UL 2231-2 2020-12 PDF

Full title and description

St UL 2231-2 2020-12 — Personnel Protection Systems for Electric Vehicle (EV) Supply Circuits: Particular Requirements for Protection Devices for Use in Charging Systems. This document is the second-edition reprint with revisions through December 15, 2020 and contains the specific safety and test requirements for protective devices intended to prevent hazardous leakage or fault currents in EV charging circuits.

Abstract

UL 2231-2 specifies particular requirements and test procedures for protection devices used in EV charging systems to reduce the risk of electric shock to personnel. It is intended to be used together with the general requirements provided in the companion Part 1 (UL 2231-1) and with applicable national/trinational harmonized documents. The 2020 reprint includes revised testing requirements for isolated circuit systems and immunity tests.

General information

• Status: Active (Second edition; reprint with revisions through Dec 15, 2020).
• Publication date: December 15, 2020 (revisions dated Dec 15, 2020; original 2nd-edition material originates from 2012 publication history).
• Publisher: Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
• ICS / categories: Primarily 43.120 (Electric road vehicles); also related to 29.120.x (plugs, socket-outlets and couplers) given the EV charging context.
• Edition / version: 2nd edition, reprint with revisions (redline/revision pages through 2020-12-15).
• Number of pages: Approx. 70–75 pages depending on publisher print/pdf format (commonly distributed editions list 71 pages for the 2nd-edition material).

Scope

This standard provides particular requirements for protection devices used in conductive EV charging systems to detect and interrupt hazardous ground-fault or leakage currents and to ensure personnel protection. It is to be applied in conjunction with the general requirements in the companion Part 1 (UL 2231-1) and is harmonized where applicable with the equivalent CSA and NMX Mexican standards for trinational alignment. The scope includes test methods, performance criteria and immunity/robustness requirements for devices intended for use in EV supply circuits.

Key topics and requirements

• Requirements for protective devices used in EV charging systems (residual-current detection, disconnect performance and timing).
• Specific test procedures for isolated-circuit systems, including capacitor switching transient tests and harmonic distortion immunity tests (revisions highlighted in the 2020 reprint).
• Coordination and normative reference to UL 2231-1 (general requirements) and harmonized trinational documents (CSA C22.2 No. 281.2 and NMX-J-668/2-ANCE).
• Performance criteria for operation under normal, fault and abnormal conditions, and requirements for marking and installation guidance for protective devices used in EVSE (equipment and vehicle interfaces).
• Test setups, measurement limits and pass/fail criteria for immunity, transient and leakage/ground-fault behavior in EV supply circuits.

Typical use and users

Intended users include EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) and charging-station manufacturers, component suppliers (protective devices and RCDs), test laboratories, product certifiers, safety engineers, and regulatory authorities involved in EV charging infrastructure safety and compliance.

Related standards

Commonly referenced and harmonized documents include UL 2231-1 (Part 1: General Requirements), CSA C22.2 No. 281.2 and NMX-J-668/2-ANCE (trinational harmonization), UL 2202 (EV charging system equipment), UL 2251 (plugs/receptacles/couplers for EVs), UL 2594 (EV supply equipment), and international IEC/ISO EV charging standards such as IEC 62196 and IEC 61851 family.

Keywords

UL 2231-2; personnel protection; EV supply circuits; protection devices; residual current device; ground-fault; EVSE; charging safety; capacitor switching transient; harmonic immunity; trinational harmonization; CSA C22.2 No. 281.2; NMX-J-668/2.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: UL 2231-2 is the Part 2 standard that defines particular safety requirements and test methods for protection devices used in electric vehicle (EV) charging systems to protect persons from electric shock. It is intended to be used with UL 2231-1 (general requirements).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the types of protection devices used in EV supply circuits, performance and disconnect requirements, detailed test procedures (including transient and immunity tests), and criteria for safe operation in normal and fault conditions for conductive EV charging.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: EV charging equipment manufacturers, protective-device suppliers, test labs and certification bodies, product safety engineers, and authorities or designers responsible for EV charging infrastructure compliance and safety.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document is published as a current (active) second-edition reprint with revisions through December 15, 2020 and remains a referenced safety standard for EV charging protection devices. Note: regulatory lists and program scopes can treat component standards differently — for example, a 2021 OSHA Federal Register notice proposed modifications to the NRTL test-standard list noting UL 2231-1 and UL 2231-2 are component standards rather than end-product test standards; this affects program listing consideration but does not by itself nullify the standard’s technical content. Consult the issuing body (UL) or official national/regulatory lists for the most current administrative/status details.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — UL 2231 is a two-part series: Part 1 (UL 2231-1) contains general requirements for personnel protection systems for EV supply circuits; Part 2 (UL 2231-2) contains the particular requirements for protection devices used in charging systems. The Part 2 document is harmonized in trinational publications with CSA and NMX equivalents.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Personnel protection, EV supply circuits, protection devices, residual-current detection, ground-fault protection, EVSE, test methods, transient immunity, UL 2231-1, CSA C22.2 No. 281.2, NMX-J-668/2.