June 25, 2026 – As the electric vehicle (EV) landscape accelerates toward mass adoption, the infrastructure supporting it must evolve with equal velocity. Panasonic Industry today announced a pivotal development in power electronics: the launch of its HE-S SC 2a and HE-S SC 2a1b PCB relay series. Specifically engineered for the rigorous demands of single-phase EV charging systems and residential wallboxes, this new series offers a future-proof solution that anticipates the stringent European short-circuit safety mandates set to take effect in the fourth quarter of 2028.
Main Facts: Engineering for the Future of Mobility
The HE-S SC series represents a significant leap in electromechanical relay technology. Designed as the primary switching element for single-phase charging infrastructures—a segment particularly prominent in the United Kingdom, as well as specific regions of Italy and Spain—the relay series is built to handle the high-power throughput and thermal stresses inherent in daily EV charging.
Key technical specifications include:
- Compliance: Full alignment with the forthcoming IEC 62955 European short-circuit test standards.
- Short-Circuit Capability: A robust Ip of 1.85kA and I²t of 4.5kA²s.
- Load Handling: Each of the two normally open (NO) contacts is capable of switching up to 40A at ambient temperatures as high as +70°C.
- Energy Efficiency: A remarkably low coil holding power of just 400mW, reducing the thermal footprint of the charging unit.
- Safety Integration: The 2a1b variant includes an auxiliary normally closed (NC) mirror contact, compliant with IEC 60947-4-1, to facilitate diagnostic monitoring.
By integrating these features into a compact, PCB-mountable format, Panasonic is enabling manufacturers to shed the bulk of traditional external switching assemblies, allowing for more streamlined, cost-effective, and energy-efficient wallbox designs.
Chronology: Navigating the Regulatory Horizon
The introduction of the HE-S SC series is a calculated response to a multi-year regulatory evolution. For several years, the European Union and associated regulatory bodies have been tightening standards surrounding the safety of EV supply equipment (EVSE).
- 2023–2025: Industry discussions regarding the safety of RCD (Residual Current Device) integration in EV chargers intensified, focusing on the protection of users against DC fault currents.
- Q4 2025: Regulatory drafts solidified the requirements for the IEC 62955 standard regarding short-circuit performance, placing the burden of proof on manufacturers to ensure hardware could withstand specific surge conditions.
- June 2026: Panasonic Industry releases the HE-S SC series, providing an off-the-shelf solution that meets these 2028 requirements, effectively granting manufacturers a two-year buffer for testing, certification, and production integration.
- Q4 2028 (Mandatory Date): The full implementation of the updated IEC 62955 standard, at which point all new installations and product designs must comply with the specified short-circuit parameters.
By releasing this technology well ahead of the 2028 deadline, Panasonic has effectively mitigated the "compliance risk" that many wallbox manufacturers face, allowing them to iterate on current designs without the fear of immediate obsolescence.
Supporting Data: Thermal Design and Power Optimization
In the competitive market of EV charger manufacturing, power consumption and thermal management are the primary metrics for success. A charging station that generates excessive heat requires larger, more expensive cooling solutions, which in turn increase the physical size and cost of the unit.
The HE-S SC series addresses these challenges through a sophisticated thermal architecture. By achieving a coil holding power of just 400mW, the relay minimizes its own energy consumption—a feature that, when scaled across millions of household charging units, contributes significantly to the overall energy efficiency of the charging ecosystem.
Furthermore, the ability to maintain a 40A switching capacity at 70°C ambient temperature ensures that the relay remains operational even in high-heat scenarios, such as outdoor wallboxes exposed to direct summer sunlight or high-density internal electronics environments. The inclusion of the mirror contact in the 2a1b version provides a secondary benefit: functional safety. By supporting low-level switching loads down to 10mA at 5VDC, the mirror contact allows the wallbox’s internal controller to perform real-time health checks on the power contacts, ensuring that if a contact welds or fails, the system can instantly isolate the circuit and alert the user.
Official Responses: A Strategic Vision for Europe
Markus Bichler, Head of Product Management Industrial Relays at Panasonic Industry Europe, emphasized that this product launch is not merely a technical update, but a strategic move to support the scaling of European EV infrastructure.
"As the EV charging market continues to scale rapidly across Europe, reliability, safety and cost-efficient integration are becoming increasingly critical for wallbox manufacturers," Bichler stated. "With our new HE-S SC relay, we are enabling designers to meet upcoming short-circuit test standard updates well ahead of time, while optimizing system size, energy efficiency and overall performance. This combination supports the development of next-generation single-phase charging solutions that are both future-proof and highly competitive."
This perspective highlights the symbiotic relationship between component manufacturers and the broader mobility ecosystem. By "democratizing" high-end safety features through standardized PCB components, Panasonic is lowering the barrier to entry for smaller manufacturers while simultaneously raising the safety floor for the entire industry.
Implications: Reshaping the Wallbox Industry
The implications of this release are threefold: design simplification, economic viability, and safety standardization.
1. Simplification and Miniaturization
Historically, ensuring compliance with high-current short-circuit standards required bulky external contactors and large safety relays that consumed valuable PCB real estate. The HE-S SC series changes this by allowing the switching function to move directly onto the main control board. This reduces the number of interconnects and mechanical linkages, which in turn improves long-term reliability by reducing potential failure points.
2. Economic Efficiency
For wallbox manufacturers, the total cost of ownership is the ultimate metric. By reducing the size and complexity of the internal assembly, manufacturers can utilize smaller, less expensive enclosures and simplify their assembly lines. The reduction in components also leads to lower logistics costs and simplified supply chain management, as fewer individual parts are required to achieve the same safety rating.
3. Raising the Safety Floor
Safety is the cornerstone of consumer trust in electric vehicle adoption. By providing a component that is inherently compliant with the 2028 IEC 62955 mandate, Panasonic is essentially "future-proofing" the consumer. Owners of wallboxes equipped with the HE-S SC series will benefit from hardware that meets the highest safety standards of the coming decade, ensuring that their home charging infrastructure remains safe and reliable even as grid standards evolve.
Conclusion: A Commitment to Sustainable Infrastructure
The Panasonic Group, with its century-long history of innovation, continues to demonstrate its commitment to the energy transition. With consolidated net sales of 46.0 billion euros for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, the group is uniquely positioned to invest in the R&D required to produce such specialized, high-reliability components.
As the industry looks toward 2028 and beyond, the HE-S SC relay series stands as a testament to the importance of proactive engineering. By identifying the intersection of regulatory necessity and market demand, Panasonic Industry Europe has provided the essential building blocks for a more robust, safe, and efficient European charging network. Whether in the residential driveways of the UK or the smart-home infrastructures of Italy and Spain, this technology is set to play a quiet, yet critical, role in the transition to a sustainable, electrified future.
