What is an OCPP smart-charging profile?

An OCPP smart-charging profile is a set of power or current limits sent between a charging station management system (CSMS or CPMS) and a charger. It sets the maximum power or current available at given times. That controls the charging limit, not the separate conversation between vehicle and charger.

 

OCPP 1.6 introduced load balancing and charging profiles. Later versions add more control, but the principle is unchanged: the CPMS calculates a limit, sends a profile and the charger applies it locally.

What information does a charging profile contain?

A profile identifies where it applies, its purpose, priority and schedule. The schedule may use amperes or watts and contain several time periods. It can start immediately, begin at a set time or repeat daily or weekly.

The three profile purposes in OCPP 1.6

ChargePointMaxProfile sets an overall ceiling for the charging station. It can limit the combined demand of all connectors so the site stays within its available capacity.

 

TxDefaultProfile sets a default limit for new transactions on a connector or across the station. It applies when no transaction-specific instruction has taken its place.

 

TxProfile applies to one charging transaction. It may reflect a vehicle, user, tariff, departure time or energy decision. It still sits beneath the wider station limit.

How profile stacking works

Several profiles can exist together. Within the same purpose, a higher stack level overrides a lower one. The charger then combines the applicable station, default and transaction profiles to calculate the effective schedule.

Who decides the charging limit?

OCPP carries an instruction. It does not decide the tariff or energy strategy. That calculation may sit in the CPMS, a site energy-management system, a local controller or another specialist service. Inputs may include building load, grid capacity, tariffs, solar generation and connected vehicles.

 

If OCPP carries the result, it reaches the charger through the CPMS. A local controller may instead use another supported interface. The charger must still respect its electrical limits and the current requested by the vehicle. A 22 kW charger cannot force a car to accept 22 kW, and an OCPP profile does not replace EV-to-charger control under IEC 61851 or ISO 15118.

How this applies to amina charging stations

amina’s OCPP 1.6J documentation lists stacked profiles, absolute, relative and recurring schedules, current limits and composite schedules. The configuration reference gives the device’s profile and schedule limits. Firmware and factory provisioning can change those values, so a CPMS should read the live configuration rather than guess.

What should operators test?

  • the smart-charging functions supported by the chosen OCPP version;
  • overlapping profiles, stack levels and expired schedules;
  • supported charging-rate units and consistent interpretation;
  • how multi-connector stations share an overall limit;
  • restart and loss of the CPMS connection;
  • whether the CPMS can read the composite schedule; and
  • how quickly a changed limit takes effect.

“Supports OCPP” does not mean every smart-charging function is implemented or interoperable. Test the exact charger firmware and CPMS release.