OVE R 37 explained: which wallboxes and charging stations may be installed in Austria?

If you are planning a wallbox or DC charging station in Austria, you will increasingly come across OVE R 37. In short: it is not a “wallbox quality seal”, but describes test procedures that manufacturers use to prove that their charging equipment meets the requirements of the Austrian TOR for grid connection.

Contents

1. What is OVE R 37?
2. What does R 37 apply to?
3. Transitional arrangement until 14/12/2026
4. What exactly is it about?
5. Who is R 37 relevant for?
6. What you should check before buying
7. R 37, MID, Eichrecht and AFIR

For buyers, electrical contractors and operators, this means: in addition to power, connector type and price, it must be clear before installation whether the specific charging equipment is demonstrably suitable for the planned grid connection in Austria.

What is OVE R 37?

The OVE guideline R 37 sets out uniform test procedures and evidence for charging stations. It regulates how charging infrastructure must be tested in order to meet the Technical and Organisational Rules (TOR) for connection to the Austrian power grid. It focuses on three areas:

1. Electrical properties

The guideline defines measurement and test methods for energy consumption during charging. This ensures that the charging station works correctly from an electrical point of view and complies with limit values.

2. Grid compatibility

The behaviour during grid fluctuations is tested, including:

• avoidance of impermissible grid perturbations
• compliance with power quality
• stable behaviour during voltage fluctuations

3. Grid-supporting functions

For the first time, there are standardised test procedures for grid-supporting functions, such as:

• controlled behaviour during grid faults
• defined responses to frequency and voltage changes
• controlled restart after the grid is restored

What does R 37 apply to?

• newly installed, permanently connected charging stations
• charging cables and mobile charging devices with ICCB or IC-CPD
• systems with a power of more than 3.68 kVA
• the energy consumption operating mode (charging the vehicle)

Feeding back into the grid (vehicle-to-grid) is not covered – separate requirements apply to this.

Transitional arrangement until 14/12/2026

• Until 14/12/2026, a manufacturer's declaration is sufficient stating that the requirements of OVE R 37 are met.
• From 14/12/2026, conformity must be demonstrated by an independent testing institute.

So at present, a documented confirmation from the manufacturer is often still sufficient. After the deadline, a test report from a recognised testing body is required.

What exactly is it about?

One key focus is switch-on behaviour after a power failure. When the grid returns, a charging station must not start up uncontrolled at full power. It must:

• restart in a controlled manner,
• observe defined delay times,
• not overload the grid when reconnecting,
• integrate stably into the grid conditions.

Especially in grids with many charging points, this prevents voltage peaks and sudden load changes.

Who is R 37 relevant for?

For all charging equipment newly connected to the grid in Austria – especially for:

• 11 and 22 kW wallboxes
• several charging points with load management
• public or commercial charging points
• DC fast-charging stations
• projects with a high connected load
• combinations with PV, battery storage or energy management
• projects where the grid operator requests documentation on the charging equipment

For a single wallbox, the electrical contractor usually coordinates the installation and notification to the grid operator. For commercial, multi-unit or DC projects, you should ask for the evidence at the planning stage.

Does every wallbox need its own test report?

Not as a separate document for each installation. What matters is that suitable evidence exists for the specific charging equipment used – the manufacturer's declaration until 14/12/2026, the test report thereafter. The evidence must match the installed version exactly, because a product series can have different power levels, software versions or communication modules.

What you should check before buying

1. Which product with what power will be installed?
   11 kW, 22 kW, 50 kW or 400 kW have very different requirements.
2. Is there an R 37 manufacturer's declaration or, later, a test report?
   At e-leiwand, we are happy to check the relevant documentation with you.
3. How much power is available at the site?
   What matters is the power available at the grid connection point, not the sum of the wallboxes' rated power.
4. Do you need load management?
   With several charging points or a tight house connection, it prevents overloading.
5. Are there other components at the site?
   A PV system, storage, heat pump or large consumers influence the planning.
6. Does the charging point need to be billed?
   Then MID meters, access control, a backend and, for public operation, AFIR must be taken into account.

R 37, MID, Eichrecht and AFIR

These terms are often mixed up, but they concern different topics:

• OVE R 37 / TOR: technical suitability for grid connection, including grid compatibility and grid-supporting functions
• MID meter: measurement of the amount of energy charged in kWh
• Austrian and German calibration law (Eichrecht): requirements for metering and billing in certain use cases
• AFIR: requirements for publicly accessible charging points, e.g. regarding payment and price transparency

A wallbox can therefore be R 37-compliant without being suitable for public billing. Conversely, an MID meter does not replace R 37 evidence.

Conclusion

When it comes to charging infrastructure, don't just ask: “Which wallbox is cheap?” Better: “Which wallbox suits my site technically, in terms of billing and from a regulatory point of view?” Plan for the transition period and the appropriate documentation early on – especially for larger projects.

Planning several charging points or a DC fast charger? Write to us before ordering at onlinesales@ampion.at – we will check the device version, your grid operator's requirements and the documents needed for Austria.

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As of: August 2026. This article provides technical guidance and does not replace planning by a licensed electrical contractor or coordination with the responsible grid operator.

Sources: OVE Richtlinie R 37, OVE: Elektromobilität und R 37, E-Control: TOR