When researching EV charging stations, you have probably seen the terms “Open Charge Point Protocol,” or “OCPP” used to describe a unit. But what exactly is OCPP? And how does it benefit the user?
What is Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)?
Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is an application protocol for communication between an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and the charging station management system.
With an ever-growing number of EVSE manufacturers and central management system companies coming onto the market, global standards have been supported that will allow a wider range of EVSEs and central management system networks to be able to work together, regardless of who owns and manages the network. This is called the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) — the standard protocol “language.”
Without standardized protocols, the charging unit and the central management system couldn’t “talk” to each other and therefore wouldn’t work.
In more technical terms: application protocol allows technology to control and execute various actions. Because EVSE units have two governable systems — the physical charging station and the central management software or systems that control various factors — that can be made and provided by either the same or different companies, protocols are needed to allow the hardware and centralized systems to work together.
Is OCPP Available on Every Charger?
While the Open Charge Alliance —an international standards organization— developed and promoted the protocols for OCPP, units are not required to be OCPP, nor do they need to be true OCPP systems.
When it comes to EvoCharge’s selection of products, our EVC50 and EVC50 LTE chargers for commercial use are OCPP compliant chargers.
Is OCPP the Same Between EV Charger Manufacturers?
For a charging station to say it is using OCPP, a system needs to follow the protocols laid out by the Open Charge Alliance. However, there are those that are technically using those protocols without being fully able to integrate with any network. A true OCPP EVSE unit can use any available network that uses the same protocols.
Benefits of OCPP
The biggest benefit of OCPP is that you are in control of selecting the network or managing the connection to your charging stations. An OCPP charging station allows you to utilize the full life of your charging hardware with the flexibility to choose a network service provider of your choice or change that provider when you want. This is especially handy as EV networks grow and new providers become available or cease to exist; the worst thing that could happen is that the network your charging station is connected to goes out of business and the EVSE unit is no longer usable because it could only be configured through that network.
For commercial properties, the advantages go even further. On top of allowing you to control the units through a network and connect to your local utility, an OCPP unit paired with a network allows you to control who can use your charger at what times, and can enable payment through the unit. RFID access is also available with the EvoCharge EVC50 and EVC50 LTE charging stations through physical cards or FOB’s.
Both the EvoCharge EVC50 and EVC50 LTE are capable of meeting OCPP 1.6J requirements. While OCPP 2.0.1 is also available, it’s not standardized across the industry yet and 1.6J still meets all the same requirements.
How Does EvoCharge’s OCPP Work?
When you purchase an EvoCharge commercial charging station, you have the option to buy a unit that is already configured to the EvoCharge Network, a network partner, or it can be open networked so you have the ability to add a network at a later time.. Many competitors don’t offer this flexibility, making it difficult to future-proof your EV charging needs; however EvoCharge provides this knowing not all businesses operate the same and their needs may change over time.
OCPP Networks and EvoCharge
If you’re looking for an OCPP-compliant EV charging station, look no further than EvoCharge’s EVC50 and EVC50 LTE units. EvoCharge connected stations are OCPP 1.6-compliant, putting the choice of networks in your hands.
