How does a token reach the charger?
The driver taps the card. The Austrian charger has never seen it before.
Two seconds later: accepted.
The questionHow did the charger know this card, and what if the provider had been offline?
| Cached list | Real-time check | If the eMSP is offline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALWAYScached only | allowed | ||
| ALLOWEDoperator chooses | operator decides | ||
| ALLOWED_OFFLINEreal-time first | offline only | allowed | |
| NEVERreal-time only | not allowed |
The eMSP sets the whitelist type for each token it shares.
Speed against control
A cached is fast: the operator already knows it and can accept it at once. A real-time check gives the provider control, for example over a blocked card, but it takes longer, which notes can mean a less pleasant wait at the charger.
- ALLOWED_OFFLINE combines both: normally a real-time check, but when the provider cannot be reached, the operator lets the token charge.
- For app users and users, OCPI recommends NEVER, real-time only.
From the list to the charger
The operator's backend receives the tokens through OCPI and can pass them to its chargers as a local list, so a charger can accept a card even when its own connection is briefly lost. The tap at the charger then travels as shown in EV charging fundamentals, stop 03: charger to backend over , backend to provider over OCPI where needed.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
A token has whitelist type NEVER. What does the operator have to do?
NEVER forbids whitelisting; every use needs a real-time authorisation by the eMSP.
What does ALLOWED_OFFLINE mean?
It is a fallback rule: real-time first, but offline the operator lets the token charge.
Why might a provider choose cached tokens?
A cached token avoids the round trip to the provider, so authorisation is quicker.
- OCPP Open Charge Point Protocol: the open protocol between a charger and its operator's backend. EV charging fundamentals, stop 03 Glossary
- OCPI Open Charge Point Interface: an open protocol for roaming between operators and e-mobility service providers. EV charging fundamentals, stop 03 Glossary
- Ad hoc Charging without a contract, paid directly at the charger, for example by card or QR code. EV charging fundamentals, stop 05 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. Glossary
- EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Tokens module: whitelist types and real-time authorisation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_tokens.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
- EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Tokens module: whitelist types and real-time authorisation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_tokens.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
- EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Tokens module: whitelist types and real-time authorisation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_tokens.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
- EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Tokens module: whitelist types and real-time authorisation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_tokens.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.