Technology Eligibility

Incentives shall be awarded depending on the number of eligible Level 2 connectors installed at a project site. Level 2 EVSEs must meet a specific set of criteria to be considered eligible. The requirements set forth by the California Energy Commission are summarized below. For a full description of eligibility requirements, consult the Implementation Manual. If you are a manufacturer and are interested in your charger becoming eligible, contact the Project Team.

All eligible equipment must:

  • Be new and installed for the first time
  • Be certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Program (NRTL) and certified to UL 2954 standard
  • Be rated at 6.2kW or greater
  • Be Energy Star certified
  • Be compliant with SAE J1772 technical standard
  • Be Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP) compliant and include credit card reader (for public charging with fee for use only)
  • Be networked and support, at a minimum:
    • Network connectivity such as 4G LTE, IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet, or IEEE 802.11n for high bandwidth wireless networking
    • Ability to receive remote software updates, real-time protocol translation, encryption and decryption, Internet Protocol (IP)-based processor capable of supporting multiple protocols, and compliant with Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP and IPv6
    • Ability to connect to a network’s back-end software
  • Contain a self-attestation to Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) v1.6 or later on manufacturer specification sheet

Technology eligibility that shall be required in the future is as follows (and may be subject to change):

Requirement Technology Date
OCPP 1.6 or later Core (Subset) & Security certifications, * or OCPP 2.0.1 certification proof of payment, or OCPP 2.0.1 test tool report showing compliance for Core & Security L2 January 1, 2024
OCPP 2.0.1 Core & Security certification* L2 January 1, 2025
ISO 15118 Hardware Ready L2 July 1, 2024

Requirement
OCPP 1.6 or later Core (Subset) & Security certifications, * or OCPP 2.0.1 certification proof of payment, or OCPP 2.0.1 test tool report showing compliance for Core & Security

Technology
L2

Date
January 1, 2024

Requirement
OCPP 2.0.1 Core & Security certification*

Technology
L2

Date
January 1, 2025

Requirement
ISO 15118 Hardware Ready

Technology
L2

Date
July 1, 2024

* EVSE models must be certified to be eligible for block grant funding. There are no current requirements for certification of software used by the charging station management system. ^ Manufacturers which enroll OCPP 1.6 certified equipment on or before January 1, 2024, may request an extended July 1, 2025, certification deadline for OCPP 2.0.1

Network Providers

Projects funded by Communities in Charge must maintain a network service agreement for their Level 2 EVSEs receiving incentives, and maintain this agreement for a period of no less than 2 years (24 months) from the date of final commissioning.

Network Providers must implement a mechanism to transfer the required data to CALSTART with a format and frequency that is acceptable to CALSTART and CEC.

The data fields collected should include, at a minimum:

  • EVSE ID
  • Port ID
  • Port maximum kW
  • Connection start/end date
  • Connection start/end time
  • Charge session start/end date
  • Charge session start/end time
  • Energy consumed
  • Interval ID
  • Interval peak demand
  • Interval start/end date
  • Interval start/end time
  • Interval energy consumed
  • Interval average demand
  • Idle duration
  • Downtime reason
  • Event start/end date
  • Event start/end time

Pending reliability legislation may change or alter some of these parameters. All stakeholders are recommended to keep up to date with any rules or regulations which may impact their project site.

Want to Be An Eligible Technology or Network Provider?

Level 2 EVSE Manufacturers – If you or an applicant are interested in a particular EVSE becoming eligible for incentives, contact the Project Team for more details.

Network Providers – If you have questions regarding data collection, contact the Project Team for more details.

Should the equipment selected be deemed approved and qualified, Communities in Charge will update the Eligible Equipment List accordingly.