This document provides a quick guide on how to implement AutoCharge, based on the work done by both ABB and FastNed on the AutoCharge specification. In summary, the feature uses a vehicle's MAC address to uniquely identify the vehicle to a CPMS. After a short registration process, the user can forego using the app and just plug in and charge, creating a very smooth charging experience.
To build support for AutoCharge, two messages must be implemented. The following sections explain what needs to be done for each step.
By default all DC chargers should support the AutoCharge specification as they have access to the vehicle’s MAC address.
The same cannot be said about AC chargers, if you have an AC charger that has the hardware ISO 15118-3 power line communication then it is possible to also build support for AutoCharge as you would have a data connection with the vehicle, and thus access to the required information for the feature.
From now on, when referring to something called a VID, it's shorthand for vehicle ID. It's the vehicle's MAC address prepended with VID:. An example of that would be something like VID:92D50A693F80.
To enable/disable AutoCharge on a charge point, the following OCPP configuration key should be used:
AutoChargeEnabled
It is a Boolean flag. Sending true enables the feature, while false disables any of the functionality below.
<aside> 💡 We see this as an important feature for CPOs as it contributes to their experience setting up the feature and also a security feature just in case the feature needs to be quickly disabled.
</aside>
After a vehicle has plugged in and the charge point has gone into a Preparing state, the charge point should send an Authorize call with the VID. An example of what that should look like is shown below:
[
2,
"123456",
"Authorize",
{
"idTag":"VID:92D50A693F80"
}
]
Once a charge has started and a vehicle with a vehicle VID has been detected, a custom data transfer message should be sent to the CPMS. This is particularly important for the customer when the first time setup process is initiated. In the Authorization call, we do not receive the connector ID where the charge is occurring, so we are often left guessing which connector is sending us the VID. To remove the guesswork and make the process more secure, the charge point should send us the VID once a charge has been started and the transaction associated with that VID. An example of what that should look like is shown below: