As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, the spotlight is shifting from cars to chargers. Reliable, accurate, and future-proof charging isn’t just about convenience. It’s about trust, compliance, and interoperability and two key standards, CTEP and OCPP, are essential criteria to look for in EV chargers, especially in multifamily and commercial properties.

In this article, we’ll break down what these standards mean, how they work, and why they’re essential for anyone deploying or managing EV chargers.

What Is CTEP — and Why It Matters

The California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP) is a certification program run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Originally created to ensure accuracy in scales and gas pumps, CTEP now governs electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that measures and bills energy use.

When a charger is CTEP-certified, it guarantees that every kilowatt-hour recorded and billed meets strict accuracy and transparency standards.

What CTEP Certification Ensures

A CTEP-approved EV charger must:

• Accurately measure the amount of energy delivered
  
• Display clear and transparent pricing before and during each session
  
• Provide detailed receipts for each transaction
  
• Maintain accuracy over time and environmental conditions
  
  

These requirements protect consumers and operators to ensure fairness and consistency across the state’s growing EV network.

Why It’s Critical for Property Owners

For multifamily buildings, commercial portfolios, and public charging sites, CTEP isn’t just a nice-to-have,  it’s often a regulatory requirement. Beyond compliance, it brings tangible benefits:

• Accurate billing reduces tenant disputes
  
• Consumer trust grows as EV drivers see transparent, reliable pricing
  
• Funding eligibility improves, as many public grants now require CTEP certification
  
  

What Is OCPP and Why It’s Transforming the Industry

If CTEP is about accuracy, Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is about interoperability.

Developed by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA), OCPP is an open communication standard that allows chargers and backend software to “speak the same language.” It’s the difference between being locked into one ecosystem and being free to choose  or upgrade without replacing your entire network.

How OCPP Works

OCPP defines how a charger exchanges data with its management system — including:

• Starting or stopping charging sessions
  
• Reporting meter data
  
• Sending diagnostics or firmware updates
  
• Supporting advanced features like load balancing, smart charging, and energy management
  
  

By following the same “language,” any OCPP-compliant charger can work with any OCPP-compliant software,  regardless of brand.

The Benefits of OCPP Compliance

• Freedom of choice: Mix and match hardware and software vendors
  
• Scalability: Add chargers without being trapped in a proprietary ecosystem
  
• Remote management: Update firmware, monitor uptime, and balance loads seamlessly
  
• Future-proofing: Stay compatible with emerging standards like OCPP 2.0.1 and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) integration
  
  

OCPP empowers flexibility, transparency, and longevity for all charging deployments.

Why CTEP and OCPP Work Better Together

CTEP and OCPP serve different functions, but together they define a complete standard for modern EV infrastructure.

For multifamily properties, this combination is the key to both trust and flexibility.

Where Pando Electric Fits In

At Pando Electric, we believe standards shouldn’t be obstacles but opportunities to build better, smarter charging infrastructure. That’s why our chargers are CTEP-certified and OCPP-compliant, designed specifically for multifamily and commercial environments.

Our modular, outlet-based systems reduce downtime, simplify maintenance, and make it easy to scale as more residents drive electric. As the first socket-based chargers to join the Open Charge Alliance, we’re proud to advance industry interoperability and reliability standards.

By aligning with both CTEP and OCPP, we’re building charging infrastructure that’s not only compliant but truly resilient, transparent, and future-ready.