SAN FRANCISCO — JULY 16, 2024 — LF Energy, the open source foundation focused on harnessing the power of collaborative software and hardware technologies to accelerate the energy transition, announces the release of LF Energy CitrineOS 1.3.0. This new release marks a significant advancement in CitineOS’ implementation of an Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 2.0.1 compliant Charging Station Management System (CSMS). S44 Energy, a global leader in EV charging solutions, lead contributions to the latest version as part of an open source community developing CitrineOS. This underscores S44 Energy’s commitment to driving innovation and scalability within the electric vehicle charging industry.
Key Features of CitrineOS 1.3.0
CitrineOS 1.3.0 introduces several major new features designed to streamline operations and enhance user experience. The first is support for OCPP 2.0.1 Smart Charging, which enables intelligent and efficient management of charging stations, optimizing energy use and cost.
1.3.0 also introduces support for the OCPI 2.2.1 protocol. The Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol powers interoperability between charging networks and eMobility operators, letting users of one mobile app access charging stations from multiple charging networks. The backend of eMobility operators’ mobile apps will use this protocol to communicate with CitrineOS. Its main features include:
- Registration (Credentials & Versions): Simplifies the onboarding process for new eMobility partners looking to access your charging network.
- Cdrs (Charge Detail Records): These records are provided to your eMobility partners to enhance tracking and reporting of charging utilization for billing and operational analysis.
- Charging Profiles: These profiles can be pushed to CitrineOS from eMobility partners to provide smart charging enhancements to their users during charging sessions.
- Commands (Start, Stop, & Unlock Connector): Remote management capabilities for your eMobility partners to control charging sessions.
- Locations (Push & Pull): Share charging station location details with eMobility operators.
- Sessions (Push & Pull): Real-time session data pushed to eMobility operators so that they can track their EV drivers’ charging.
- Tariffs: Pricing info given to eMobility operators so that it can be shown to their customers when selecting a charging station.
- Tokens: Secure authorization mechanisms provided by eMobility operators to CitrineOS for seamless user access to charging stations.
Finally, CitrineOS’s 1.3.0 release open sources Stackbox’s Payments module. The Payments module supplies a web payment option via Stripe, enhancing payment flexibility and security.
This release also introduces the Scan&Charge feature to the Payments module: CitrineOS provides QR Codes to charging stations that when scanned send the user to a Stripe payment portal.
“We’re particularly excited about the release of our Stackbox Payments Module as open source,” added Olga Haygood, CEO of S44 Energy, the organization which authored CitrineOS. “This underscores our commitment to fostering community-driven development and innovation in the EV charging sector.”
“As EV adoption continues to accelerate, initiatives like CitrineOS are essential to speed the deployment of reliable, interoperable EV chargers to ensure drivers can charge rapidly and conveniently,” said Alex Thornton, Executive Director of LF Energy. “The latest release of CitrineOS helps push us further in that direction, while optimizing for energy use and cost. The LF Energy community is grateful to S44 Energy for their leadership in the CitrineOS project, and their efforts to advance the project to this important stage.”
CitrineOS 1.3.0 represents a collaborative effort under LF Energy with the global EV charging community, aligning with S44 Energy’s vision to drive industry standards and facilitate widespread adoption of sustainable mobility solutions.
For more information about CitrineOS 1.3.0, please visit https://citrineos.github.io/.
About LF Energy
A first-of-its-kind initiative, LF Energy provides a 21st century plan of action to solve climate change through open frameworks, reference architectures and a support ecosystem of complementary projects. Strategic Members include Alliander, Google, Microsoft, RTE and Shell, in addition to over 60 General and Associate Members from across the energy industry, technology, academia, and government. Find further information here: https://www.lfenergy.org
About S44 Energy
S44 Energy is a leading provider of EV charging solutions, delivering cutting-edge software and technology to optimize electric vehicle charging infrastructure globally. With a commitment to innovation and sustainability, S44 Energy continues to empower businesses and communities through advanced e-Mobility solutions.
