Learn about OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol), its purpose, uses, key features, and management benefits.
Motivation
If you’re considering investing in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations or currently have charging stations without management software, you’ll likely encounter the term OCPP. OCPP, or Open Charge Point Protocol, is an open communication standard that enables effective communication between charging stations and central management software. With OCPP compatibility, your charging station can integrate with any compliant backend system. For example, vaylens is an excellent OCPP-compliant solution, as detailed below.
Why OCPP
OCPP is the right choice. Let’s summarize what advantages come along with it:
- It’s a standard: You’re not limited to using the same model of charging station or backend provider, offering greater flexibility and cost-efficiency for the future.
- Scaling is possible: As your charging station network expands, OCPP easily accommodates new installations and stays efficient.
- Great features come along: OCPP enables advanced features such as remote monitoring, firmware updates, and configuration management. See below for more details.
It's worth noting that OCPP is designed to be future-proof and is continually evolving under the guidance of industry experts. Let’s take a moment to summarize its history to emphasize this point.
Short version history
OCPP was developed by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA), a group dedicated to promoting collaboration and standardization in the EV charging industry. Since its inception in 2009, OCPP has evolved significantly. At vaylens, we fully support OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 1.5, allowing any charging station compatible with these protocols to be seamlessly integrated into our backend. This integration provides a solid foundation for efficient management and remote control of your stations. A major step up in OCPP communication comes with OCPP 2.0.1 and OCPP 2.1, the latter being released in 2024. If you have questions about these topics or plan to onboard OCPP 2.x charging stations, please reach out to us.
In the following sections, we will focus on the current industry standard OCPP 1.6 and explore its key features and benefits.
Establish an OCPP 1.6 connection
To send OCPP messages, a connection must be set up between both sides for continuous communication. This permanent channel allows both parties to exchange OCPP messages efficiently and fast. For detailed guidance on setting up a charging station, refer to the Checklist: the process of setting up a charger.
This setup guarantees that communication can be initiated by either party whether the charging station needs to report its status or the central system wishes to send commands. When both sides implement the OCPP protocol, all messages are understood and accurately interpreted by the recipient, who will then respond appropriately.
Basic features
The OCPP messages exchanged between the charging station and the central system can be broadly categorized into two main types: communication features and management features for the charging stations. In many cases, your specific use cases may already be addressed by the communication features, particularly if the typical communication scenarios outlined here meet your functional requirements:
- Boot Notification: “Hey it is me – the charging station”:
When the charging station powers on, it sends a Boot Notification to the central system. This includes information about its model, location, and capabilities. The central system acknowledges this message and registers the station.
- User Identification: “I as an EV driver am authorized to charge”:
The user approaches the station and initiates the charging process, often by scanning a QR code or using an RFID card. The station sends an Authorize message to the central system to verify the user's credentials.
- Starting a Charging Session: “Please start a charging session”:
Once authorized, the user starts the charging session. The charging station sends a Start Transaction message to the central system, which includes details about the user, the vehicle, and the charging parameters.
- Monitoring Charging Progress: “I inform you how much energy I consumed”:
Throughout the charging session, the station periodically sends Meter Values to the central system. These updates include real-time data on energy consumption and charging status.
- Ending the Charging Session: “I’m finished, please stop”:
After the user has finished charging, they disconnect the vehicle. The charging station sends a Stop Transaction message to the central system, concluding the session and providing information about the total energy delivered.
For the management features the emphasis is primarily on the central system. Examples of these features are
- Firmware Management: Support for updating your station firmware remotely along with access to diagnostic logs.
- Load Management: Dynamically adjust the power distribution among your charging station cluster to optimize energy use, prevent overloading, and ensure efficient utilization of available electrical capacity.
- Remote Transactions: Initiate and control charging sessions from our portal or our eCharge+ app.
- Plug'n'Charge: Enable automatic authentication and secure payment processing according to ISO 15118. We can help you verify if your set-up meets the requirements to use this feature.
It is not only important that the backend supports these functions, but also how they are presented to you as a customer. The effectiveness and efficiency of the central system in managing charging stations depend on these aspects.
At vaylens, we fully support these capabilities and manage your charging stations using OCPP 1.6. Our solution empowers CPOs by providing an easy-to-use and reliable charging management software, whether you're overseeing just a few stations or an extensive network. For more details, take a look at Using vaylens.