A parafoudre is not mandatory on every IRVE installation, but the NF C 15-100-1 edition of August 2025 makes it compulsory whenever the site has a lightning rod, an AQ2 aerial supply, an ICPE classification, or falls into certain ERP or tertiary categories. Absent those triggers, the safe baseline is still a Type 2 surge arrester at the TGBT with Up ≤ 1 kV, plus a local device when the charger sits more than 10 meters away. Run the obligation checklist below before you quote the job.

TL;DR:

  • A Type 2 surge arrester with Up below 1 kV is generally sufficient for most IRVE sites, unless a lightning rod or AQ2 aerial supply mandates Type 1 protection.
  • Install cascade protection: a Type 1 arrester at origins with direct lightning exposure, followed by Type 2 at the TGBT, and local devices if distance exceeds 10 meters.
  • Standards IEC 61643-11, IEC 61643-41, and IEC 61851-23 determine the necessary surge protection depending on AC or DC charging configurations.
  • Site conditions like lightning rods, aerial feeds, or long cable runs significantly increase surge risk, requiring specific protection strategies.
  • OEM chargers with built-in SPD require upstream protection to cover wiring and equipment between the TGBT and the charger.
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Table of Contents

What Does a Parafoudre for IRVE Actually Protect Against?

A parafoudre, or surge protective device (SPD), diverts transient overvoltage to earth before it reaches the charger’s power electronics. Electric vehicle chargers are full of rectifiers, communication boards, and metering circuits that fail at voltage spikes far below what would trip a standard circuit breaker. That is the gap a surge arrester closes.

Three device families cover three different threats, and mixing them up is the single most common specification error installers make.

  • Type 1 handles direct lightning current, the kind that travels down a lightning rod conductor or strikes a line near the site. It is rated on a 10/350 µs waveform, the slow, high-energy pulse that mimics an actual strike, with typical impulse currents around 25 kA. Bornetik’s technical guidance frames Type 1 as the device for sites with real strike exposure, not general-purpose protection.
  • Type 2 handles induced surges and switching transients, the far more common event caused by a nearby strike, grid switching, or motor start elsewhere in the building. It is tested on the faster 8/20 µs waveform, with 40 kA a typical rating for IRVE applications, and it is the device that belongs in almost every charging installation.
  • Type 3 offers fine, terminal-level filtering for sensitive electronics. It has almost no energy-handling capacity on its own and only makes sense as a supplement close to a particularly delicate charger or at the end of a long cable run, never as a standalone defense.

The practical rule installers should carry into every IRVE quote: target a protection level (Up) of 1 kV or below at the charger. That number keeps the residual voltage that reaches the vehicle’s onboard charger and the station’s control electronics inside the range those components are built to survive. Type 1 covers the strike itself; Type 2 covers everything Type 1 misses; Type 3 mops up what is left for equipment that has no margin for error.

Which Norms Determine Whether a Parafoudre Is Mandatory?

The August 2025 edition of NF C 15-100-1 expanded mandatory parafoudre installation to seven categories of buildings, detailed in article 443.4, and IRVE sites now get checked against that list the same way any other electrical installation does. For residential charging, NF C 15-100-10 permits the surge protection to live inside the charger itself or in the supply board, which changes what an installer needs to add versus what is already handled.

Three product standards belong in every technical file:

  1. IEC 61643-11 governs AC-side SPDs and is the reference for any Type 1 or Type 2 device installed at the TGBT or distribution board.
  2. IEC 61643-41 governs DC-side SPDs, relevant the moment a fast or ultra-fast DC charger enters the picture, since DC surge behavior does not follow the same coordination rules as AC.
  3. IEC 61851-23 sets requirements specific to high-power chargers, including surge management expectations at the charger interface.

