This SAE Information Report, SAE J2836-2, establishes use cases and general information for communication between plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the DC off-board charger. Where relevant, this document notes, but does not formally specify, interactions between the vehicle and vehicle operator.

This applies to the off-board DC charger for conductive charging, which supplies DC current to the vehicle battery of the electric vehicle through a SAE J1772 hybrid coupler or SAE J1772 AC Level 2-type coupler on DC power lines, using the AC power lines or the pilot line for power line communication (PLC), or dedicated communication lines that are further described in SAE J2847-2.

The specification supports DC energy transfer via forward power flow (FPF) from grid-to-vehicle.

The relationship of this document to the others that address PEV communications is further explained in Section 5.