Keysight Technologies and the CATARC New Energy Vehicle Inspection Center have expanded their strategic collaboration to advance charging test technologies, the two organizations announced via Business Wire.

The deal deepens an existing relationship between the U.S.-based test and measurement supplier and the inspection arm of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, the state-backed body that shapes vehicle homologation and standards work in the world's largest electric-vehicle market.

The announcement is a headline-level disclosure at this stage. Neither party has published the financial terms, the duration of the agreement, nor a detailed technology roadmap alongside the release. Treat the expanded scope as an announced intention until Keysight or CATARC confirms concrete program milestones, equipment deployments or staffing at the inspection center.

Why does charging test capability matter now?

Charging interoperability has become a bottleneck issue as EV platforms proliferate. Suppliers of test hardware — Keysight sits in that tier — sell validation equipment that OEMs and certification bodies use to prove chargers, onboard chargers and vehicle charging interfaces conform to evolving standards.

For CATARC's inspection center, access to Keysight's test portfolio supports its role in evaluating new energy vehicles and charging equipment for the Chinese market, where DC fast-charging power levels and communication protocols continue to advance quickly.

What to watch next

Watch for follow-on specifics: which charging standards the collaboration will target, any named OEM or charger-maker participants, and whether the partnership produces jointly developed test procedures or certification services. Concrete dates for program milestones would move this from intention to confirmed capacity.