How is every vehicle ready by morning?
The depot's backend shows 29 vans charging and one van plugged in but not charging.
The first route starts at 6 AM.
The questionHow does a depot make sure that every van is ready in time?
The driver parks in the bay and connects the cable. Every other step depends on this one.
Select each step to see what happens.
Knowing the vehicle
A depot can only plan per vehicle if it knows which vehicle is at which charge point. 2.0.1 supports several types for this, including , authorisation by the vehicle's MAC address. The specification defines this address as that of the vehicle's communication controller, the controller in the vehicle used for communication. Over ISO 15118, the vehicle can also send its requested amount of energy and its estimated departure time, so the backend can build an accurate .
The van that did not charge
OCPP 2.0.1 tells the backend which side is holding back: SuspendedEV when the charge point offers energy but the vehicle takes none, SuspendedEVSE when the charge point does not offer energy to the connected vehicle. The point of the nightly check is to find such a van early. Here the charge point is not offering energy, so at 9 PM a driver on the evening shift moves the van to a spare bay; it is the last van to be full, shortly after half past midnight. Status and meter messages are explained in OCPP in depth, stop 05.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
What does AutoCharge use to identify a vehicle?
OCPP 2.0.1 lists AutoCharge as authorisation via the vehicle's MAC address.
What can a vehicle tell the backend through ISO 15118 to improve the schedule?
The advanced smart charging capability lets the vehicle send requested energy and anticipated departure time.
Why does a depot check every vehicle hours before departure?
An early check leaves time to move a van, reset a charge point or plan a different route.
- OCPP Open Charge Point Protocol: the open protocol between a charger and its operator's backend. EV charging fundamentals, stop 03 Glossary
- ISO 15118 International standard for the digital communication between car and charger, the basis of Plug & Charge. EV charging fundamentals, stop 08 Glossary
- Charging profile An OCPP message that sets a limit in amperes or watts for a station, for new sessions or for one session, valid for a time or as a schedule. Load management, stop 03 Glossary
- AutoCharge Authorisation of a charging session by the vehicle's MAC address, without a card or app; one of the token types in OCPP 2.0.1. Glossary
- Token In OCPI, what a driver starts a session with, such as a charging card, a key fob or an app account; it carries the contract ID of the driver's provider. OCPI and roaming, stop 04 Glossary
- Open Charge Alliance: What is new in OCPP 2.0.1? Whitepaper, version 1.0, March 2023. https://openchargealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/new_in_ocpp_201-v10.pdf. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY-ND 4.0.
- Open Charge Alliance: OCPP 2.0.1 edition 4 (December 2025), Part 2 Specification: IdTokenEnumType, ChargingStateEnumType, ChargingNeedsType and the terminology of EVCC; free download. https://openchargealliance.org/download-ocpp/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Open Charge Alliance: What is new in OCPP 2.0.1? Whitepaper, version 1.0, March 2023. https://openchargealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/new_in_ocpp_201-v10.pdf. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY-ND 4.0.
- Open Charge Alliance: OCPP 2.0.1 edition 4 (December 2025), Part 2 Specification: IdTokenEnumType, ChargingStateEnumType, ChargingNeedsType and the terminology of EVCC; free download. https://openchargealliance.org/download-ocpp/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Open Charge Alliance: OCPP 2.0.1 edition 4 (December 2025), Part 2 Specification: IdTokenEnumType, ChargingStateEnumType, ChargingNeedsType and the terminology of EVCC; free download. https://openchargealliance.org/download-ocpp/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.