How does a truck charger get reserved?

The provider sends an OCPI ReserveNow command with the token, the site, the charger and an expiry time. The operator confirms receipt at once and passes the reservation to the charger; the charger's result follows at a response URL.

Explained in

Truck charging · Deep diveThe reservation and the parking data, as sentThe two records behind the planned stop: the site's OCPI location data with the parking object that says a truck with a trailer fits, and the ReserveNow command the haulier's provider sent to hold bay 2.
  • Provider to operator. The command names the token, the site, the charger and the expiry time. The operator answers within seconds whether it takes the command at all.
  • Operator to charger. The operator reserves the EVSE over OCPP, which has a reservation block of its own (stop 06). An OCPI reservation starts when it is made, which is why the dispatcher sent it with the truck 40 minutes away rather than a day ahead.
  • Charger to operator to provider. The charger's result, accepted or not, comes back to the provider at the response URL. Only then does the dispatcher's screen show the bay as booked.
From “How a reservation travels”, stop 09

Terms

  1. OCPPOpen Charge Point Protocol: the open protocol between a charger and its operator's backend.
  2. OCPIOpen Charge Point Interface: an open protocol for roaming between operators and e-mobility service providers.
  3. TokenIn 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.
  1. How fast can an electric truck charge?The Megawatt Charging System allows up to 1,250 V and 3,000 A; with MCS and up to 1,000 kW, the maker of the eActros 600 states about 30 minutes from 20% to 80%, based on simulations.
  2. Can trucks charge during the driver's break?Yes. After 4.5 hours of driving, the driver must take at least 45 minutes of break; planned at a megawatt charger, it becomes the charging stop.
  3. What does AFIR require for truck charging?Pools for heavy vehicles along the TEN-T network: 1,400 kW along 15% by 2025, 2,800 kW on the core network along 50% by 2027, and 3,600 kW every 60 km by 2030, plus parking areas and urban nodes.
  1. EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Commands module: ReserveNow and CancelReservation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_commands.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.
  2. 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.
  3. EVRoaming Foundation: OCPI 2.3.0, Commands module: ReserveNow and CancelReservation. https://github.com/ocpi/ocpi/blob/2.3.0/release/core/mod_commands.asciidoc. Checked 09 Oct 2026.