Use this sequence to determine obligation on site rather than guessing from memory:

  1. Check for a lightning rod (paratonnerre) on the building or within its protection zone. If present, Type 1 at origin is mandatory.
  2. Check the electrical supply type. An AQ2 classification with aerial (overhead) supply significantly raises exposure and often triggers the same Type 1 requirement.
  3. Check for an ICPE classification. Certain regulated industrial sites carry mandatory surge protection regardless of lightning exposure.
  4. Check the building category against the seven cases in article 443.4, paying particular attention to ERP, health, and specific tertiary categories.
  5. If none of the above apply, default to Type 2 at the TGBT as good practice, and measure the distance to the charger before finalizing the design.

Full standards references are worth keeping on file for every project; the lightning standards page is a useful bookmark when a client asks which document actually says what.

How Should You Architect Cascade Protection for a Charging Station?

Cascade protection is the accepted model for IRVE, and it works the same way for a single home charger and a forty-bay commercial lot, just at different scale. The chain runs: an origin arrester (Type 1, where a paratonnerre or AQ2 aerial supply demands it) feeds into a Type 2 device at the TGBT, which in turn feeds a local Type 2 or Type 3 device, or a dedicated DC arrester, positioned near the charger itself.

That last link matters more than installers often assume. Filière 3E’s technical guidance is explicit that when the distance between the TGBT and the charger exceeds roughly 10 meters, cable length alone reintroduces enough induced overvoltage risk to justify a second, local SPD. Skipping that step because “there’s already a parafoudre upstream” is the most frequent design gap found on site audits.

AC and DC protection are not interchangeable, and this is where IRVE differs from a standard building installation:

  • Standard AC charging (up to 22 kW, most residential and light commercial installs) needs only AC-rated SPDs per IEC 61643-11, positioned at the TGBT and locally as distance requires.
  • High-power DC fast chargers convert AC to DC internally or receive DC directly, and the DC side needs its own SPD rated to IEC 61643-41, because DC fault current and clearing behavior do not match AC coordination curves.
  • Modeling of overvoltages from negative lightning strikes on incoming medium-voltage lines shows that AC-only protection leaves DC-side converter components exposed on more complex charging stations, which is the technical reason regulators separated the two standards.

For multi-charger sites, distributing Type 2 protection per row of chargers rather than relying on one large upstream device reduces the blast radius of a single component failure and lowers replacement cost when an SPD does sacrifice itself, a pattern confirmed across commercial installation guidance.

Pro Tip:Never assume an OEM charger’s internal SPD replaces the need for upstream protection. It handles what reaches the charger terminals, not what a lightning event does to the rest of the building’s wiring on the way there.

What Iimp, Imax, and Up Values Should You Specify?

Every SPD datasheet reduces to four numbers, and knowing what they mean prevents the two most common sizing mistakes: over-speccing a residential job into industrial-grade hardware, or under-speccing a site with real lightning exposure.

  • Iimp is the impulse current a Type 1 device is rated to discharge on the 10/350 µs waveform, the direct-strike signature. A typical IRVE-appropriate rating sits around 25 kA per pole.
  • Imax is the maximum discharge current a Type 2 device can survive once, tested on the faster 8/20 µs waveform. For most IRVE installations, 40 kA 8/20 µs is the practical target.
  • In is the nominal discharge current the device handles repeatedly without degrading, useful for comparing longevity across products in the same class.
  • Up is the residual voltage that gets through once the device has clamped the surge. This is the number that actually protects the charger electronics, and 1 kV or below is the working target for IRVE.

Wiring and bonding matter as much as device selection. Equipotential bonding links should be as short as physically possible, ideally under 50 centimeters for critical connections, and Type 1 bonding conductors should meet or exceed 16 mm² where the standard calls for it. Promotelec’s installation guidance also specifies that SPDs be placed downstream of differential protection, not upstream, and that earth resistance be verified as part of the same commissioning pass.

  • Coordinate the SPD with the upstream fuse or circuit breaker using a tested fuse combination from the manufacturer, not a field guess. An untested pairing can let the SPD fail without disconnecting, or trip the breaker before the SPD ever engages.
  • Keep a copy of the manufacturer’s coordination table in the project file. It is the single document most often missing during an insurance claim after a lightning event.

