What is OCPP? The EV charger standard that controls your charging apps

OCPP lets third-party apps control your charger

OCPP stands for Open Charge Point Protocol. It is the open standard that sets how a home EV charger talks to a software platform.1openchargealliance.orgView source The standard is run by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA), a non-profit set up in 2014 with more than 400 member groups, including charger makers, software platforms, and energy networks worldwide.

Without OCPP, a charger only does what its built-in timer says. It charges at full speed when the car is plugged in, or runs a simple on-device schedule. No outside software can reach in and change what it is doing.

With OCPP active and open, a third-party platform can send charging commands to the charger in real time: start, stop, speed up, slow down, schedule for tomorrow night. That is what makes solar diversion, off-peak tariff scheduling, and demand-response work. All of those need a software platform to be able to talk to the charger, and OCPP is the shared language.

Solar and tariff apps only work if your charger has open OCPP access

The real case for OCPP is the app ecosystem built around it. Two types of app make the biggest difference to your power bill: solar diversion and tariff scheduling.

Solar diversion apps read how much power your rooftop solar is sending back to the grid and tell the charger to use that excess instead. ChargeHQ is the main example in Australia. In January 2025, Amber Electric bought ChargeHQ, and the combined platform works with most OCPP EV chargers on the Australian market, supporting solar diversion, custom schedules, and grid-condition management.3amber.com.auView source

Amber's wholesale tariff product watches the spot price of electricity and charges the car only when prices fall near zero or below. Apps like this need OCPP so they can send a start or stop signal to the charger in real time as the price moves. A charger without open OCPP cannot get those signals, so tariff automation is not possible no matter what plan you are on.

Retailer EV tariff plans work the same way. Off-peak overnight plans from major Australian retailers use OCPP scheduling to move the charge into the cheap window. If the charger cannot take an OCPP command from the retailer's platform, the cheap rate sits on your bill but you have to plug in at the right time yourself.

Portable EV chargers (such as a portable EVSE used with a standard power point) work differently. They use Mode 2 trickle charging and do not need OCPP. If you want to know more about that option, the portable EV charger guide covers how they compare.

"OCPP on the spec sheet" does not always mean open access

This is the catch that trips most buyers up. OCPP is an open, royalty-free standard. No single maker owns it. The Open Charge Alliance says its goal is an open EV charging world that grows choice and spurs new ideas.1openchargealliance.orgView source In theory, any OCPP-capable charger can be pointed at any OCPP-compatible platform.

In practice, some makers use OCPP inside their own system but lock the outbound connection to their own platform. The Evnex E2 is a clear Australian case. Evnex uses OCPP with private add-ons inside their system, but their policy is that they do not let their chargers' OCPP connections be pointed at a different platform. The result: Evnex works with Amber via a private API, not open OCPP, and ChargeHQ is not on their roadmap. The charger uses OCPP; you, as the buyer, do not get access to it.

The Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3 takes a different approach. It has no OCPP at all and runs on Tesla's own protocol. It cannot be used with ChargeHQ or third-party tariff apps. Worth knowing if you drive a non-Tesla EV or want to switch platforms later.4zecar.comView source

Chargers with confirmed open OCPP 1.6J access in Australia as at June 2026 include the Zappi v2.1, Ocular IQ Home Solar, Fronius Wattpilot Home 22J, Sungrow AC22E-01, GoodWe HCA Series, Autel MaxiCharger AC Lite, Sigenergy Sigen EVAC, and Anker Solix V1.4zecar.comView source OCPP status can change with firmware updates, so confirm with the maker when you buy.

The key point: buying a charger labelled "OCPP-capable" is not the same as buying one that ChargeHQ or Amber can reach. The spec sheet rarely tells you which category the charger falls into. That is what the check below resolves.

OCPP access: three scenarios on a spec sheet

When you read "OCPP" on a product page, it can mean any of these three things. The middle column is what you actually need to check.

Which OCPP version matters for your home charger

The OCA has published three versions of OCPP.2openchargealliance.orgView source For a home buyer in 2026, the version question is simpler than it looks.

OCPP 1.6 (published 2015) covers what you need for solar diversion, off-peak tariff scheduling, and demand-response. It is the most widely used version for home chargers in Australia right now. A charger with open OCPP 1.6J access is the minimum you need to use ChargeHQ or Amber's wall-charger smart charging mode.

OCPP 2.0.1 (published 2020) adds stronger security, better device management, and Plug and Charge support (ISO 15118, which lets the car and charger talk to each other without an app or card). The OCA's version of OCPP 2.0.1 edition 3 was adopted as IEC standard IEC 63584 in 2024.2openchargealliance.orgView source For most home solar and tariff use cases today, OCPP 2.0.1 is not needed.

OCPP 2.1 (published 2025) adds ISO 15118-20, which supports vehicle-to-grid (V2G) two-way power flow.2openchargealliance.orgView source If you want to send power from your car battery back to your home or the grid in the future, you will need a charger that supports OCPP 2.1. For current one-way home charging, it is not needed.

Here is the short version: for solar and tariff apps today, look for OCPP 1.6 with open access. For V2G later, watch for OCPP 2.1 chargers as they reach Australia. But the bigger call is still open access, not version number. A locked OCPP 2.0.1 charger is less useful than an open OCPP 1.6 one.

The one check to do before you buy

Ask the maker, or check their support page, one specific question: "Can I point this charger's OCPP connection at a third-party platform like ChargeHQ?"

A clear yes means open access. You can use ChargeHQ, Amber's wall-charger mode, and any other OCPP-compatible platform now. You can also switch between them later without replacing the charger. That is what an open standard is supposed to give you.

A clear no means the charger is locked. The maker may still work with some apps via their own API, but you rely on that company's decisions going forward. If they end the connection or shut down, your smart charging goes with it.

A non-answer, or a support page that does not mention third-party OCPP access at all, is a no in practice. Treat it as locked until you have written confirmation.

This check is the practical side of the open-standard versus lock-in choice. OCPP's purpose, as described by the OCA, is to give you the freedom to move between platforms.1openchargealliance.orgView source A locked setup gives you the acronym on the spec sheet without the payoff. For a broader look at how this fits the charger decision, including whether you need a smart charger at all, see the smart vs dumb EV charger guide.