Pionix, AST-X and Solectrix Partner on Custom EV Charge Controllers Based on EVerest

Pionix, AST-X and Solectrix have formed a partnership to give EV charger manufacturers a custom charge controller adapted from Pionix's reference design rather than designed from a blank sheet. The partners call it a "custom-off-the-shelf" controller for software-defined charging.

The starting point is Pionix's controller reference design and its ChargeBridge module, running the open-source EVerest charging stack. According to Pionix's product pages, ChargeBridge runs the low-level charging logic (handshake, PWM and safety monitoring) on a microcontroller, independently of a Linux system that runs EVerest and handles OCPP, ISO 15118 and smart charging. ChargeBridge supports CCS, and modules for MCS, CHAdeMO, ChaoJi and GB/T are planned.

Pionix supplies EVerest, ChargeBridge, the reference design and cloud services for OTA updates and security (Charged covered the launch of Pionix Cloud in June 2026). AST-X takes each customer project from definition to production, covering hardware and PCB engineering, mechanics, qualification and manufacturing. Solectrix handles embedded software and Linux, including board support package (BSP) development and system integration.

Customers can run a first proof of concept in days using development kits and their existing hardware, the companies say. The offering's product page puts a functional prototype at 10 weeks: a two-week definition phase and eight weeks of prototyping. Eight weeks of integration and testing and 10 weeks of industrialization follow before series production.

The companies say putting charging logic, compute and interfaces on a single PCB removes much of the internal wiring and assembly work inside a charger, which lowers manufacturing cost and cuts the connection points that cause field failures. They add that new features and standards arrive through OTA updates rather than a hardware redesign, so the controller doesn't need a new board revision each time requirements change.

The offering is available, and manufacturers can evaluate the reference system before committing to a custom development.

"Charger manufacturers should not have to choose between speed and a controller tailored to their product," said Stefan Schütz, Managing Director of AST-X and Solectrix. "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."

Source: Solectrix