Electric Vehicle Charging: A Survey on the Security Issues and Challenges of the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)

Abstract

The increased use of smart Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) opened a new area of research and development. The number of EV charging sites has considerably increased in residential as well as in public areas. Within these EV charging sites, various entities need to communicate in a secure and efficient way. The Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) offers a way to coordinate this communication and is already being used in many implementations. However, only the latest OCPP 2.0 version of the protocol includes certain security features. In this article, we present the entities that take part in an OCPP-based smart charging scenario, we identify security issues and threats and present solutions that have been proposed by scholars. We identify open security issues for OCPP and propose future research directions for the security enhancement of the protocol.

Modeling the preference of electric shared mobility drivers in choosing charging stations

“…1), including the shared electric vehicles (SEVs), EV supply equipment (EVSE), charging station management system (CSMS), and EVSE and SEV operators, facilitated by multiple communication protocols, e.g., Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) [6] and Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) [7]. However, these communication pathways also present vulnerabilities that can be exploited to compromise the SEVs and EVSE [8], [9], [10], resulting in the battery charging controller malfunctions and inconsistent changing outcomes for SEVs, thus disrupting the coordination of charging schedules across the entire fleet. This will translate into local congestion at EVSEs, excessive downtime for vehicle supply, and degradation of system performances or even catastrophic failure of the entire mobility system.…”

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“…One of the widely known EV charging protocols is the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). A few research studies have addressed possible attacks on this protocol and discussed various security challenges and potential threats associated with OCPP as it is an open-source standard for communication between EVSE and CMS [10]. Security issues related to OCPP are also a significant concern, as vulnerabilities in the protocol can lead to unauthorized access to data and disruptions in the charging infrastructure.…”

Enhancing Microgrid Operation Through Electric Vehicle Integration: A Survey

“…The growing number of EV charging sites in both public and residential areas has given rise to the need for more efficient and secure communication between various systems of EV charging facilities [98]. EV-MG energy management is datadriven, which implies that the management and control processes are based on real-time data gathered from various sources in an MG system.…”