The Open Charge Alliance (OCA) is the industry consortium that owns and maintains OCPP, the Open Charge Point Protocol. It publishes the specification that charger makers and software firms build to, and it runs the certification programme for products that claim to follow it. When a datasheet says “OCPP”, this is the body standing behind the words.
Key Takeaways
- The Open Charge Alliance is the industry consortium that owns, maintains and publishes OCPP.
- It also runs the protocol’s certification programme — the evidence route behind the strongest OCPP claims.
- It is not a regulator or a safety authority; safety listing is a separate system with separate marks.
- EVDANCE listings claim no Alliance membership and no OCPP certification; models state OCPP 1.6J or “OCPP-ready”, exactly as written.
What the Alliance Actually Does
| Function | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Maintains OCPP | Member working groups agree how the protocol develops; new versions and corrections are published as specification documents |
| Publishes the specification | The protocol is an open document set, so any manufacturer or software firm can build to it — that openness is the point of the exercise |
| Runs certification | Products can be tested against the specification through the Alliance’s programme, giving buyers an evidence route beyond a maker’s own claim |
| Connects the ecosystem | Charger makers, platform providers and operators meet in the same body, and implementations are exercised against each other rather than in isolation |
The protocol itself — the conversation between a charger and its management platform — is set out in our OCPP explainer for operators. This article stays on the organisation behind it.
Who Belongs — and What It Is Not
Membership is drawn from the industry the protocol serves, at category level: charger manufacturers, charging-software and platform companies, network operators, and the testing and research organisations around them. No single vendor controls it, which is precisely why competing makers can all build to the same document.
Just as important is what the Alliance is not. It is not a government agency and not a regulator. It is not a safety authority: electrical safety listing and market marks belong to separate systems — the NRTL programme in the United States and CE marking in Europe — covered in our guide to EV charger certifications. An OCPP claim, however strong, says nothing about whether a charger is safe to install; that evidence lives in a different file.
Why It Matters When You Buy Hardware
For a buyer, the Alliance’s existence explains the wording ladder on spec sheets. Because the specification is published and a certification route exists, claims come in grades: “OCPP certified” points to independent testing under the programme, “OCPP compliant” is the maker’s own conformance claim, and “OCPP-ready” names no implemented version at all. The grades carry different evidence, and a purchase document should record which one was actually claimed, for which model and which version. The Alliance also explains why versions matter: it publishes 1.6 and 2.0.1 as separate documents, so two products can both be “OCPP” and still speak different editions of the language.
The Alliance and EVDANCE
EVDANCE listings state protocol claims model by model: OCPP 1.6J for the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station and the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger, and “OCPP-ready” for the EV-ACS3210E portable. No EVDANCE listing claims Open Charge Alliance membership or OCPP certification, and this article does not add either claim. What a project should do with that position is the practical step: confirm the pairing with your chosen platform in writing before hardware ships — start from the product range or contact the team with your platform details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Open Charge Alliance a government body?
No. It is an industry consortium of the companies and organisations that build, run and test charging equipment and software. Governments may require OCPP in funded programmes — the U.S. NEVI rules do — but the Alliance itself writes the protocol, not the law.
Does the Alliance sell charging software or chargers?
No. It maintains the protocol and the certification programme around it. The chargers and platforms that implement OCPP are sold by its member companies and by non-members alike.
Can any manufacturer use OCPP, or only members?
The specification is published openly, and products on the market implement it whether or not their maker sits in the Alliance. Membership is about shaping the protocol’s future editions, not about permission to use the current one.
Related Reading
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- EV Charger Certifications Explained: CE, UKCA, UL, ETL, CB and What Buyers Should Ask For
- UL and ETL Listing for EV Chargers: How NRTL Certification Works
- OEM and Private-Label EV Chargers: A Complete Guide for Brands
