No — not automatically. A shared OCPP version between the charger and the charging software is the entry ticket, not the guarantee. Implementations on both sides choose which optional areas of the protocol to build, and small behavioural differences decide whether a pairing runs cleanly. The pairing that counts is the tested one: your exact charger model, on its current firmware, against your exact platform.
Key Takeaways
- A shared OCPP version is necessary for a charger–platform pairing, but not sufficient.
- Variant, feature areas and firmware behaviour each decide whether a specific pairing runs cleanly.
- The platform’s supported-model documentation is the strongest paper check; a pilot connection is the practical proof.
- EVDANCE states OCPP 1.6J for the EV-AC03201T and EV-RHDC30K-L, and “OCPP-ready” for the EV-ACS3210E — carry each claim exactly as written.
The Match Has Several Layers
Interoperability is a match, not a badge. Each layer below can pass or fail on its own, which is why the operator-level view in our OCPP explainer for operators treats protocol support as a starting point for hardware checks, not the end of them.
| Layer | What must agree | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol version | Charger and platform run the same OCPP version, such as 1.6 or 2.0.1 | The charger listing; the platform’s documentation |
| Transport variant | Within version 1.6, the JSON variant (1.6J) is not the SOAP variant | The exact claim on the spec sheet |
| Feature areas | Both sides implement the optional areas your site relies on — remote control, smart charging, firmware handling | The platform’s supported-features documentation for the model |
| Behaviour in practice | The pairing survives real sessions: metering, billing records, reconnects, offline periods | A pairing test, not a datasheet |
Why Two “OCPP” Products Can Still Disagree
A protocol specification leaves room for choices. Makers implement the areas their customers ask for and may leave others out. Platforms do the same, and add requirements of their own. Firmware builds differ, and a detail one platform tolerates, another rejects. None of this makes either product defective — it means the combination is the unit that has to be proven, the same point our guide to how commercial charging stations work makes about the platform being a separate service from the hardware.
The Checks That Actually Decide
- Read the platform’s supported-model documentation. Platforms publish which charger models and firmware versions they have validated, and which feature areas work with each. Your exact model on that list is the strongest paper evidence there is.
- Get the maker’s tested pairings in writing. Ask which platforms this model has been paired with, and pin the answer — model, firmware, platform, version — into the purchase documents.
- Run one unit before a fleet order. Connect a single charger, run full sessions, and check the records the business runs on: energy metering, billing output, remote start and stop, fault reporting, and behaviour when the connection drops and returns.
- Scale only after the pilot passes. A pairing fault found on one bench unit is a configuration fix. The same fault found across fifty installed chargers is a project.
What This Means on EVDANCE Hardware
EVDANCE listings state the protocol claim for each model, and the claims differ. The EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, RFID, IP54) and the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger state OCPP 1.6J. The EV-ACS3210E portable states “OCPP-ready”, which names no version and must never be read as 1.6J. EVDANCE makes hardware only — there is no EVDANCE platform for these chargers to be pre-paired with. Treat the pairing with your platform as a written confirmation before a rollout depends on it, via the product range or by contacting the team with your platform details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an OCPP 1.6J charger join a platform that only runs OCPP 2.0.1?
No. The two sides must share a version. Some platforms accept both versions; whether yours does is a question for its documentation, answered before purchase, not discovered at commissioning.
Does “OCPP certified” guarantee my pairing will work?
It strengthens the evidence: certification attests the tested protocol behaviour of a model and version. It is still not a pairing test with your platform, so the supported-model list and a pilot connection remain the deciding checks.
The charger connects, but the billing records look wrong. Is that a protocol problem?
It can be an implementation detail — how one side formats or interprets session data is exactly the class of issue a pilot exposes. Keep the session records, and raise it with both vendors while the pairing is still on one bench unit.
Related Reading
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
- How Do Smart EV Chargers Work?
- OEM and Private-Label EV Chargers: A Complete Guide for Brands
