EV chargers and charging stations

• Directive 2014/35/EU — Low Voltage
• Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 — alternative fuels infrastructure
• Directive 2014/32/EU — measuring instruments where energy is billed
• Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 — CRA

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union placing charging equipment on the EU market. Public charge points additionally fall under the alternative fuels infrastructure Regulation, with requirements on connectors, ad hoc payment and price transparency, and units that bill by energy need metrology approval.

Thresholds and exemptions

Private wallboxes follow the electrical rules. Public points add the infrastructure Regulation, and billing by kilowatt hour brings the Measuring Instruments Directive with notified body involvement.

What must appear on the label

CE marking, with the supplementary metrology marking where energy is billed, manufacturer and EU representative details, model and serial number, rated current and voltage, IP rating, and for public points the connector type and the pricing information required by the infrastructure Regulation.

Marketplace fields

Sold through installers and networks that require the declaration of conformity and, for public deployment, the metrology certificate. Non-compliant billing has led to enforcement in Germany in particular, where the calibration law is strictly applied.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file, electrical and EMC test reports, functional safety documentation for the residual current detection, metrology type approval where billing applies, cybersecurity documentation for connected units, and WEEE and packaging registrations.

Standards and testing

EN IEC 61851 series for conductive charging systems, EN IEC 62955 for residual direct current detection, EMC testing, and metrology testing under the Measuring Instruments Directive for billing units.

Language requirements

Installation and user instructions in the language of each member state, including the electrical installation requirements that differ nationally.

When it applies

Before placing on the market. The alternative fuels infrastructure Regulation has applied since April 2024 with staged deployment obligations for operators.

How long records are kept

Ten years for technical documentation.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, and in Germany and several other member states specific penalties for billing by energy without a calibrated meter, which has stopped operators charging for electricity at all until corrected.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, national metrology authorities, energy regulators and WEEE registers.

Where the boundary lies

The calibration requirement is the trap: a charger that bills by kilowatt hour is a measuring instrument, and a charger that bills by time generally is not, which is why many early networks billed by minute. Connected chargers come into the CRA from 2027 with reporting from 2026.

Questions we are asked

Do we need metrology approval for a home wallbox?

Not if it does not bill the user by energy. Once it is used for billing, including in shared buildings, the Measuring Instruments Directive applies.

Is OCPP compliance a legal requirement?

No, it is an interoperability protocol. The legal requirements come from the electrical directives, the metrology rules and the alternative fuels Regulation.