Review of ISO 15118-20 with TLS1.3 for Secure and Trustworthy EV Charging Infrastructure

Abstract

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and the communication protocols that support it are essential to modern electric mobility, yet they remain vulnerable to significant cyber-physical risks. These risks largely arise from fragmented security adoption and the inconsistent use of Transport Layer Security (TLS). This paper reviews and analyses the security enhancements introduced by ISO 15118-20, with particular emphasis on the requirement for mandatory, mutually authenticated TLS 1.3 to secure end-to-end electric vehicle charging communication. Through an examination of protocol message flows and a synthesis of documented vulnerabilities, the study shows how stronger cryptographic enforcement, certificate-based authentication, and encrypted control signalling reduce the risks of replay, impersonation, man-in-the-middle, and backend exploitation attacks. The analysis also highlights the cyber-physical consequences of communication failures, demonstrating how protocol-level disruptions can result in wider operational risks. As a promoting solution, the paper concludes that the consistent implementation of ISO 15118-20, supported by effective certificate lifecycle management, is essential for developing resilient and trustworthy EV charging infrastructure. While additional advanced security approaches may further strengthen system robustness, future research is required to address additional technical, operational, and environmental factors not covered in this study.

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