This year the OCA hosted several OCPP Plugfests in Germany, the US and Korea. These events brought together a diverse group of professionals, from engineers to industry leaders, providing a unique opportunity to test solutions, exchange knowledge, and strengthen the community around OCPP. A poll conducted among participants highlighted several key takeaways. New contacts were made, bugs and interesting use cases were discovered, and attendees gained a better understanding of how OCPP is being implemented across multiple continents.
Attendees particularly appreciated the technical depth of the presentations, which covered the current state of OCPP and its future direction. Many valued the chance to interact with peers from various organizations and to test their implementations with different providers, which significantly boosted their confidence in OCPP. Notably, the event also revealed the growing adoption of OCPP 2.0.1 and the emergence of open-source charge station management systems (CSMS).
Based on the feedback, several recommendations were made to enhance future Plugfests. These include classifying participants by their implementation level to tailor the experience better, offering side programs to attract both engineers and management, and encouraging more networking opportunities to connect participants with the right people. While the use of Slack as a communication platform was appreciated, some suggested the need for integrated video chat features to facilitate better collaboration.
Overall, the Plugfest was a valuable event for all involved, reinforcing the importance of continued collaboration and innovation in the rapidly evolving EV charging landscape. The OCA is looking into all the recommendations and is looking forward to the next Plugfest in Stuttgart!