OCPP: is Ford Charge Station Pro OCPP capable/compliant?

[cvalue13]

Apologies in advance for what may be a dunce question, but my time on thegoogle doesn’t clearly answer whether the FCSP is OCPP “compliant” - which is important to a local rebate program

Specifically, my local (Austin TX) energy company offers a 50% rebate for residential charge station purchase and installation. One of several qualifying factors, however, is whether the charger is OCPP complaint and providing manufacturer specs stating same.

I’ve found this online Ford brochure, which describes (at brochure level) several residential and commercial chargers offered by Ford. Unhelpfully, though, for the commercial chargers there is a line-item describing “Network” as being OCPP, but for the Residential chargers there is no such line-item and so no affirmative confirmation or denial of whether the FCSP is OCPP compliant/networked.

Because I can’t find anything affirmatively stating compliance, I am assuming it is not compliant. Which may be a bit of a bummer with respect to my regional rebate.

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[FlasherZ]

The FCSP is essentially a Siemens Versicharge unit, and Siemens says their Versicharge SG is OCPP 1.6 compliant. Now, I don't know if they stripped out OCPP or anything from it, you probably have to call Siemens (there are some numbers floating about here).

When you use your browser to connect to the FCSP, you'll see "Log In", "Versicharge", and "Siemens". The page title is "VersiCharge SG". Unfortunately, no login box pops up for me. I've tried using some of the API calls but don't know how to feed it authentication information properly.

So, given those clues, I'd say that it's likely it could be OCPP compliant, but I wouldn't know how to set it up for OCPP billing.

 

[cvalue13]

The FCSP is essentially a Siemens Versicharge unit, and Siemens says their Versicharge SG is OCPP 1.6 compliant. Now, I don't know if they stripped out OCPP or anything from it, you probably have to call Siemens (there are some numbers floating about here).

When you use your browser to connect to the FCSP, you'll see "Log In", "Versicharge", and "Siemens". The page title is "VersiCharge SG". Unfortunately, no login box pops up for me. I've tried using some of the API calls but don't know how to feed it authentication information properly.

So, given those clues, I'd say that it's likely it could be OCPP compliant, but I wouldn't know how to set it up for OCPP billing.

thank you for that.

At the moment it appears the local debate wants it merely OCPP compliant, in anticipation of future possible billing arrangements

But from an application standpoint, need some official spec proving up the OCPP compatibility … which sounds like it could be hard to present!!

thanks again

 

[cvalue13]

By the way, I found this brochure out of the Ford fleet services, which doesn’t directly resolve the issue but indirectly suggests the FCSP is OCPP capable

Specifically, the brochure

• lists the FCSP as one of two home chargers fleet managers can use for their home installations

• says they are compatible with the Ford Pro Telematics system/software

• and the Ford E-Telematics, found elsewhere on the Ford Pro fleet website, it says requires chargers that are OCPP compatible and Wi-Fi connected

Why wouldn’t Ford be clearer about this capability if it exists in the FCSP

 

[cvalue13]

Not for the FCSP, but instead just the wall box, found this detailed operating manual for the wall box that suggests the latter is OCPP capable/compliant

one of would hope that if the lower-level wall box had this capability, surely the FCSP would as well…

Still no confirmation, including calling the fleet charger tech support line and speaking. For 20 minutes with someone that clearly had no idea what OCPP even meant

@Ford Motor Company - some of us require “proof” that the FCSP is OCPP compliant to qualify for significant local rebates, but there appears to easily-found an official assertion on this point

 

[FlasherZ]

Ask Ford for the number to Siemens for FCSP support. They probably know better for you. Someone here posted a toll free number for Siemens - I think in the Charge Station Pro Problems thread, but can't be sure - and they had some reasonably helpful people IIRC.

 

[cvalue13]

Spent half a day on the phone with Ford fleet people, chasing down some things but not yet landed. Will do more of that and also try that idea above tomorrow

 

[jefro]

https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connec...rojectid=7909de1b-40ae-4e1d-b27a-35e9b7edb4d7

Tell AE to put it on the list?

I didn't fill out the application but the PIE web pages seem to suggest simply a wifi enabled device??

 

[cvalue13]

https://austinenergy.com/wcm/connec...rojectid=7909de1b-40ae-4e1d-b27a-35e9b7edb4d7

Tell AE to put it on the list?

I didn't fill out the application but the PIE web pages seem to suggest simply a wifi enabled device??

Per conversations with AE today, mereky WiFi enables qualifies for a max $900 rebate.

For the full rebate up to max $1,200 rebate it just additionally be OCPP compatible/compliant.

Initial discussions with Ford Fleet charging techs/engineers today suggest the FCSP is not OCPP compatible, but there is further digging for them to do tomorrow before being confident in that.

I can’t imagine Austin Energy is the only provider with a charger-related rebate plan dependent in part in OCPP compatibility, so if the FCSP ends up to not have that compatibility it will be a real buzz kill.

Likely a good reason to sell the FCSP (for good $$$), buy one of the many commercially available (for less $$) that are OcPP compliant, then get the rebate for 50% of cost and installation.

At this point, sheer laziness (in not wanting to take all those sell/buy steps) is causing me to chase certainty on this FCSP OCPP issue.

 

[jefro]

I'd almost have to believe that charger is fully compliant. That is how Ford gets data.

 

[adoublee]

I'd almost have to believe that charger is fully compliant. That is how Ford gets data.

Just because it communicates to Ford does not mean it is OCPP compliant. That would allow it to communicate with non-Ford backend systems.

 

[cvalue13]

Just because it communicates to Ford does not mean it is OCPP compliant. That would allow it to communicate with non-Ford backend systems.

you’re right of course, but to review the present status of the conundrum in 3 parts:

• as noted above, one Ford Pro (ie Fleet) webpage disclosure doc says that for a truck charger to work with Ford’s “E-Telematics” it must be OCPP compliant, while on that same webpage is a link to separate Ford Pro (ie Fleet) document brochure advertising the residential FCSP as being compatible with Ford’s E-Telematics - so one might infer the FCSP therefore is OCPP compliant

• another spec document for the lower-cost/lower-spec’d 16A residential “connected wall box” (that I believe is best suited for example the SR trucks, etc.,), is clear that unit is OCPP compliant - so one might infer the FCSP, being a higher-end/spec’d unit should also be OCPP compliant

• another 19.2kWh “pro” charger available to fleet for depot (rather than residential) usage, the Ford Pro AC Charging Station 19.2kW” appears to have almost (entirely?) identical specs as the residential FCSP (though absent the HIS relevant hardware), and for that unit there exists a spec sheet confirming that it is OCPP compliant - so one might infer that seemingly hardware-identical FCSP unit would also retain this OCPP compliance

So, these 3 main inferences noted, that the Fleet docs suggest OPCC is required for E-Telemeteics, that less-spec’d units are OCPP compliant, and that similarly spec’d fleet units are OCPP compliant, sets up one of two conclusions:

• the FCSP is OCPP compliant also, or

• the FCSP is not compliant, and it would seem to took Ford intentionally neutering it to accomplish this, and unclear how Pro Fleet intends E-Telemetrics to communicate with the FCSP in the Fleet setting (unless they developed a proprietary non-OCPP compliant system only for the FCSP)

It’s just…. Strange

And I’ll tell you the Fire Pro Fleet Charging customer support people don’t even know the initialize “OCPP”

 

[FlasherZ]

As I noted earlier, the FCSP is based on Siemens Versicharge SG (at least that's what it says in the banner), which is listed as OCPP compliant. So unless Ford had Siemens rip out the OCPP portions, it likely is compliant.

If you connect to the station via a browser, you'll see a broken login screen:

And if you try some other URL's, they conveniently left the debug on in Django, so you can see the paths that the software recognizes:

That said, I see some documentation that says a Versicharge SG needs special software for the OCPP functionality, so maybe it doesn't have that software.

 

[cvalue13]

As I noted earlier, the FCSP is based on Siemens Versicharge SG (at least that's what it says in the banner), which is listed as OCPP compliant

no doubt there’s a relationship - different line from the FCSP, but

Trying today in spare moments to get through to a Seimens rep

 

[cvalue13]

That said, I see some documentation that says a Versicharge SG needs special software for the OCPP functionality, so maybe it doesn't have that software.

according to this spec compare doc from Seimens, there is in fact a separate unit/part number for one with OPCC compat

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