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    UL opens EV Charging Lab to work with OEMs in Illinois

    April 28, 2023
    The laboratory is situated next to UL Solutions’ global headquarters and has the capacity to test Level 1 and Level 2 alternating current (AC) EV chargers, direct current (DC) fast chargers, and grid connectivity for vehicle-to-grid and distributed energy
    Image credit UL
    Ul Charging Lab 644bf7e5e91c6

    Safety science company UL Solutions has inaugurated its North America Advanced Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Laboratory in Northbrook, Illinois.

    According to the company, the facility will assist original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers in developing EV charging stations more quickly and with shorter development cycles, allowing them to compete more effectively in the global market.

    The laboratory is situated next to UL Solutions’ global headquarters and has the capacity to test Level 1 and Level 2 alternating current (AC) EV chargers, direct current (DC) fast chargers, and grid connectivity for vehicle-to-grid and distributed energy resources. It also features a chamber to test EV chargers in varying environmental conditions and vehicle simulation equipment.

    UL Solutions says the facility will offer testing services for DC and AC EV chargers for passenger and light commercial vehicles, vehicle-to-grid connectivity and personnel protection equipment under several standards, including ANSI/UL 2202, ANSI/UL 2594, UL 9741, ANSI/UL 2231-1, ANSI/UL 2231-2, ANSI/UL 2251, IEC 61851-1, IEC 61851-22, IEC 62752, IEC 62196 Series (-1, -2 and -3), IEC 61851-23 and IEC 61851-21-2.

    “The automotive industry is transforming. The global transition to EVs continues to fuel the need for safe, secure and sustainable new technologies for the future of mobility,” said Jennifer Scanlon, President and CEO of UL Solutions. “The opening of this UL Solutions’ EV charging laboratory in Northbrook is an important milestone in our global footprint strategy to support the industry in critical automotive markets – from Illinois to the wider Midwest, and from the United States to related markets globally.”

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    The company recently opened an EV charging laboratory in Fremont, California and plans to open a battery testing laboratory in Auburn Hills, Michigan in mid-2024.

    Historically known as Underwriters Laboratory, UL is a 129-year-old safety science company which has done testing throughout more than 100 countries. In 2020, UL expand its European EV charging lab in Frankfurt, Germany.

    Founded by electrifical engineer William Henry Merrill II in the 1890s, UL revised its structure into three separate companies, including UL Solutions. The others are UL Standards and Engagement, and UL Research Institutes.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.