Urs von Känel takes over as chairman of TK 69 at Electrosuisse
Juice Technology AG, a manufacturer of charging stations and software and a leader in mobile charging solutions for electric vehicles, is pleased to announce that Urs von Känel, Head of Test Center and Approvals, has chaired Electrosuisse's Technical Committee 69 (TC 69) since the beginning of 2026. This committee develops the standards for electrical systems in electric road vehicles, thus laying the foundation for safe and reliable charging.
One of the main topics addressed by TK69 is the charging of electric vehicles with alternating and direct current. The committee plays a key role in the development and refinement of the international standard series IEC 61851. This series forms the basis for charging infrastructure and regulates, among other things, energy transmission, communication between the vehicle and the charging station, as well as protection concepts and electrical safety requirements. In addition to the actual standardization work, clarifying technical issues related to charging infrastructure is also among the committee's responsibilities.
Standardization work in a highly dynamic environment
Urs von Känel is taking over the chairmanship of TK 69 at a time of high dynamism and increasing networking – both within the committee and in exchanges with other standardization bodies. He sees the reasons for this in the subject matter itself: “Electromobility is currently one of the most active areas of national and international standardization work at CES, CENELEC, and IEC. Topics such as installation regulations, communication interfaces, and energy efficiency increasingly require collaboration across traditional disciplinary boundaries.”
"Electromobility is currently one of the most active areas of national and international standardization work."
Urs von Känel, new chairman of TK69
First-class expertise for high product safety
Von Känel has many years of experience in standardization, testing, and certification. He is a proven expert in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and product safety. For many years, he held management positions at Electrosuisse and Eurofins Electrosuisse Product Testing AG, and headed various testing laboratories. At the end of 2021, he moved to the electromobility sector and has since been Head of the Testing Center and Approvals at Juice Technology. In this role, he plays a key part in the implementation and further development of relevant standards. His involvement includes several working groups within TK 69, including WG 12 and JWG 20, as well as membership in other committees such as WG 7 and WG 8 within SC 23E.
New application scenarios require continuous development.
Due to technological progress, there remains a high need for standardization in the field of electromobility, which is strongly geared towards the needs of numerous stakeholders: These include charging infrastructure operators, electricity companies, distribution network operators and electricity producers, as well as property owners and drivers of electric cars.
A particular focus is on user-oriented topics such as bidirectional AC charging. This includes, in particular, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) for grid-friendly charging and discharging without costly DC infrastructure, as well as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), the direct power supply of consumer devices from the vehicle battery. Such application scenarios place new demands on communication, safety, and protection concepts, which are not yet fully addressed in the existing IEC standards.
Also on the standardization agenda are innovative concepts such as portable DC chargers (IEC 61851-23-4) and bidirectional DC charging stations. Further developments within the 61851 series aim, for example, to enable symmetrical charging without unbalanced loads for single-phase charging vehicles with power outputs up to 22 kW.
Commitment to safety, interoperability and practical relevance
The work of Technical Committee 69 (TK 69) thus makes an important contribution to ensuring the technical conformity and interoperability of charging infrastructure. The chairmanship of an industry representative strengthens the practical relevance of the standardization work and ensures that concrete experience from development and application is incorporated into the standardization process at an early stage. This improves the everyday usability of the charging infrastructure and thus enhances the attractiveness of electromobility.
"For Juice, active participation in standardization bodies is an important contribution to the continuous development of electromobility."
Christoph Erni, CEO Juice Technology
“We wholeheartedly support Urs von Känel’s work as Chairman of the Technical Committee. For Juice, active participation in standards committees is a crucial contribution to the continuous advancement of electromobility,” said Christoph Erni, CEO of Juice Technology AG. “When proven experts like Urs von Känel contribute their know-how to these committees, it strengthens the quality and safety of the entire industry. At the same time, his expertise allows us to align our product development early and consistently with existing and future standards. Hundreds of corporate and private customers benefit from this every day.”
Read more here
- How bidirectional charging turns electric cars into mobile energy storage devices and what opportunities it offers for grid stability, home consumption and device power supply: What is bidirectional charging?
- Why not all "tests" are equally meaningful and what really matters to assess the quality and everyday usability of charging solutions: Why not all tests are the same
- Meet Juice's interdisciplinary development and engineering team, which designs charging hardware and software from a user perspective and delivers technologically leading solutions: Innovation and Engineering
