Pionix, AST-X and Solectrix Team up to Build Custom EV Charge Controllers

Pionix, AST-X, and Solectrix have formed a partnership to provide EV charger manufacturers with custom charge controllers adapted from existing reference designs rather than built from scratch. The companies describe the offering as a "custom-off-the-shelf" controller designed for software-defined charging.

What Happened

The collaboration utilizes Pionix's controller reference design and its ChargeBridge module, which runs the open-source EVerest charging stack. According to Pionix, ChargeBridge handles low-level charging logic, including handshake, PWM, and safety monitoring, on a microcontroller that operates independently of a Linux system managing OCPP, ISO 15118, and smart charging. While ChargeBridge currently supports CCS, modules for MCS, CHAdeMO, ChaoJi, and GB/T are planned. In this tripartite arrangement, Pionix supplies the EVerest stack, ChargeBridge, reference design, and cloud services for over-the-air updates. AST-X manages hardware and PCB engineering, mechanics, qualification, and manufacturing, while Solectrix handles embedded software, Linux development, board support package (BSP) creation, and system integration.

Why It Matters

The companies state that this integrated approach aims to reduce manufacturing costs and improve reliability by consolidating charging logic, compute, and interfaces onto a single PCB. This consolidation reduces internal wiring and assembly work, cutting down on connection points that often lead to field failures. Additionally, the architecture allows new features and standards to be implemented via OTA updates, eliminating the need for hardware redesigns when requirements change. The development timeline for manufacturers involves a two-week definition phase, eight weeks of prototyping, eight weeks of integration and testing, and 10 weeks of industrialization before series production begins. Customers can initially test a proof of concept in days using development kits and their existing hardware.

The Bottom Line

Stefan Schütz, Managing Director of AST-X and Solectrix, stated that charger manufacturers should not have to choose between speed and a controller tailored to their product. "By combining AST-X's hardware development and industrialization capabilities with Solectrix's embedded Linux and system integration expertise, we can adapt a proven reference design to the customer's actual requirements and take it all the way through validation, series production and long-term lifecycle support," Schütz said. The offering is currently available, allowing manufacturers to evaluate the reference system before committing to custom development.