Quick summary
EV charging and smart metering have quietly become software problems first and hardware problems second. Open standards such as OCPP and metering data models decide whether a device is interoperable, secure and eligible for public funding, which makes the software layer the real arbiter of compliance.
A charging station or an electricity meter looks like a piece of hardware, but its value increasingly lives in software. Whether a charger can be managed by any operator's back end, whether a meter's data can be trusted and shared, and whether either is eligible for public tenders all come down to the protocols and data models running underneath.
That shift has turned interoperability and compliance into a single question. Across the EU, regulation now expects connected energy devices to speak open standards, protect the data they handle, and integrate into a grid that is being digitalised at scale. For manufacturers and operators, getting the software right is no longer a differentiator; it is the price of entry.
The common thread between EV charging and smart metering is that both are nodes in a data-driven energy system rather than standalone appliances. A charger negotiates power, authorises sessions and increasingly supports two-way energy flows. A meter records consumption, supports dynamic pricing and feeds the distribution operator's view of the grid.
In both cases, the hardware is necessary but not sufficient. Without standardised communication, a charger cannot be operated across networks and a meter cannot deliver the consumer and system benefits regulators expect. The reason this matters is that EU policy has tied real consequences, funding eligibility, market access and data rights, to whether devices implement the right software standards.
In connected energy infrastructure, the protocol a device speaks now matters as much as the power it can handle.
This is why software capability has moved to the centre of procurement decisions. A technically excellent charger that cannot interoperate is, in regulatory and commercial terms, the weaker product.
Takeaway: EV chargers and smart meters are data nodes in a digitalised grid, so standardised software, not hardware alone, determines whether they are interoperable and compliant.
The Open Charge Point Protocol has become the de facto global standard for communication between charging stations and the management systems that operate them. First developed in 2009 and now maintained by the Open Charge Alliance, its purpose is to prevent vendor lock-in: any compliant charger can be run by any compliant back end (Open Charge Alliance, 2025).
Its standing has been formalised. OCPP 2.0.1 was approved as the international standard IEC 63584 in 2024, giving it the weight of a recognised standard rather than an industry convention (Open Charge Alliance, 2025). In the EU, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation reinforces this direction by pushing for interoperable public charging, which makes open-protocol support a practical condition of market participation rather than a differentiator.
The protocol is also evolving toward the grid-integrated future. OCPP 2.1, released in January 2025, adds support for vehicle-to-grid and distributed energy resource control, which moves charging from simple power delivery toward active participation in grid balancing. The implication for product teams is that building to an older version may meet today's minimum while excluding a charger from tomorrow's smart charging and bidirectional use cases.
Takeaway: OCPP is the interoperability baseline for EV charging, now formalised as IEC 63584, and newer versions extend it toward vehicle-to-grid and smart charging that older implementations cannot reach.
Interoperability is only half the story; security is the other. Earlier OCPP versions offered limited protection, relying on transport encryption without a comprehensive security framework. Later versions introduced certificate lifecycle management and secure firmware update mechanisms, which matter because a charger is a connected device handling authorisation and payment data.
This is where charging intersects with the wider regulatory picture. A networked charger is a product with digital elements, which brings it within the scope of the Cyber Resilience Act's secure-by-design and vulnerability reporting expectations, and its handling of session data engages data protection obligations. The reason this matters is that compliance is cumulative: a charger must be interoperable, secure and data-compliant simultaneously, and a weakness in any one undermines the others.
Standards such as ISO 15118 add a further layer, enabling Plug and Charge so that authorisation and billing are handled automatically between vehicle and charger. Implementing these capabilities reliably is demanding software work, and it is where dependable energy data integration stops being a backend detail and becomes the difference between a charger that simply powers a car and one that participates safely in a regulated, grid-aware ecosystem.
Takeaway: A compliant charger must be interoperable, secure and data-protective at once, and newer OCPP and ISO 15118 capabilities place real software demands on manufacturers.
Smart metering tells a parallel story on the demand side. The Electricity Directive set a target of equipping at least 80 percent of electricity consumers with smart meters by 2024, where deployment was cost-effective, making metering one of Europe's largest digitalisation programmes (European Commission, 2024).
