OCPP 1.6 vs 2.0.1: which should your charging site use?

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) is the standard that lets a charger talk to a central management system. Two versions matter in practice today.

OCPP 1.6J is the most widely deployed version. It covers remote start/stop, RFID authorisation, smart-charging profiles and real-time status over a JSON WebSocket. Most operators and networks run 1.6J, so hardware that supports it drops into almost any existing back-end.

OCPP 2.0.1 is the newer standard. It adds support for ISO 15118 (Plug & Charge), ISO 15118-based certificate handling, better device management and improvements intended for large fleets. Market deployment is still growing, and back-end support varies by network.

How to choose: if you need to integrate with an existing network today, choose OCPP 1.6J. If you are planning a long-lived fleet project and your back-end already supports it, 2.0.1 gives you a migration path. Many sites start on 1.6J and upgrade later.

Shenzhen TDT‘s AC and DC chargers support OCPP 1.6J, so they integrate with standard back-ends without vendor lock-in.