How Do You Install and Maintain IRVE Surge Protection Correctly?

Getting the device right on paper means little if the mechanical install undermines it. Start with an enclosure rated for its environment: outdoor cabinets need an IP rating that handles moisture and temperature swings, and the SPD needs solid mechanical fixation near the TGBT or the charger’s own distribution point, not dangling on a flying lead.

  1. Verify bonding and earthing before energizing anything. Measure site earth resistance and confirm it meets the design value used in the SPD’s coordination study; record the reading in the handover dossier.
  2. Test the remote signaling contact. Every quality Type 1 or Type 2 device includes a remote indicator or dry contact that reports end-of-life status. Trigger it during commissioning to confirm it reports correctly to the building management system or local panel, and document the test.
  3. Photograph and log the installed configuration, including cable lengths from TGBT to charger, since that distance is what determines whether local protection was actually required.
  4. Set a maintenance cadence. An annual visual and functional check is standard practice, but replace the SPD immediately after any documented lightning event in the area, regardless of whether the indicator has tripped yet, since some degradation is not visible externally.
  5. Track end-of-life indicators as a hard replacement trigger, not a maintenance suggestion. A tripped indicator means the device has already sacrificed part or all of its protective capacity.

Pro Tip:Build the remote signaling test into your standard commissioning checklist rather than treating it as optional. A silent SPD failure is invisible until the next surge event destroys the charger it was supposed to protect.

What Changes for Paratonnerre Sites, Aerial Supply, and Public Charging?

A handful of site conditions change the baseline recommendation, and installers who miss them are the ones who end up doing a costly retrofit.

  • Lightning rod present. A paratonnerre on or near the building makes Type 1 protection at the origin mandatory, with Type 2 still required at distribution boards downstream.
  • AQ2 classification with aerial supply. Overhead medium-voltage or low-voltage feeds carry induced surges directly into the building, and this configuration frequently pushes the requirement up to Type 1, even without a lightning rod on site.
  • Long feeders beyond 10 meters. Whether or not the site triggers a mandatory Type 1, any run longer than about 10 meters between the TGBT and the charger needs a local Type 2 or DC-rated SPD at the cabinet, following the same distance guidance that applies to standard cascade design.
  • Outdoor or roadside cabinets for public charging. These need housings rated for their exposure class, thermal protection for the SPD itself in direct sun or enclosed metal boxes, and a replacement logistics plan, since a failed device on a public charger stays failed until someone drives out to swap it.

Do OEM-Integrated Parafoudres Remove the Installer’s Responsibility?

Many chargers now ship with an SPD built into the housing, and manufacturers should declare its rated Iimp or Imax, its Up value, and whether it includes remote signaling in the technical manual. Installers must pull that documentation and verify it against the site’s actual exposure, not assume it covers every scenario. An internal SPD rated for light induced surges does nothing for a building with a paratonnerre or an AQ2 aerial feed.

Upstream protection at the TGBT typically remains necessary even when the charger has integrated protection, because the OEM device protects the charger’s own terminals, not the wiring and equipment between the TGBT and the charger. Record the OEM’s declared SPD specifications directly in the site dossier and certificate of compliance, alongside whatever upstream devices you installed, so the full protection chain is documented in one place.

Do OEM-Integrated Parafoudres Remove the Installer's Responsibility? — overview diagram

What Should You Budget for Parafoudre Installation on an IRVE Project?

A single-phase Type 2 SPD for a residential or light commercial charger typically runs a modest parts cost with an hour or two of labor for a straightforward TGBT installation. A three-phase Type 2 unit or a combined Type 1+2 device for a site with a paratonnerre costs more in both hardware and labor, given the additional bonding work Type 1 installations demand. Add a local device at the charger end whenever the 10 meter rule applies, and budget the extra site visit if that was not planned into the original quote.

