Electric vehicle charging stations are an emerging technology. As such, charging station site hosts and EV drivers are quickly learning all the various terminology and concepts. For example, J1772 at first glance may seem like a random sequence of letters and numbers. Not so. Over time, J1772 will likely be seen as the standard universal plug for Level 1 and Level 2 charging.
The latest standard in the world of EV charging is OCPP.
OCPP stands for Open Charge Point Protocol. This charging standard is regulated by the Open Charge Alliance. In layman’s terms, it is open networking for EV charging stations. For example, when you buy a cell phone, you get to choose between a number of cellular networks. That is essentially OCPP for charging stations.
Before OCPP, charging networks (which typically control pricing, access, and session limits) were closed and did not allow for site hosts to change networks should they want different network features or pricing. Instead, they had to completely replace the hardware (the charging station) to get a different network. Continuing with the phone analogy, without OCPP, if you bought a phone from Verizon, you had to use their network. If you wanted to switch to AT&T, you had to buy a new phone from AT&T.
With OCPP, site hosts can rest assured that the hardware they install will not only be future-proofed for upcoming technology advancements, but also remain confident they have the best charging network managing their stations.
Most significantly, a feature called plug and charge greatly improves the charging experience. With plug and charge, EV drivers simply plug in to begin charging. The access and billing is all handled between the charger and the car seamlessly. With plug and charge, there is no need for credit card swiping, RFID tapping, or smartphone app tapping.
Post time: Aug-14-2021