Protocol Ecosystem
11 standards · 3 communication domains · EV ↔ CP ↔ CSMS topology
11
Standards tracked
3
Communication domains
4
Active / rolling
2025
AFIR target year
Standards Intelligence
11 protocols · 3 domains| Standard | Layer | Released | Status | Adoption | Key capability | Migration path |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle ↔ Charge Point Session / High-Level Communication | ||||||
| ISO 15118-2 Required for Plug & Charge (PnC) | V2CP | 2014 | Active | 4,200 deployments | Plug & Charge + V2G handshake | ISO 15118-20 |
| ISO 15118-20 Bidirectional V2G, next-gen AC PnC | V2CP | 2022 | Rolling | 820 deployments | Bidirectional charging + AC PnC | — |
| DIN SPEC 70121 Still used by older CHAdeMO stacks | V2CP | 2012 | Legacy | 6,800 deployments | DC fast charging baseline | ISO 15118-2 |
| IEC 61851 Dominant AC control pilot standard | V2CP | 2010 | Common | 18,000+ deployments | PWM pilot signal · CP/PP control | ISO 15118 |
| Charge Point ↔ CSMS Charge Point Management | ||||||
| OCPP 1.6J Most deployed CP management protocol globally | CP2CSMS | 2015 | Common | 41,000 deployments | Remote start/stop · smart metering | OCPP 2.0.1 |
| OCPP 2.0.1 Prerequisite for ISO 15118 integration | CP2CSMS | 2020 | Rolling | 9,200 deployments | Smart charging · device management | OCPP 2.1 |
| OCPP 2.1 AFIR compliance target — EU mandate stack | CP2CSMS | 2024 | Active | 1,100 deployments | ISO 15118-20 + ABRP integration | — |
| Roaming + Smart Grid Backend / Interoperability | ||||||
| OCPI Primary EU public charging roaming backbone | ROAMING | 2015 | Active | 28,000 sessions/day | EV roaming · tariff exchange · CDRs | — |
| OICP Dominant in DE/AT/CH via Hubject network | ROAMING | 2013 | Common | 12,000 points | Hubject clearing · authorization | — |
| eMIP Gireve-operated FR/BE roaming layer | ROAMING | 2014 | Legacy | 4,100 points | French national roaming (Gireve) | OCPI |
| OpenADR 2.0 Utility-side smart grid coordination | ROAMING | 2012 | Common | 2,300 deployments | Demand response · grid signal | — |
Vehicle ↔ Charge Point
ISO 15118-2 Active
Required for Plug & Charge (PnC)
ISO 15118-20
ISO 15118-20 Rolling
Bidirectional V2G, next-gen AC PnC
DIN SPEC 70121 Legacy
Still used by older CHAdeMO stacks
ISO 15118-2
IEC 61851 Common
Dominant AC control pilot standard
ISO 15118
Charge Point ↔ CSMS
OCPP 1.6J Common
Most deployed CP management protocol globally
OCPP 2.0.1
OCPP 2.0.1 Rolling
Prerequisite for ISO 15118 integration
OCPP 2.1
OCPP 2.1 Active
AFIR compliance target — EU mandate stack
Roaming + Smart Grid
OCPI Active
Primary EU public charging roaming backbone
OICP Common
Dominant in DE/AT/CH via Hubject network
eMIP Legacy
Gireve-operated FR/BE roaming layer
OCPI
OpenADR 2.0 Common
Utility-side smart grid coordination
Session flow topology EV charging communication stack
ISO 15118 · OCPP · OCPI Vehicle (EV)
ISO 15118 · DIN SPEC
ISO 15118-2
IEC 61851
IEC 61851
Charge Point
OCPP 1.6J / 2.0.1 / 2.1
OCPP 2.0.1
OCPP 2.1
OCPP 2.1
CSMS
Charge Station Mgmt
OCPI · OICP
eMIP
eMIP
Roaming Hub
Hubject · Gireve
Billing ·
Auth
Auth
eMSP
Mobility Service Provider
Protocol lifecycle · 2010 → 2025+ standards evolution
2010
IEC 61851
2012
DIN 70121 · OpenADR
2013
OICP
2014
ISO 15118-2 · eMIP
2015
OCPP 1.6J · OCPI
2020
OCPP 2.0.1
2022
ISO 15118-20
2024
OCPP 2.1
2025+
AFIR targets
Why protocol choice matters
Plug & Charge requires ISO 15118 end-to-end — no workaround via QR or RFID
Smart charging orchestration depends on OCPP 2.x device management profiles
Roaming interoperability uses OCPI or OICP — protocol choice locks in ecosystem
AFIR compliance (EU 2025) mandates live backend protocols and session reporting
DIN SPEC 70121 deployments block Plug & Charge until migrated to ISO 15118-2
OpenADR integration enables utility-side demand response and grid load management