CPO, MSP, OCPP: what these terms mean
Anyone who delves into electric charging quickly encounters a series of abbreviations: OCPP, CPO, MSP, OCPI, CSMS… It sounds technical, but behind each term is a concrete part of the charging process. In this article, we explain what they mean, how they relate — and why it is wise for businesses or individuals to pause and consider them.
OCPP: the open standard that connects everything
Every charging station must communicate with an online platform to start, stop, invoice, and monitor charging sessions. OCPP — Open Charge Point Protocol — is the open standard that regulates that communication.
Because OCPP is an open protocol, you are not tied to a single manufacturer. You can manage charging stations from different brands via one platform. This gives flexibility when expanding, replacing, or switching to another platform provider.
The most used version is OCPP 1.6, which is supported by almost all modern charging stations. The newer version OCPP 2.0.1 offers additional functionality such as improved security, more extensive energy management, and support for smart charging strategies.
CPO: who manages your charging infrastructure?
CPO stands for Charge Point Operator — the party that manages and operates charging infrastructure. This includes monitoring, tariff management, consumption reporting, payments, and the technical connection to the platform. Powerland is the CPO for all charging stations connected to our platform — whether at home, at your business, or at a public location.
As the owner of the charging station, you retain control via the my.powerland platform: you see who is charging, at what rate, and how much is being consumed. But the operational engine — the platform, the roaming connection, the payments — that is our role as CPO.
MSP: the party behind your charging pass
MSP stands for E-Mobility Service Provider. That is the party that issues charging passes to drivers. With such a charging pass, you can charge at public and semi-public charging stations in Belgium and abroad.
Powerland is also an MSP and supplies charging passes to both businesses and individuals. This means that with Powerland you can arrange both the management of your charging station and the charging pass for on the road with one partner.
OCPI: roaming between charging networks
OCPI stands for Open Charge Point Interface. Where OCPP regulates communication between a charging station and the management platform, OCPI takes care of communication between different charging networks. Compare it to calling abroad: thanks to roaming, you can charge at a station from network B with a charging pass from network A, without a separate contract.
CSMS: the management platform
CSMS stands for Charging Station Management System — the platform with which a CPO manages everything. The my.powerland platform is our CSMS. Via this platform you set rates, manage user access, monitor consumption, and charging sessions are automatically settled.
Do I need all of this?
Not always. Do you only charge your own car at home? Then a charging station can work fine standalone, without a platform or charging pass.
But in many households, there are two electric cars in the driveway — one of which is a company car. Do you want the charging sessions of that company car to be charged to the employer? Then you need a CPO with a platform, and thus a charging station that supports OCPP.
With Powerland, you take out a subscription to our platform for this. A rate is set on your charging station, the driver charges at home with the employer charging pass, and Powerland pays you out for those charging sessions. The employer receives the invoice via their charging pass provider — everything is handled automatically.
Everything with one partner
Because Powerland is both CPO and MSP, you can arrange everything with one partner: charging station, platform, and charging pass. No separate contracts, no confusion about who does what. One point of contact for your complete charging solution — at home and on the road.
Do you already have a charging station that supports OCPP? Then you can switch to the Powerland platform at any time, regardless of the brand or your current provider. Contact us and we will discuss the possibilities together.
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