NotifyEVChargingNeeds

Reports what the vehicle says it needs — departure time, energy required, power limits.

Version: OCPP 2.0.1
Direction: Charge Point → CSMS
Functional block: Smart Charging

Part of ISO 15118 smart charging, with no 1.6 equivalent. The vehicle tells the station its energy requirements and when it needs to leave; the station forwards them so the CSMS can build a schedule that actually meets them.

This is what makes departure-time-aware charging possible rather than simply charging as fast as allowed.

Request

Field	Type	Required	Description
`evseId`	integer	Required	The EVSE the vehicle is connected to.
`chargingNeeds`	ChargingNeedsType	Required	`requestedEnergyTransfer`, optional `departureTime`, and AC or DC charging parameters.
`maxScheduleTuples`	integer	Optional	How many schedule tuples the vehicle can accept in response.

json

[2, "19223201", "NotifyEVChargingNeeds", {
  "evseId": 1,
  "chargingNeeds": {
    "requestedEnergyTransfer": "DC",
    "departureTime": "2026-09-09T18:00:00Z",
    "dcChargingParameters": {
      "evMaxCurrent": 200,
      "evMaxVoltage": 800,
      "energyAmount": 55000
    }
  }
}]

Response

Field	Type	Required	Description
`status`	NotifyEVChargingNeedsStatusEnumType	Required	`Accepted`, `Rejected` or `Processing`.
`statusInfo`	StatusInfoType	Optional	Reason code.

json

[3, "19223201", {
  "status": "Accepted"
}]

Implementation notes

`Processing` means the CSMS is still building a schedule. The station should wait rather than treating it as a failure.

departureTime is the field that makes this valuable — a schedule that finishes charging by the time the driver leaves, at the cheapest hours in between.