First four companies with an OCPP 1.6 certificate announced
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, an international partnership of more than 150 companies active in the field of electric mobility, has launched an independent certification program and the first four companies – Driivz, Greenlots, Alfen and EVBox - have now received an official OCPP 1.6 Full Certificate. The OCPP 1.6 Certification Program is a joint effort of the Open Charge Alliance and three independent test laboratories distributed over five locations around the world, to test conformance to the OCPP 1.6 specification.
The goal for Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is to offer a uniform solution for the method of communication between Charging Station for EV’s and the 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.
The OCPP 1.6 Certification Program has been a long-term ambition of the members of the Open Charge Alliance (OCA). With a certificate, vendors of OCPP compliant systems can now ensure to their clients that the implementation has been validated on conformance to the OCPP specifications by an approved independent test laboratory. Buyers of OCPP compliant products can check which products are certified and are successfully tested for conformance to OCPP 1.6.
Leading pioneers
The first companies who received their certifications are also leading pioneers in the world of EV Charging: Driivz,Greenlots, Alfen and EVBox. The two developers of central systems - Greenlots and Driivz – have been active participants of the OCA for many years. Alfen and EVBox are marketleaders for their charging stations and have actively contributed to OCPP. Both parties have participated in the OCA right from the start. All four companies are focused on standardizing OCPP supporting global implementation to make charging smart, safe and simple on all continents. For the independent testing on conformance, OCA has selected three test laboratories with five testing facilities located in Europe, North America and Asia, namely DNV-GL, DEKRA and KSGA.
Different types of certificates
In accordance with our mission to promote open protocols, the Open Charge Alliance 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 a Charging Station implementation and a full certificate for Charging Station Management System implementations; 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 OCPP 1.6 are implemented in the product and to 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 Whitepaper.
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.
Quotes from certificated parties:
“We're proud to be one of the first companies worldwide to be OCPP 1.6 certified. The certification gives companies the confidence that there are proven solutions on the market that can accelerate EV adoption, while also raising the confidence level of EV drivers. Our commitment to constant innovation and to OCA protocols and standards remains steadfast, as we provide support for over 120 different charger types and can easily support custom protocols. As a proud member of the OCA, we look forward to what the future holds for the alliance as a whole."
Doron Frenkel, Founder and CEO, Driivz.
“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 change alliance to stay at the forefront of OCPP implementation. I'm 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).
“Alfen believes that the fastest route to delivering the interconnection and interoperability required for future smart and sustainable energy systems, is through open protocols and common standards. This accommodates the fastest technology and market development at least cost to the consumer. We are therefore proud to have been contributing to the development of OCPP from the outset and thrilled to be the first organisation to receive certification.”
Marco Roeleveld, CEO, Alfen.
“Global adoption of independent, open protocols is crucial to ensuring standardized deployment and future proofing of EV charging infrastructure. We’re honored to be one of the first companies to receive this certification and spearhead the standardization and interoperability of this infrastructure. Greenlots has been a proud member of the Open Charge Alliance for many years and stays committed to supporting and growing open standards.”
Harmeet Singh, CTO, Greenlots.