Prerequisites to connect to ChargePilot® via the VDV 463 interface

alt="Failed to load image"

VDV 463 basics

VDV 463 enables a two-way communication between ChargePilot® (Charging Management System - CMS) and an Upstream System USS (e.g. Depot Management System, Fleet Management System) using an open communication standard. The VDV 463 standard specifies the structure and the required transport protocol for all interchanged data. As a transport protocol, VDV 463 defines an encrypted WebSocket connection over TLS (WebSocket secure).

VDV 463 use cases

The VDV 463 interface can exchange data uni-directional or bi-directional, depending on customer use cases.

Two-way communication

OPTIONAL

ChargePilot® can import Charging Schedules (see section 3) per electric vehicle (ChargingRequests), meaning an Upstream System can create, change and terminate charging requests. Based on the data input, ChargePilot® will optimize charging around the vehicle schedules based on ChargePilots® scheduled load management logic. All schedules are imported automatically in real time.

MUST

ChargePilot® can export real-time charging data (ProvideChargingInformation) to an Upstream System continuously (every 15sec). This data set contains information about the depot setup, the charging infrastructure as well as the corresponding charging station/point statuses, ongoing charging processes and potential error information.
Optionally this message also contains charging processes scheduled in the future, if sent via ChargingRequests before.

Uni-Directional

ChargePilot® provides continuously update ChargingInformation to the Upstream System.

Bi-Directional

Additionally ChargePilot® can import ChargingRequests, including schedules for EVs. This step is optional.

Communication structure (basic message structure)

The basic VDV 463 communication structure consist of an array with the properties specified below.

Property	Type	Possible values	Description
MessageType	Integer enum	1. Request. 2. Confirmation. 3. Error.	1. Respective party sends a request message. 2. Receiving party of a request sends a confirmation message, that the previous request has been received successfully. 3. Receiving party sends an error message instead of a confirmation, because received message could not be processed due to an error.
Source	String enum	1. BMS 2. ITCS 3. CMS	Indication of data source: 1. BMS, ITCS as Upstream System 2. CMS as ChargePilot®
PresystemId	String	Any string	Unique ID of the pre-system connecting to ChargePilot®
TimeStamp	UTC Timestamp	Timestamp in UTC format	The timestamp when the message was sent.
MessageId	String	1. Incoming from an Upstream System: Any string 2. Incoming from ChargePilot®: UUID	Unique identifier of each message. Each request contains its own unique identifier, each confirmation as well and error messages also contains the corresponded request identifier
MessageAction	String enum	1. BootNotification 2. ProvideChargingInformation 3. ProvideChargingRequests	Action of each message, which indicates, what action this message is referring to.
Payload	Json object	Content of each message dependent on the message action itself	Payload of the message that needs to be processed

Example basic message structure:

[
    1,    // MessageType
    "BMS",   // Source
    "Presystem1",   // PresystemId
    "2023-09-25T09:58:52Z",    // Timestamp in UTC format
    "96fd700f-7bc9-43f1-9afb-0610abf7f4df"    // MessageId,
    "BootNotification",   // MessageAction
    // Payload below
    {
      "systemType": "BMS"
    }
]

Security

Transport Protocol

The VDV 463 connection between an Upstream System and ChargePilot® is secured using the WebSocket transport protocol over TLS (WebSocket secure). This protocol ensures that every exchanged message between an Upstream System and ChargePilot® is encrypted.

Certificate

Connecting to ChargePilot® via VDV 463 is possible both with and without using an X.509 certificate, but connecting using a certificate provided by The Mobility House is strongly recommended for enhanced security. Connecting without certificate could potentially expose the connection to security vulnerabilities and unauthorized access. Therefore we strongly recommend to use a certificate. The certificate will be provided by The Mobility House.

Credentials

Creating credentials for VDV 463 users is a fundamental and required step in securing access to ChargePilot®. VDV 463 credentials consist of a unique username and a unique password. Username and password serve as an authentication and a validation check, to identity an Upstream System attempting to log in. The required credentials for each VDV 463 connection are defined by The Mobility House and will be provided to the customer.