The state of EV charging software

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Switch has a singular mission: To accelerate the transition (or switch – that’s our name, get it?) to a low-carbon future for transportation.

A bold mission, to be sure. And we’ve taken it in steps. Initially, we helped create the latest EV charging standards. Too often, however, these initiatives wither on the vine. They never create the impact required to change the world.

We’re not a hobby shop. We don’t simply wish to tinker and impress other techie people. As we’ve said: We want to change the world. It’s not an empty slogan to us. And thus, enter Josev. Our charging station OS. 

Josev packages the full, battle-tested and certified versions of OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118. It lets you easily upgrade your hardware without implementing the standardised protocol stacks yourself.
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Benefits of OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118

OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118 protocols are the essential upgrades every charging station needs. They add a whole suite of new features and security upgrades.

Some protocols, including OCPP 2.0.1, are becoming a requirement for government funding or tenders (see our post on the US NEVI programme here).

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Challenges implementing OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118

The benefits of the newest protocols come with costs. Turns out that implementing a fully secure and future-proof charging stack is quite tricky. Our industry has been stuck for years on the older protocols due to a lack of time and resources to upgrade.

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Interoperability and testing

Protocols govern the ‘conversation’ between entities. The interpretation of the rules can often be a source of issues which is why interoperability testing is so important in the charging station industry.

Currently, many companies are implementing their version of each protocol and for each implementation, a whole new round of interoperability testing is needed to ensure the interpretation of the protocol is correct.

Convergence on a small number of protocol implementations will likely happen over the next few years. We hope this trend will greatly reduce the amount of interoperability issues and testing required.

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Announcing Josev v1.0

There’s a part in the fable of Pinnochio where his talk of ‘being a real boy’ changes, from being a hope to simply being an observation of reality. Josev has now crossed a similar barrier – into something real.

We’re so proud to announce the arrival of Josev v1.0. Our industry's first production-ready charging station operating system is designed to empower manufacturers and accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs.

Josev v1.0 sets the bar for performance and reliability having been tested against over15 EV OEMs and 40 charging station management systems (CSMS).

It has also received multiple certifications and has been fully integrated into leading charging station models. All of this together means Josev is ready and generally accessible for interested parties.

To speak to us directly about Josev and learn more, simply get in touch.

We’ve also launched our new Josev documentation website where you can learn more about Josev and how it works. Click here to learn more.

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OCPP 2.0.1 Core (Certified)

Core modules mean you can start charging sessions with any authorisation method, send commands to the station, interact with its device model components and settings, update firmware, get station logs, and get meter values.

There are also options for extending Josev and the OCPP functionality to include specific use cases you or a client may have.

Other non-core modules for interacting with a station display, monitoring components and reserving the station will be added to a future version of Josev.

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OCPP 2.0.1 Advanced Security (Certified)

Josev handles the connection to the charging station management system (CSMS) and the surrounding security autonomously. The charger OEM and operator will benefit from a fully encrypted, secure communication channel with no implementation effort. Josev also handles certificate installation and storage and has been certified by the Open Charge Alliance for this implementation.

In 2024, Josev received its OCPP 2.0.1 (Open Charge Point Protocol) certification from the Open Charge Alliance (OCA), see here.

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Plug & Charge (Certified)

Native Plug & Charge with ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.0.1 comes as standard in Josev v1.0. Hubject has audited us and Josev v1.0 is identified as “Pre-Certified Software” by Hubject, meaning a hardware certification is all but guaranteed for any Josev customer.

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ISO 15118 and DIN SPEC 70121

All of the day-to-day charging needs are covered with the Switch implementation of ISO 15118 and DIN SPEC 70121 protocol families. Our main ISO 15118 stack is open source and is being used and validated by teams all over the world.

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ISO 15118-20

The major upgrade to the ISO 15118 standard came with “-20”, which adds bidirectional charging (V2G) and improvements for security and certificate handling. Josev also comes with -20 already implemented, allowing you access to all of these amazing future-proofed charging features.

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Smart Charging

Smart charging allows customers to control their stations’ charging rates in complex ways to save or even make money and help the grid remain stable. Josev includes an optional basic smart charging service with support for controlling both ISO 15118 and basic charging sessions.

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Looking ahead - Josev v2.0

Josev v1.0 is just the beginning, and we’re already making great strides towards Josev v2.0. This next-generation version of Josev will have no runtime dependencies, a much smaller memory footprint, faster reaction speeds, and will be more reliable. These gains are mostly related to the entire v2.0 stack being written in Rust. Some parts of v2.0 are available for early users now. If you’re a Josev customer and would like to hear more, just reach out to your Switch contact. Beyond v2.0 will come additional protocols and modules, namely OCPP 2.1 which brings full V2G along with other improvements.

Josev v1.0 is available for purchase today! We offer various options for both on-board and off-board delivery.

If you want to try Josev for free and see how it can help your business you can learn more about our trial program here.