Charge Link Service
The Charge Link service offers an infinite number of possibilities to flexibly integrate your charging infrastructure into backend systems for billing and energy management.
Linking charging infrastructure with backend systems
Bypass vendor lock-in and connect your charging infrastructure to your backend systems through the Charge Link service. It is irrelevant whether the charging points are private, semi-public or public. You also have the freedom to configure the backend systems by your self. No matter if you want to connect your individual backend solution or a public billing provider. The service also offers the possibility to integrate an energy management system into your generic billing solution.
Are you facing these challenges?
You like to use multiple backend systems for different purposes with the same infrastructure
This is how we support you:
With the Charge Link Service you are able to setup multiple backend systems for one charge point. The Service decides based on the user authentication which one to use.
Usable part of the Charge Link Service:
Multiple backend systems can be configurated with a specific priority. The priority should be setup from the most specific to the most generic backend system. This allows you to have a backend system for fleet management and one for employer charging and the infrastructure can be used by both groups.
You like to change your billing provider but the you don‘t wont to use proprietary hardware
This is how we support you:
The Charge Link Service allows you to change the backend systems for connected to a charge point on demand. The Charge Link Service behaves like a common charge point for the backend system.
Usable part of the Charge Link Service:
The link of charge point and backend system can be done without physical access to the infrastructure. For a charge point the Charge Link Service behaves transparently.
You like to do energy management via OCPP 1.6 and also use your billing backend
This is how we support you:
The Charge Link Service provides you an API to connect your energy management system with the charge point. The connection to the billing backend stay connected.
Usable part of the Charge Link Service:
Usally OCPP 1.6 only allows one connection to a backend system. With the Charge Link Service multiple sources can be used to trigger this single connection. A permissions system allows you to configure who can trigger what.
Your advantages at a glance
Stay connected – Link multiple backend systems to one charge point
Never cut back on functionality because a vendor doesn’t meet your exact requirements. The Charge Link Service gives you the possibility to connect different backend systems with different functionality to your charging infrastructure.
Stay flexible – Reduce the vendor lock-in of proprietary solutions
Don‘t change your charging infrastructure because your current billing provider gets to expensive and the new one requires different chargers. You can stay as flexible as you like by just changing the backend system configured for your charging infrastructure via the Web-Frontend.
Stay efficient – Integrate energy management systems
Integrate energy management systems without having conflicts with the billing provider. OCPP is a powerful protocol, but most backend systems only use a single functionalitiy – energy management or billing – the Charge Link Service provides the possibility to merge both world together.
Stay secure– Security Profiles 1,2 & 3 are supported
The Charge Link Service supports all state of the art security protocols which are used to communicate with charging infrastructure and backend systems.
Connect your charge park
In particular, companies with a uniform infrastructure and different user groups can benefit from the Charge Link Service.
Linking World GmbH, shown here, has its own company locations and would like to increase the possibilities for charging electric vehicles due to increased demand.
They already use a system to manage their fleet vehicles. As the electrification of fleets continues to advance. The software now offers an OCPP interface so that the charging of fleet vehicles can be coordinated at the company’s own charging stations.
As a benefit for employees, Linking World GmbH would also like to offer charging points where employees can charge at a discounted rate. In addition, there are also some employees 00with company vehicles who are already reimbursed for the charged electricity at home via a billing provider.
Customers also regularly visit the company. There are 2 charging points for this purpose. As more and more customers arrive with e-vehicles, the offer is to be increased.
The existing charging infrastructure is therefore to be expanded. But to provide enough charging points for all user groups is costly. But Linking World GmbH has not found a provider that covers all requirements. This is where the Charge Link Service comes into play. All backend systems can be connected to the same charging infrastructure. In this way, the charging points can be used optimally and an employee does not have to hope for a free space, for example, while everything is free at the fleet charging points.
Features of the Smart Service
Integrate charging infrastructure into multiple backend systems
Thanks to the integration of several backend systems in your charging stations, all user groups can charge at your infrastructure. This ensures optimal utilization of the charging park. Our system ensures that the charging processes of each user are forwarded to the backend system to which you wish to be connected.
Configurable rights system for backend systems
To ensure that not every backend system has full access to their charging infrastructure, the rights can be restricted. There is full transparency and you can allow or block individual events. This means for example that your backend system for energy management can set the charging profiles, but cannot terminate charging processes remotely.
| Profile | Security of Communication | Server Authentication | Charger Authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Profile 1 | Password | ||
| Security Profile 2 | TLS 1.2 or higher | Server Certificate | Password |
| Security Profile 3 | TLS 1.2 or higher | Server Certificate | Client Side Certificate |
OCPP Security Profiles 1,2 & 3
There are different dimensions of security. First, you should look at the communication itself. Here, the Charge Link Service relies on TLS-encrypted websocket connections. The encrypted connection ensures that no one can listen in. However, either the client or the server can pretend to be someone else. A mechanism is therefore still needed to authenticate both parties beyond doubt. Signed X.509 certificates are used for this purpose.
The OCPP standard describes 3 different security profiles, all of which are supported by the Charge Link Service.
Hi, my name is Anton Schönenberg and I am glad to help you
Are you interested in Device Management Service or Charge Link Service Powered by Proficloud.io?
Please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you have any suggestions or comments, just send us a message to inbox[at]phoenixcontact-sb.io and we will answer as soon as possible.
