perspectives, technical sessions on megawatt
charging systems, vehicle-to-grid integration and bidirectional charging, and wireless power transfer,
along with laboratory visits to JRC’s EV and smart grid testing facilities.In her opening remarks, Dr Rakesh Kaur, Adviser/Scientist-‘G’, OPSA, underlined the importance of
India-EU cooperation in creating trusted, interoperable, and future-ready charging ecosystems for clean
mobility transition. Ms. Nienke Buisman, Head of Unit International Cooperation, DG RTD EC and Dr
Christian Thiel, Head of Unit (Sen.), JRC also highlighted the importance of deeper India-EU
collaboration in research, innovation, standards, and testing to support the transition towards sustainable
and connected mobility systems.
The workshop addressed a wide range of strategic and technical themes. These included developments in
research, standards and legislative frameworks in India and Europe; evolving charging infrastructure
requirements; communication and interoperability protocols including the Open Charge Point Protocol
(OCPP); industry perspectives on harmonised charging solutions; the status of international standards and
implementation pathways for Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) for heavy-duty vehicles; Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) integration and multi-brand interoperability; the recently published ISO 15118-21
conformance test plan for vehicle-to-grid communication; and ongoing pre-normative research on
Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) charging systems.
Participants also visited the European Interoperability Centre for EVs and Smart Grids at JRC Ispra,
including the Interoperability Testing Lab, EMC Testing Lab VeLA9, Cold/Warm E-mobility Testing Lab
VeLA8, Smart Grid Testing Lab, and the JRC’s semi-public charging field. The visit offered first-hand
exposure to advanced facilities supporting data-driven, pre-normative research and trusted testing for EV
charging and smart grid integration.
The workshop concluded with a wrap-up session led by Dr Kaur and Ms. Buisman; Dr Reji Mathai,
Director, ARAI; Dr Liliana Pasecinic, Deputy Head and Dr Harald Scholz, Project Leader from JRC,
reaffirming the shared intent of India and the European Union to deepen technical cooperation, knowledge
exchange, and stakeholder engagement in support of harmonised EV charging standards and sustainable
mobility solutions. The workshop reflected the commitment to enable a globally interoperable, secure, and
resilient clean mobility ecosystem.
Other officials and experts contributing across the workshop included Dr Hafsa Ahmad, Scientist-‘D',
OPSA; Mr. Abhijit Mulay, Deputy Director, ARAI Mr. Nitish Kumar Jain, Bureau of Indian Standards;
Ms. Aleksandra Klenke and Ms. Marina Kousoulidou from DG MOVE; and Mr. Antonio Marquez
Camacho, DG RTD. The workshop also saw participation from representatives of industry and research
institutions including Tata Motors, Fraunhofer Society, Open Charge Alliance, Society of Indian
Automobile Manufacturers, SCANIA/TRATON, Industrial Vehicles Corporation (IVECO)/TATA, Asea
Brown Boveri (ABB), Alpitronic, Argonne National Laboratories, University of Mumbai, ENEDIS, ENEL
X, ELLI, CharIN, IIT Madras, DELTA, and BRUSA.
***
MJPS/ST
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