The Open Charge Alliance (OCA) is advancing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) to standardise communication between charging stations and management systems. At a Plugfest in Stuttgart, Germany, the draft OCPP 2.1 version underwent interoperability testing with Vector's vCharM system among the first to successfully interact with various charging station manufacturers. The new protocol supports features like bidirectional charging, dynamic tariffs and real-time cost transparency.
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OCPP 2.1 facilitates grid-friendly charging by controlling power usage to maintain grid stability, avoid peaks and optimise renewable energy use. It enables direct communication with energy suppliers to adapt to price fluctuations, allowing vehicles to draw more power during surpluses or feed energy back into the grid during shortages. By integrating this standard, systems like vCharM can improve efficiency, reduce costs and stabilise the electricity grid. Additionally, features such as peak shaving and dynamic energy tariffs minimise infrastructure costs while leveraging energy price predictions to schedule cost-effective charging. (mfo)
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