OCPP stands for “The Open Charge Point Protocol” and is an international communication standard used by electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to communicate with the central management system. OCPP allows different charging stations and control systems to interact seamlessly with each other, making it easier for EV drivers to charge their vehicles.
The OCPP standard has been improved over the years, and the two most recent versions are OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1. If you're interested in the latest and most advanced version of the OCPP standard, you'll be pleased to know that Stuart offers OCPP 2.0.1 ready products. These products provide even more advanced functionalities than the widely-used OCPP 1.6, such as demand response, load balancing, and tariff management, making them a great choice for large-scale charging networks. In this article, we'll explore the differences between OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1, and discuss how the latter can help streamline charging processes and provide enhanced customer experience.
OCPP 1.6 is the most widely used version of the OCPP standard. It was first released in 2011 and has since been adopted by many EV charging station manufacturers and operators. OCPP 1.6 provides basic functionalities such as starting and stopping a charge, retrieving charging station information and updating firmware.
OCPP 2.0.1 is the latest version of the OCPP standard. It was released in 2018 and is designed to address some of the limitations of OCPP 1.6. OCPP 2.0.1 provides more advanced functionalities, such as demand response, load balancing, and tariff management. OCPP 2.0.1 uses a RESTful/JSON communication protocol, which is faster and more lightweight than SOAP/XML, making it more suitable for large-scale charging networks.
There are several differences between OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1. The most significant ones are:
Advanced functionalities: OCPP 2.0.1 provides more advanced functionalities than OCPP 1.6, such as demand-response, load balancing, and tariff management.
Error handling: OCPP 2.0.1 has a more advanced error handling mechanism than OCPP 1.6, making it easier to diagnose and troubleshoot issues.
Security: OCPP 2.0.1 has stronger security features than OCPP 1.6, such as TLS encryption and certificate-based authentication.
OCPP 2.0.1 adds several advanced functionalities that were not available in OCPP 1.6, making it better suited for large-scale charging networks. Some of the new features include:
1. Device Management. The protocol enables inventory reporting, enhances error and state reporting, and improves configuration. The customization feature makes it possible for Charging Station operators to decide the extent of information to be monitored and collected.
2. Improved transaction handling. Instead of using more than ten different messages, all transaction-related functionalities can be included in one single message.
3. Smart charging functionalities. Energy Management System (EMS), a local controller and integrated smart EV charging, charging station, and charging station management system.
4. Support for ISO 15118. It is a recent EV communication solution that enables data input from the EV, supporting Plug & Charge functionality.
5. Added security. The extension of secure firmware updates, security logging, event notification, authentication security profiles (client-side certificate key management), and secure communication (TLS).
6. Display and messaging support. Information on the display for EV drivers, regarding rates and tariffs.
If you're interested in learning more about OCPP 2.0.1 and how Stuart's energy representatives can help you find the right EV charging solution for your needs, don't hesitate to contact us today!
