Companies who use the Open Charge Point Protocol 1.6 (OCPP 1.6) in their charging products can now certify their implementations. The Open Charge Alliance (OCA), an international partnership of more than 150 companies active in the field of electric mobility, has launched an independent certification program.
Amsterdam, December 20, 2019—The first four companies to receive the official OCPP 1.6 Full Certificate are EVBox, Driivz, Greenlots, and Alfen. The OCPP 1.6 Certification Program is a joint initiative between the Open Charge Alliance and three global independent test laboratories that will test conformance to the OCPP 1.6 specification.
The goal for OCPP is to offer a uniform solution for the method of communication between a Charging Station and Charging Station Management System (CSMS). With this protocol it is possible to connect any CSMS with any Charging Station, regardless of the vendor. A uniform standard prevents all kinds of coordination problems, and is therefore an advantage for the whole electric vehicle market. Realizing the OCPP 1.6 Certification Program has been a long-term ambition of the members of OCA. With such a certificate, vendors of OCPP compliant systems can now prove to their clients that their products’ conformance to the OCPP specifications has been approved by an independent test laboratory. Buyers of OCPP compliant products can easily check which products are certified and have been successfully tested for conformance to OCPP 1.6.
The first companies next to EVBox who received their certifications are also leading pioneers in the world of EV Charging; Greenlots, Driivz, and Alfen. The two developers of central systems—Greenlots and Driivz—have been active members of the OCA for many years. Alfen and EVBox are market leaders in EVSE OCPP to make charging smart, safe and simple on all continents, and have actively participated in the OCA right from the start, while also contributing to the OCPP. All four companies are focused on supporting the global implementation and standardization of OCPP to make charging smart, safe and simple on all continents. For the independent testing on conformance, the OCA has selected three test laboratories with five testing facilities located in Europe, America and Asia—DNV-GL, DEKRA, and KSGA.
In accordance with their mission to promote open protocols, the OCA has opened the certification programs for members and non-members. Members will receive a discount, but registration is open to all. Interested parties can choose for a full or a subset certificate in case of Charging Station implementations, but only a full certificate for Charging Station Management System implementations. Being fully certified means that the product has implemented all features of the protocol and has successfully completed all certification tests. A subset certified product enables the vendor to indicate what sets of features of the OCPP 1.6 are implemented in the product, and lets the vendor receive a partial certificate for those specific features. Apart from these options (full or subset), it is also possible to get a security certificate that is based on the OCPP 1.6 security white paper. More information on the certification process, the location of the test laboratories, and documentation can be found on the website of the OCA: www.openchargealliance.org.
EVBox has been a strong supporter of open standards like OCPP because it increases interoperability and accelerates EV adoption—a great benefit for all of us working in this industry. Our teams are working in close cooperation with the open charge alliance to stay at the forefront of OCPP implementation. We're super proud to become world's first company to get certified for OCPP and we will continue helping to push the standard forward!Arjan van Rooijen (CTO of EVBox)