OCPI and the Future of EV Roaming in India

OCPI and the Future of EV Roaming in India

A driver in Mumbai opens one app, finds a charger they have never used, run by a company they have never heard of plugs in, and drives away. One session. One bill. No new download, and no new wallet. That is roaming.

 For anyone with a stake in India’s EV charging network; from charger to the driver facing app, the checklist is not the promise. It is the list of things that can break, and who is left holding these pieces when they do.  

 That is where OCPI comes into the picture.

What is OCPI?

Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) is a free, open communication protocol that supports data exchanges and connections between a Charge Point Operator (CPO) which is an entity that handles the physical and digital infrastructure of EV charging and an e-Mobility Service Provider (eMSP) who provide EV owners with digital tools to help them find, locate and pay for charging across multiple networks.

 In the above-mentioned scenario, OCPI provides an underlying framework that enables these networks to communicate with each other. It is a business-layer protocol that sits between two companies’ backends.

Let’s not confuse OCPI with OCPP. A CPO can have a flawless implementation of OCPP and still face issues at the OCPI layer, and vice versa. OCPP is responsible for establishing communication between the electric vehicle and the CPO’s charge point. OCPI, on the other hand, enables standardised communication and data exchange between multiple CPOs and eMSPs, supporting interoperability across charging networks.

OCPI supports EV charging roaming, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles across different charging networks while using various charging apps. Behind the scenes, OCPI facilitates seamless communication between charging platforms, helping them exchange real-time data, manage driver authorization, coordinate charging sessions, and process billing across networks.

History of OCPI Protocol:

OCPI originally began as an initiative by eViolin, a Dutch association of Charge Point Operators, e-Mobility Service Providers, and ElaadNL, representing major Dutch grid operators in 2015. OCPI is now developed and maintained by the EVRoaming Foundation, a non-profit organization that manages its governance, documentation, and version updates. Major versions are released every 12-24 months.

How Does OCPI Work in Practice?

OCPI brings together the key interactions between CPOs and eMSPs, from authentication and station discovery to session tracking and billing data.
Let’s take a closer look at the core capabilities that make these interactions seamless and standardized:

Connects charging networks through roaming
OCPI enables CPOs and eMSPs to connect through hub-based, peer-to-peer, or hybrid roaming models.

Enables Secure Driver Authentication
Driver authentication is handled through RFID cards, mobile apps, and other credentials. Authorization can be performed in real time or through predefined whitelists, ensuring that only authorized users can start a charging session.
Shares Real-Time Charging Station Information
OCPI enables the exchange of detailed charging station information, including location, connector types, power levels, payment options, and real-time availability. This allows eMSPs to provide drivers with accurate and up-to-date charging information through their apps.
Exchanges Tariffs and Charging Costs
OCPI enables CPOs and eMSPs to exchange tariff information. This improves pricing transparency for drivers and helps ensure consistent pricing information across charging platforms.
Tracks Charging Sessions and CDRs
OCPI enables the exchange of charging session data, including start and end times, energy consumed, meter readings, charging periods, and costs. Charge Detail Records (CDRs) provide the information required for accurate billing and financial settlement between CPOs and eMSPs.
Enables Remote and Smart Charging
OCPI supports features such as remote start and stop, reservations, and smart charging. eMSPs can remotely initiate or manage charging sessions, reserve charging points, and communicate charging constraints based on driver or fleet requirements.

What Are the Versions of OCPI Protocol?

OCPI has evolved with the growing needs of the EV charging ecosystem. Each version has improved interoperability, data exchange, and support for new charging use cases.

Here’s how the major OCPI versions have evolved:

OCPI 2.1.1 (2017): Established the core framework for CPO-eMSP communication, including token, tariff, session, and CDR data exchange. It is now considered a legacy version and is no longer supported by the EVRoaming Foundation.

OCPI 2.2 (2019): Introduced major improvements such as roaming hub support, multiple roles, and smart charging through charging profiles.

