OCPP: why it decides whether you own the charger
OCPP is the Open Charge Point Protocol, the open standard a charger uses to talk to a network back office, and it matters to you as a commercial term rather than a technical one. It is the thing that determines whether your chargers can be moved to a different network operator or whether they are permanently attached to the company that sold them. The catch is that 'OCPP compliant' printed on a datasheet is close to meaningless: it frequently describes an untested, partial implementation of an older version. What means something is a certified version — the Open Charge Alliance runs a certification program and publishes the products that pass it — plus a written commitment from the vendor to release the charger from their back office to another operator on request. Ask for both by name in the RFP and the brochure answers stop.
Updated 2026-08-20
What OCPP is, in one paragraph
OCPP defines the messages that pass between a charging station and the back-office software that manages it: start a session, stop a session, report energy delivered, report a fault, authorise this card, apply this current limit, accept this firmware.
Why 'OCPP compliant' on a datasheet means very little
Compliant is a word a vendor applies to themselves. Certified is a word an independent program applies after testing.
Certification is necessary and not sufficient
A certified charger can still be commercially locked, because being able to speak to another back office and being permitted to are different things.
The two questions to put in the RFP
These two, worded like this, produce a straight answer or an obvious evasion. Either is useful.
What this is worth in money
The value of OCPP shows up once, at the moment you want to change operators, and it is the difference between a configuration change and replacing every pedestal on the property.
What is OCPP in simple terms?
It is the open language a charging station uses to talk to the software that manages it — start a session, stop a session, report energy used, report a fault, authorise this card, limit the current. It is maintained by the Open Charge Alliance, an industry association, rather than by any one manufacturer. For a property owner its practical importance is that it makes chargers movable between network operators instead of permanently tied to the one that sold them.
Is OCPP 1.6 good enough, or do we need 2.0.1?
1.6 is widely deployed and works. 2.0.1 improved security, device management, smart charging and transaction handling, and it is the better choice for equipment you expect to keep for a decade. The version matters most if you rely on load management or expect to move to another operator later. If the two options are close in price, buy the newer one for the same reason you buy conduit larger than you need today.
Does OCPP mean we can switch networks whenever we want?
It makes it technically possible, not contractually possible. A charger is configured to point at one back office, and changing that is an act the current operator controls. Certification tells you the hardware can move; a release clause in your agreement is what makes it actually move. Without the clause, certified hardware still leaves you dependent on a vendor's goodwill after you have told them you are leaving.
How do we verify a vendor's OCPP claim?
Ask for the certified version by number and for the certification listing reference from the Open Charge Alliance program, and then look it up rather than accepting the reference at face value. Self-declared 'OCPP compliant' is not a checkable claim. Put the requirement in the RFP explicitly so the bidder knows an unverified statement will not score.
Does OCPP handle payments?
No. OCPP covers the charger to back-office link. Payment processing happens in the network's systems and through the payment industry, and roaming between networks uses different protocols again. Vendors occasionally let this confusion stand, so if payment capability matters to your project, ask about it separately rather than assuming an open protocol covers it.
Do unnetworked chargers support OCPP?
Some hardware sold as unnetworked is OCPP-capable and simply has no subscription active, which means you can add a network later without replacing anything. Other hardware genuinely cannot. This is a per-model question, so ask the manufacturer with your model number in hand. If you are buying now and are unsure whether you will want a network later, OCPP-capable hardware keeps the option open for very little money.
- Open Charge Alliance — OCPP specifications and the OCPP certification program
- eCFR — 23 CFR Part 680, National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements (interoperability and network connectivity requirements for federally funded charging)
- US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center — charging infrastructure basics
Protocol is a contract question. Cost is a site question.
Whatever you decide about the network, the install price is set by port count, distance from your service and what the route crosses. Enter those three and the estimate gives you a range before you sit down with vendors.