Progress has been uneven, which is itself instructive. The European Commission, citing ACER's market monitoring, reports that 54 percent of European households had an electricity smart meter at the end of 2021, while 13 member states had passed 80 percent penetration by the end of 2022 (European Commission, 2024). The gap between leaders such as the Nordics, where some countries reached full coverage years ago, and slower adopters reflects differing national choices rather than differing technology.
The compliance core of metering is data: its accuracy, its interoperability and its protection. Metering accuracy falls under measurement regulation, data exchange relies on standardised models so that meters, head-end systems and market participants can interoperate, and consumption data is subject to access and privacy rules, with the European Commission having adopted EU rules on access to electricity metering and consumption data in 2023. The European Commission's own research notes there is still no EU-wide consensus on the minimum functionalities a smart meter must provide (European Commission, 2024), which leaves national variation that cross-border vendors must accommodate in software.
Takeaway: Smart metering compliance turns on data accuracy, interoperable exchange models and privacy rules, against a backdrop of uneven national rollouts and no single EU consensus on required functionalities.
The lesson across both domains is that compliance is engineered, not added. A charger or meter built around open standards, with security and data handling designed in, absorbs regulatory change far better than one retrofitted to meet each new requirement.
A practical approach starts with standards selection driven by the target market and its funding rules, since tenders increasingly specify particular protocol versions. From there, security and data protection should be treated as architectural decisions rather than features, and firmware should be updateable so a device can adapt as standards and threats evolve. Manufacturers selling across Denmark, the Nordics, DACH and Benelux should expect to support national variations in metering functionality and tender requirements within a single, configurable software platform.
The interpretive point is that the same software discipline serves both compliance and longevity. Devices designed to be interoperable, secure and updateable remain viable and saleable for years, while those built to a narrow current specification age out as the rules move on.
Takeaway: Compliant connected energy products are built on open standards with security, data handling and updateability designed in from the start, which also extends their commercial and operational life.
EV charging and smart metering have become proof that the energy transition runs on software as much as on copper and silicon. Open standards such as OCPP, alongside metering data models and accuracy and privacy rules, decide whether a connected device is interoperable, secure and eligible to compete.
For manufacturers and operators across the EU, the strategic response is to treat standards and security as foundational architecture rather than compliance overhead. Build the software layer well, and a charger or meter does not merely satisfy today's rules; it stays ready for a grid that keeps getting more connected.
The Open Charge Point Protocol is an open standard for communication between EV charging stations and the management systems that operate them. It prevents vendor lock-in by letting any compliant charger work with any compliant back end. It matters for compliance because EU funding programmes and public tenders increasingly require OCPP, and OCPP 2.0.1 has been formalised as the international standard IEC 63584.
For new deployments, OCPP 2.0.1 or the newer 2.1 is generally the safer choice. Older versions such as 1.6 offer weaker security and limited smart charging capability, and European tenders increasingly specify 2.0.1 or above. OCPP 2.1, released in January 2025, also adds vehicle-to-grid and distributed energy resource support, which positions a charger for grid-integrated and bidirectional use cases.
Smart metering compliance combines several elements: measurement accuracy regulation, standardised data exchange models that allow meters and systems to interoperate, and data access and privacy rules, with the European Commission having adopted EU rules on access to metering and consumption data in 2023. The Electricity Directive also set deployment targets, though national implementations and required functionalities still vary across member states.
Because their core functions, interoperability, security, data handling and eligibility for funding, are determined by the protocols and data models they implement rather than by hardware alone. A charger that cannot interoperate or a meter whose data cannot be trusted and shared fails to deliver the benefits regulators expect, regardless of build quality. Software capability therefore decides both compliance and market access.
Smart grids and meters, deployment status and metering data rules – European Commission – 2024 – https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/markets-and-consumers/smart-grids-and-meters_en
OCPP protocols, versions and IEC 63584 adoption – Open Charge Alliance – 2025 – https://openchargealliance.org/protocols/ocpp-protocols/
Cyber Resilience Act, summary of the legislative text – European Commission – 2025 – https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cra-summary