Porsche Engineering Develops Intelligent High-Voltage Charging Management

Porsche Engineering provides complete development and validation of high-voltage charging management systems for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. The software supports intelligent charging functions and is designed for worldwide deployment by incorporating all major international charging standards.

High-voltage charging management is a critical factor for user acceptance of electrified vehicles. The system manages charging power detection, vehicle authentication at the charging station, communication with charging infrastructure, control of the charging flap, and data provision for mobile applications displaying charging status and energy consumption.

Porsche Engineering has been developing charging management systems since 2011 and applies a full V-model development approach, covering requirements analysis, software architecture, implementation, integration, and validation. Within the Volkswagen Group, Porsche Engineering acts as a central development partner for high-voltage charging management systems.

To date, 13 vehicle variants across multiple platforms have been equipped with customised charging management solutions based on a single, adaptable software system. Vehicle-specific configuration is achieved via parameterisation during production, simplifying variant management and enabling efficient software updates across model ranges.

The modular software architecture consists of six functional modules: high-voltage charging management (HVLM), intelligent charging function (ILF), high-level communication (HLC), control and display protocol (BAP), charging management safety function (CMSF), and value-added services (VAS). This structure allows coordination of hardware-related requirements such as battery temperature and state of charge, which directly influence charging performance.

The system supports AC charging, DC fast charging, and high-power charging with outputs of several hundred kilowatts. It also enables secure automatic vehicle authentication using the “Plug & Charge” function and supports all major global charging standards, including GBT, GBT+, Chaoji, CHAdeMO, ISO 15118, and DIN EN 62196.

A core function of the system is charging plan generation. After connection, the vehicle is charged as quickly as possible to at least 25% state of charge. A forecast-based algorithm then creates a dynamic charging plan based on electricity tariffs, grid utilisation, renewable energy availability, and user-defined departure times. The plan can adapt in real time to changing infrastructure conditions while ensuring the vehicle reaches the required charge level on schedule.

Validation is carried out using dedicated hardware-in-the-loop test benches. Between 2021 and 2024, Porsche Engineering completed a full redesign of the charging management software, reducing memory requirements and improving computing efficiency while integrating all charging and planning functions into a compact architecture.

www.porsche.com