As Canadian drivers navigate a fragmented charging landscape, safety certification gives drivers a clearer way to identify quality adapters. But regulation is still needed. Part one of a two-part series

Canada has taken a free market approach to electric vehicle chargers, which has resulted in three plug-and-port designs for drivers to grapple with: CCS1 (Combined Charging System), NACS (North American Charging Standard) and CHAdeMO.

Because of this, charging adapters are a unique and useful necessity that help open up public charging network access to EV owners across the country. An adapter acts as a bridge between the charging port on an EV and a plug with a different charging protocol on a charging station.

Most electric vehicle manufacturers sell high-quality, safety-certified adapters, as do other suppliers.

Industry observers, however, are increasingly highlighting concerns about adapters that fall short on quality. Some, often sold at low cost by third-party providers, may have faulty designs, inferior materials or improper fit. This has the potential for significant safety consequences, especially with the high voltages used for DC fast charging.

‘Very destructive’

“When [an adapter] disconnects under load, what happens is it starts arcing and a lot of energy can be released in that arc — very high temperatures, very quickly. It’s very destructive,” says Keith Beckstead, senior director of engineering at EVgo in the U.S.

Beckstead is also a member of CharIN (Charging Interface Initiative), a global, non-profit association of more than 300 cross-industry e-mobility stakeholders dedicated to establishing unified charging standards for passenger and heavy duty electric vehicles. He says that even CharIN has accepted that the EV charger adapter is here to stay in North America, at least for the foreseeable future.

Europe has already mandated the homologation of CCS2 charging protocols, necessary for three-phase electricity Level 2 AC charging (North America Level 2 AC charging uses one-phase electricity). This has forced automakers and charging networks — instead of drivers — to conform. 

“I’ve always taken the strategy that [adapters] should be allowed and there should be a standard that defines what makes them safe and then work to make that standard better,” says Beckstead.

What is UL 2252?

In March of last year, UL Solutions, an independent safety science company, introduced a safety standard protocol for charging adapters: UL 2252. It outlines specific requirements for design, performance and testing to ensure the adapter works safely with high-voltage chargers.

“The single most important thing UL 2252 does is that it has a robust test for over-temperature protection,” says Beckstead. “That’s a really big reason why we’re pushing for UL 2252.”

Having this number marked on an adapter will confirm it is made to industry-accepted safety standards. 

Both Beckstead and Mariano Rigotti, responsible for EV charging & energy storage systems at Amphenol and also a CharIN member, confirm that it is not against the law to sell or use uncertified chargers in Canada. However, considering the potential damage to vehicles, charging equipment and even to people, Rigotti doesn’t see the point in saving a little money up front.

While UL 2252-certified adapters start around $150 and go up, uncertified ones can be available for much less.

“We are trying to … make the awareness to the industry that not all adapters are made equal,” says Rigotti. “Paying 50 bucks gives you what 50 bucks gives you.”

Difficulty in establishing regulatory responsibility 

In Canada, electrical certification for products such as charger adapters falls at the provincial level, while recalls on faulty products are the purview of Health Canada.

Nansy Hanna is the senior director, engineering and regulations at the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), Ontario’s electrical regulations body responsible for enforcing the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. 

Hanna says adapters are “required to be certified,” yet it is difficult for the ESA to monitor adapters because they are add-ons and “we wouldn’t normally see it as part of [a charger] installation.” 

Hanna explains that to get a charging station in Ontario online, the ESA needs to be notified by the installer, inspect the unit and clear it before it can go into use. 

“Because the adapters are a product on their own, they are not typically involved in an electrical installation. We don’t see them.,” says Hanna. “This is the challenge … but they are required to be certified.”

Hanna says the ESA, like other provincial electrical overseers, works to get rid of uncertified adapters available online by reaching out to retailers.

She says most retailers “cooperate” when contacted, but it’s become a tiring game of whack-a-mole

“From a lawful, legal course, it’s very difficult to do because of how [retailers] are national or international based, and the regulators are province based,” says Hanna.

“But from the active perspective, [retailers] are very responsive. When we let them know about something, they do take it down.”

Don’t miss the second part of our charging adapter inquiry next week by subscribing to the Electric Autonomy newsletter. Find out what charging networks and automakers are doing to battle this issue, as well as more from the ESA and CharIN.