Dheeraj Shukla Beckn Expert

Expert, EV‑charging focused guide to Beckn protocol (BPP and BAP) enabling interoperable discovery, booking, pricing, and session management across multiple charge point operators and e‑mobility platforms.

← Back to profile

Executive Summary

Beckn protocol (BPP and BAP) enables a decentralized EV charging network where any buyer app can discover and book charging services from any provider platform. The UBC Technical Specification Document formalizes EV charging semantics on Beckn while keeping interoperability with OCPI for CPO communication.

Last updated: 20 Jan 2026

Scope and Alignment with OCPI

  • Discovery and booking across multiple CPOs without a centralized marketplace.
  • Real-time availability and pricing aligned with OCPI-based systems.
  • Session management and billing coordination between Beckn and OCPI.
  • Focus on EV charging interoperability rather than physical infrastructure standards.

Terminology (UBC EV)

Acronym Meaning EV Context
BAP Buyer Application Platform Consumer-facing app; mapped to eMSPs
BPP Buyer Provider Platform Provider platform; mapped to CPOs
NO Network Operator Network governance and registry
CDS Catalog Discovery Service Enables discovery across BPPs
EVSE Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Individual charging station unit
OCPI Open Charge Point Interface eMSP–CPO communication standard

Conventions Used

The UBC TSD uses standard requirement language to clarify intent: MUST (required), MUST NOT (prohibited), SHOULD (recommended), and MAY (optional).

Actors and Responsibilities

BAP (Buyer Application Platform)

Initiates discovery, booking, payments, and user actions for EV drivers.

BPP (Buyer Provider Platform)

Publishes services, responds to requests, and manages charging sessions.

NO (Network Operator)

Onboarding, registry, and network-level governance for participants.

Intended Audience

  • Consumer application developers (BAPs) building EV driver-facing apps.
  • eMSPs and aggregators mapping services across multiple CPOs.
  • Charge Point Operators (CPOs) exposing charging services as BPPs.
  • System architects designing scalable, interoperable EV ecosystems.

Transaction Lifecycle (BAP ↔ BPP)

  • Discovery: BAP searches and receives catalogs of chargers and pricing.
  • Selection & Booking: BAP selects an EVSE and confirms reservation.
  • Charging Session: Session starts, updates are exchanged, and status is tracked.
  • Completion: BPP issues the final session update and CDR for billing.

Beckn protocol uses asynchronous request/response flows with callbacks (`on_*`) to keep networks reliable and scalable.

Session Management and Updates

The UBC TSD outlines how active sessions can be updated or terminated. A BAP can send a session update (for example, stop charging), and the BPP responds with a final update and Charge Detail Record (CDR) for accurate billing and reconciliation.

Error Handling Guidance

  • Schema errors: Returned as NACK when validation fails.
  • Value/logic errors: Returned in the corresponding callback response.

Implementation Checklist

  • Implement discovery, booking, session, and completion flows per UBC semantics.
  • Map internal eMSP and CPO systems to Beckn BAP and BPP roles.
  • Integrate OCPI for real-time availability, pricing, and session states.
  • Validate payloads and callbacks using the UBC EV Sandbox.

UBC EV Sandbox

The UBC EV Sandbox provides a practical environment for validating Beckn protocol (BPP and BAP) flows for EV charging, enabling teams to test integration behavior, message exchanges, and network interoperability before production.

FAQ

What is Beckn protocol (BPP and BAP) in EV charging?

It defines how buyer applications (BAPs) and provider platforms (BPPs) interoperate for discovery, booking, and session management while staying aligned with OCPI.

How are eMSPs and CPOs mapped?

In the UBC EV charging model, eMSPs map to BAPs and CPOs map to BPPs.

Why use the UBC EV Sandbox?

It provides a safe environment to validate message flows, callbacks, and interoperability before production rollout.

Official References