OCPI 2.2.1(2021): Refined the 2.2 specification with fixes, clarifications, and improvements across modules such as CDRs, tariffs, sessions, tokens, and commands.

OCPI 2.3.0 (2025): Focuses largely on regulatory compliance and extensibility. Adds support for EU National Access Point data under AFIR, regional tax requirements, vehicle-type information, Plug & Charge indication, and optional payment and booking modules.

OCPI 3.0: Represents a broader architectural evolution of the protocol, with planned improvements around efficiency, data architecture, security, tariffs, and advanced EV charging use cases. Designed to support emerging requirements such as advanced energy and V2X services, it is still a version under development in 2026.

Where does it break?

OCPI is central to EV charging interoperability, but interoperability is only one part of the charging infrastructure stack.

Authorization Latency: OCPI gives you two models. In real-time authorization, a request is sent to the eMSP and you wait for the response. With whitelisting, you receive a token list that can be validated locally. Integrating a partner’s backend is simple, but it can still take a few seconds. For drivers, that delay can feel frustrating. The problem is even bigger at highway EV charging stations with weak internet connections, where slow response times can lead to visible roaming failures and a poor charging experience.

Location Data Quality:  OCPI can transport your location data, but it cannot fix bad coordinates, stale connector status, incorrect connector types, or missing metadata. Your OCPP setup plays a crucial role here and directly affects your OCPI performance.

Tariff Semantics: The structure is standardised, but the way tariffs are interpreted can differ basis per-kWh, per-minute, session fees, parking fees, time-based pricing, and GST. Hence, two compliant systems can show different prices for the same charging session. When this happens, drivers don’t blame the technology. They blame the app and the charging experience.

CDRs: A CDR is a settlement record. Once submitted, any correction requires coordination between both systems. A missing meter value or an incomplete session can change the amount billed and settled between the parties. That can lead to rejected CDRs, payment disputes, and manual reconciliation. In practice, most roaming issues come down to settlement accuracy rather than the protocol itself.

OCPI Does Not Move Money: OCPI provides the data used for settlement, but it does not handle the settlement itself. Clearing, invoicing, GST, TDS, netting, and payout timelines sit outside the protocol. OCPI carries the data; the commercial process around it happens elsewhere.

How to Achieve OCPI Compliance?

Achieving OCPI compliance involves more than simply implementing the protocol. It requires choosing the appropriate OCPI version and role, implementing the relevant modules and APIs as defined in the specification by the EVRoaming Foundation. The implementation should then undergo schema validation, interoperability testing with other CPOs/MSPs, and conformance testing.

The n² problem, why the Hub exists

Two parties that want to get into a roaming agreement do a credentials exchange, agree on a version, swap tokens, and start pulling or pushing data. This interaction is clean.

Now imagine doing it for 40 CPOs and 15 eMSPs. That is 600 bilateral integrations, 600 sets of credentials to rotate, 600 hundred partners’ interpretations of an optional field, and finally 600 conversations about who owes whom for a session that failed at 3:00 am.

No one plans for it, but without interoperability, EV charging fragments into small, closed groups. The EV users are left with a phone full of charging applications, because roaming works with some applications and not others.

 The ChargeIndia neutral hub eliminates the complexity of multiple, fragmented network integrations. By integrating just once with our central hub, EV charging providers can seamlessly route data, expand network interoperability, and effortlessly scale their EV roaming capabilities. The crux of the above sentence is neutral. We do not own chargers. We do not manufacture hardware. We do not sell equipment.

What ChargeIndia Does for You?

Charging networks should work together seamlessly. ChargeIndia uses an OCPI-compliant framework to create a shared layer for data exchange, connectivity, and EV charging interoperability. This makes it easier for CPOs and eMSPs to connect with multiple networks, scale their operations, exchange information seamlessly, and stay aligned with industry standards. With Hub at the core, ChargeIndia helps create a more connected, scalable, and interoperable EV charging ecosystem.

India's charging networks, on one platform. Be part of what is next -

chargeindia.com