KTC Designated as OCPP Certified Testing Organization for EV Charging Stations
▲ President Sungil Ahn of KTC (on the left) and Onoph Caron, Chairman of OCA are taking commemorative photos after signing the designation of OCPP test agency.
On the 14th, Korea Testing Certification Institution (KTC) announced its recognition as a testing organization for the Open Charge Alliance's (OCA) Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). OCPP is an open communication protocol for operating servers of EV charging stations.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, OCA is an international consortium dedicated to developing and operating open communication standards for the convenient and efficient management of EV charging infrastructure worldwide.
With this recent designation as an OCPP testing organization, KTC now serves as a comprehensive testing and certification body for EV charging infrastructure solutions. KTC offers safety and performance testing for EV charging stations, communication protocol testing and certification services for interactions between vehicles and charging stations, as well as between charging stations and operating servers. This service is directed at manufacturers, installers, operators, and service providers involved in EV charging infrastructure. This designation positions KTC to play a pivotal role in advancing both domestic and international EV charging industries.
To secure the designation as an OCA testing organization, KTC actively participated in the economic delegation accompanying President Yoon's state visit to the Netherlands. This delegation, part of President Yoon's economic diplomacy efforts, aims to support Korean companies entering the Dutch market and enhance bilateral private-sector economic cooperation. As part of these efforts, KTC attended the "Korea-Netherlands Business Forum" on December 13, participating in the signing ceremony for the registration of the Netherlands OCA and OCPP testing organizations. This event included the presence of government officials and business leaders from both countries.
The Ministry of Environment announced its plan in June of this year to install over 1.23 million EV charging stations in preparation for the supply of four million electric vehicles by 2030. Businesses completing OCA OCPP 1.6 certification are eligible for subsidies for EV charging facility projects. Discussions on the mandatory application of OCPP standards for efficient management and operation of EV charging stations are underway in the United States and Europe, underscoring the global importance and standardization of open communication protocols between EV charging stations and operating servers.
As OCPP standards gain global traction, Korean companies are experiencing an increased demand for certification. However, the shortage of domestic OCPP testing organizations has led to certification delays. Addressing these concerns, KTC actively engaged in discussions with the government and relevant stakeholders to pursue testing organization designation. This recent recognition is expected to expedite OCPP certification for domestic companies. KTC, as the eighth OCPP testing organization globally, plans to offer OCPP testing services by the end of the year.
As a leading internationally accredited testing and certification organization in Korea, KTC possesses core testing and evaluation capabilities in various fields, including information and communication technology related to electric vehicles, electronic equipment, motors, batteries, and charging stations. In the EV charging station sector, KTC has already secured testing organization qualifications from overseas institutions such as UL Solutions in the United States, VDE, TUV Rheinland, Japan JET, COSMOS Corporation, UL Japan, and PLN Indonesia, actively supporting the export efforts of domestic companies.
President Sungil Ahn of KTC remarked, "With our designation as the eighth OCPP testing organization worldwide, KTC has now secured testing and certification qualifications spanning the entire EV charging infrastructure sector, coupled with global testing and certification services for the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, and beyond." He added, "We are committed to providing robust testing and certification services, ensuring the timely release of EV charging station products that adhere to international common communication protocols, thus enabling Korean companies to take a leading position in the global market."
