EV Chargers in Chile: SEC Authorisation, RIC N°15, Electric Bus Depots and Seismic Sites

Short answer: chargers for Chile need prior authorisation from the SEC (Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels), required since April 2021 and based on the IEC 61851 and IEC 62196 standards. Installations follow RIC N°15 and are registered with the SEC through the TE6 process. The supply is 220/380 V at 50 Hz; public sites use Type 2 for AC and mainly CCS2 for DC, while electric bus depots often use GB/T. Anchor every floor-standing unit for earthquakes.

For importers, distributors, installers, fleet and transport operators supplying Chile. It summarises public information as of October 2026 — confirm current requirements with the SEC and an authorised certification body before you sign.

Approval path: product, installation, registration

Stage	Rule	Who
Product	SEC prior authorisation of charging products (since 15 April 2021), via an SEC-authorised certification body and laboratory	Importer or brand owner
Design and installation	RIC N°15 — technical regulation for EV charging installations (new version 2024)	Authorised electrician / installer
Registration	TE6 declaration of the charging installation to the SEC	Authorised electrician
Supervision	SEC inspections — 122 public charging installations inspected in 2025	SEC

The SEC resolution references more than 18 standards, mainly the IEC 61851 series for charging systems and the IEC 62196 series for plugs and connectors, as well as ISO 15118 and, for Chinese-standard equipment, GB/T. UL, UNE or JEVS standards may be accepted where the documentation is in Spanish or English. In practice, IEC test reports for the exact model are the basis for SEC certification.

The most mature charging market in Latin America

Indicator	Detail	Source
Chargers in operation, 2025	5,245 (24 in 2018)	SEC
Private / public	4,015 private (76.5 %) · 1,230 public (23.5 %)	SEC
Santiago Metropolitan Region	3,827 chargers	SEC
Public AC connector	Type 2 on 99.11 % of points	SEC
Public DC connectors	CCS2 74.36 % · CHAdeMO 23.24 %	SEC
Largest public operators	Copec Voltex 37 %, Enel Mobility 37 %, Enex 9 %	SEC
Santiago electric buses	4,088, 62 % of the RED fleet	DTPM

With public charging concentrated in a few large operators, independent buyers find most demand in bus and truck depots, mining and industrial fleets, workplaces and residential buildings, and regional networks outside Santiago.

Electric bus and truck depots

Santiago’s RED system runs the largest electric bus fleet outside China, mostly from Chinese manufacturers. Depot charging has its own rules of thumb:

Topic	What to plan
Connector	Check each bus model — many use GB/T; newer models may use CCS2
Power per bus	Overnight: 60–150 kW per bus is common; quick top-ups between shifts need more
Dual-connector cabinets	One cabinet serving two buses in sequence or in parallel reduces grid connection size
Grid	Medium-voltage connection and transformer sized for the whole depot, with load management
Uptime	Remote monitoring, spare power modules on site, trained depot technicians

See charging electric buses and trucks and fleet depot sizing.

Earthquakes, desert and coast

Condition	What to specify
Seismic activity across the country	Floor-standing units anchored to a reinforced foundation designed by a local engineer; flexible cable entries; wall units fixed to structural walls
Atacama and the north: intense UV, heat, dust	UV-stable housings and cables, IP54 minimum, cleanable filters on DC chargers, shade
Mining sites at altitude	State the site altitude in the specification — insulation and cooling are rated for altitude
Coastal cities (Valparaíso, Antofagasta, Iquique)	C4–C5 corrosion-resistant finish, stainless fixings
Cold, wet south (Patagonia)	Low-temperature operation, anti-condensation heating

Recommended configurations

Site	Typical choice
Homes	7 kW single-phase or 11–22 kW three-phase wallbox, Type 2
Apartment buildings	Load-managed wall units or dual-port AC posts with per-user billing
Workplaces and retail	Dual-port AC posts; 60–120 kW DC for short stays
Highway and regional networks	120–180 kW dual-connector DC, CCS2 (+ CHAdeMO where needed)
Bus and truck depots	60–240 kW dual-connector DC with the fleet’s connector; load management
Mining and industrial fleets	DC wallboxes or dual DC with rugged enclosures and remote monitoring

Where VULTAE fits. Our IEC series are built for 230/400 V at 50/60 Hz — Chile’s 220/380 V supply sits within the normal input range of 230/400 V equipment — and operate from −20 °C to +55 °C: VT-HW wallboxes, VT-CW and VT-CP dual-port AC chargers, VT-DW DC wallboxes and VT-DF dual-connector DC chargers (60–300 kW) for highways and depots, with Type 2, CCS2 and CHAdeMO options, OCPP 1.6J / 2.0.1, IK10 and a C4 anti-corrosion finish. SEC authorisation is applied for by the Chilean importer for a specific model; we provide the IEC test reports, technical file and samples for certification.

Checklist before you order

1. SEC authorisation route for the exact model — certification body, laboratory, and who holds it.
2. Installation designed to RIC N°15 and registered through TE6.
3. Connectors: Type 2 for AC; CCS2 (and CHAdeMO where needed) for public DC; the fleet’s connector for depots.
4. Seismic anchoring and foundation design.
5. UV, dust, altitude, cold or corrosion protection for the region.
6. OCPP 1.6J or 2.0.1 and remote monitoring.
7. Spare parts in Chile and trained technicians — see our spare-parts list.