Contract Certificate (ISO 15118)
A digital certificate stored in the EV that enables contract-based authorization and billing for Plug & Charge sessions.
Technical Details
A valid contract certificate (plus its certificate chain and private key material) is required to start charging with ISO 15118 authorization. When a valid certificate is not present, the EV can request installation from the EVSE using certificate installation message flows; installations can take time and are typically not performed every session.
Fleet Applications
Enables automated, auditable authorization for fleet charging, especially useful in driverless or high-throughput depot operations. Helps standardize access control across vehicles and sites.
Related Terms
ISO 15118 (Plug & Charge)
Family of standards for high-level communication between an electric vehicle (EV) and a charging station (EVSE), enabling certificate-based "Plug & Charge" and advanced charging control (including bidirectional charging in newer editions).
Plug & Charge (PnC)
Certificate-based EV charging where authorization happens automatically when the vehicle is plugged in—without RFID cards or mobile apps.