TyroCharge, a technology company specialising in charging infrastructure for electrified off-highway vehicles, presented its LiCom-compatible products and a fully functional LiCom charging system for the first time at iVT Expo Cologne, demonstrating that the new low-voltage charging standard LiCom (VDE V 0622) had been implemented in a complete system solution.
The company’s presentation addressed what it described as a significant gap in the electrification of off-highway machinery. While battery technologies, electric drivetrains and power electronics had advanced considerably in recent years, an open industry standard for charging low-voltage vehicles had until then been absent. Without such a standard, manufacturers had continued to use their own connectors, communication protocols and safety concepts, resulting in incompatibility between vehicles and chargers from different manufacturers, increased development effort for OEMs and barriers to establishing shared charging infrastructure.
At the centre of TyroCharge’s approach is LiCom, a public charging standard (VDE V 0622) for battery systems operating between 24 and 120 volts. The standard defines communication between vehicle and charger, as well as the required safety functions and charging procedures, with the objective of enabling cross-manufacturer compatibility. TyroCharge describes LiCom as aiming to fulfil a similar role for low-voltage applications as CCS does for high-voltage electric vehicles. The specification is being developed through an industry-wide standardisation process and will be openly available; TyroCharge is not the owner of the standard but was among the driving forces behind its industrialisation.
At the show, TyroCharge presented the first complete reference implementation of the LiCom standard. This comprised the LiCom Vehicle Interface for vehicle integration, the LiCom Charging Board for charger integration, and a fully functional LiCom charging system demonstrating real-world communication between vehicle and charger. The company says these products provide OEMs, charger manufacturers and system integrators with an entry point into standardised low-voltage charging infrastructure, reducing development effort and increasing flexibility in component selection.
TyroCharge reported growing interest from OEMs, charger manufacturers, component suppliers and technology companies across the construction equipment, municipal vehicle and specialist vehicle sectors. Initial integration projects and pilot applications with OEMs were said to be in preparation.
Image: TyroCharge
