Many comparisons set OCPP 2.1 against 1.6 and credit 2.1 with everything that is new. That blurs the picture. Most of what separates 1.6 from the current generation arrived with 2.0.1, and 2.1 is an extension of it. For an operator planning a migration, the real question is which jump you are making: from 1.6 to 2.0.1, or from 2.0.1 to 2.1.
Which version came when
The Open Charge Alliance (OCA) publishes its history: OCPP 1.6 in 2015, 2.0 in 2018, 2.0.1 in 2020 and 2.1 in 2025. The OCA announced 2.1 on 23 January 2025, as a free download.
Two statements from the OCA frame the whole migration question.
So the break is between 1.6 and 2.0.1. The step from 2.0.1 to 2.1 is an increment.
What 2.0.1 already provides
The foundation that people often attribute to 2.1 is already in 2.0.1. That includes enhanced security with TLS, smart charging and support for ISO 15118, the standard behind Plug & Charge. The 2.0.1 certification programme reflects this: it offers Core, Advanced Security, Smart Charging and ISO 15118 Support as separate parts.
If your goal is better security or smart charging, you do not need 2.1 for it. You need 2.0.1.
What is specific to 2.1
According to the OCA announcement, the following are new in 2.1 and absent from 2.0.1:
One caution on pricing. The OCA page describes fixed, energy and time-based transactions and local cost calculation. Some vendor blogs go further and talk about structured tariffs aligned with roaming protocols. We did not find that on an OCA source, so do not take it as a given when you write a tender.
Why this matters for a mixed estate
A real estate is rarely on one version. You will have 1.6 chargers installed years ago, 2.0.1 on recent purchases, and 2.1 on the first models that support it. Since 1.6 and 2.0.1 are not compatible, the CSMS has to speak each version natively, or you maintain parallel systems.
If a supplier converts 2.1 messages into 1.6 so that an old backend can accept them, ask what its conversion gateway actually supports. A function that only 2.1 defines cannot be expected from a link running 1.6. You gain connectivity but you do not gain the new capabilities.
The AFIR does not settle the choice for you. The regulation text does not name OCPP. It requires remote monitoring and control and smart charging capability on public points, and it leaves the protocol to you.
Certification: check before you write it into a tender
The OCA opened its 1.6 certification programme in 2019, with Core mandatory for both charger and CSMS, and its 2.0.1 programme in 2023, through independent laboratories. For 2.1, the new editions published on 4 December 2025 add parts 5 and 6, which contain the certification profiles and the test cases. We did not find an OCA page announcing a certification programme for 2.1 products. Check the OCA certification pages before you require or claim a 2.1 certification.
A migration order that holds up
This week
Add one column to your asset register, the OCPP version, and one to your tender template, the certification evidence required. GFO Omni is a CSMS that supervises charge points over OCPP 1.6, 2.0.1 and 2.1.