Before finalizing a procurement order, confirm:

  • The device meets IEC 61643-11 (AC) or IEC 61643-41 (DC) as appropriate for its position in the circuit.
  • The enclosure IP rating matches the installation environment, indoor TGBT versus outdoor cabinet.
  • Remote alarm or signaling contact is present and wired to somewhere someone will actually see it.
  • The fuse combination has been tested by the manufacturer for that exact SPD model.
  • Warranty terms cover post-lightning-event replacement, not just manufacturing defects.

For multi-station sites, order spare units alongside the initial installation rather than after the first failure. Lead times on surge arresters can stretch during storm season, exactly when you need them fastest.

The Normative Shift Installers Need to Stop Underestimating

The conversation around IRVE surge protection has shifted from a discretionary add-on to a documented compliance requirement, with the August 2025 edition of NF C 15-100-1 accelerating that shift for good reason. Facility managers and installers who treat parafoudre selection as a checkbox rather than a site-specific risk calculation are the ones who get called back after the first regional storm.

The Normative Shift Installers Need to Stop Underestimating — overview diagram

A common mistake is not skipping protection entirely, but installing a generic Type 2 device without checking the paratonnerre, AQ2, or ICPE triggers that push a site into Type 1 territory, or without measuring the actual distance to the charger before deciding whether local protection is needed. A proper risk analysis, done before the SPD is specified rather than after a failure, catches both.

Documentation matters just as much as the hardware. A certificate of compliance that references the specific article triggering obligation, the declared Up of every device in the chain, and the earth resistance measured at commissioning is worth more to a facility manager than any spec sheet, because it is what actually holds up when an insurer or auditor asks why the protection was designed the way it was.

— INDELEC

Get a Site-Specific Surge Protection Plan for Your IRVE Project

Generic Type 2 recommendations get you compliant on paper. What actually prevents a charger from going dark after the next storm is a protection plan built around your site’s real exposure, its supply type, its cable runs, and whether a paratonnerre or ICPE classification already changes the rules for you. That is the gap between a parts list and a proper risk analysis, and it is where Indelec’s EV charging infrastructure services fit in.

Indelec

A specialized team audits the site, designs the cascade protection architecture (Type 1 where the norm requires it, Type 2 at the TGBT, local protection past the 10 meter mark), supplies and installs the hardware, and certifies the finished installation against current NF C 15-100 requirements. That full chain, audit through certification, means the compliance question gets answered once, correctly, instead of revisited after an insurance claim. If you manage an IRVE project and need to know exactly where your site sits on the obligation checklist, request a site survey and quote and get a protection plan built around your actual exposure rather than a generic assumption.

Sources

FAQ

What Are the Three Types of Surge Arrester?

Type 1 protects against direct lightning current using a 10/350 µs test waveform, Type 2 protects against induced surges and switching transients using an 8/20 µs waveform, and Type 3 provides fine terminal-level filtering as a supplement to one of the other two.

What Are the New Rules for IRVE Under NF C 15-100?

The August 2025 edition of NF C 15-100-1 expanded mandatory parafoudre cases to seven building categories under article 443.4, while NF C 15-100-10 allows integrated SPDs for residential chargers.

What Protection Does a Charging Station Actually Need?

Most IRVE sites need a Type 2 SPD with Up ≤ 1 kV at the TGBT, plus a local SPD near the charger if the distance exceeds about 10 meters; sites with a paratonnerre or AQ2 aerial supply also need Type 1 at the origin.

What Does French Regulation Require Regarding Parafoudres?

A parafoudre becomes mandatory when the site has a lightning rod, an AQ2 aerial supply, an ICPE classification, or falls into one of the seven building categories set by NF C 15-100-1; outside those triggers, Type 2 protection remains strongly recommended best practice.

Does an OEM Charger With a Built-In SPD Still Need Upstream Protection?

Usually yes. An integrated SPD protects the charger’s own terminals, but the wiring and equipment between the TGBT and the charger typically still need upstream Type 2 protection.