A Major Milestone for Open EV Charging: Pionix Selected as Golden SUT Partner


We are proud to share that Pionix and the wider EVerest community have been selected as one of the first Golden SUT Partners in the newly announced program by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA). This marks an important step forward for open, interoperable EV charging infrastructure built on OCPP.
What is a Golden SUT and why does it matter?
A Golden SUT is not an award. It is a technically demanding role within the OCA ecosystem.
SUT stands for System Under Test, and a Golden SUT is a reference implementation of a Charging Station, software stack or CSMS that the OCA uses to validate and harden the OCPP Compliance Test Tool (OCTT).
Instead of relying on theoretical interpretations of protocol behavior, the OCA tests every OCTT release against real-world implementations. Real message flows, real corner cases, real timing, and real stack behavior. This approach significantly improves the robustness and trustworthiness of the official certification tool used across the industry.
Why the Golden SUT program is essential for global interoperability
A strong set of Golden SUTs defines how OCPP will behave in practice across different markets and vendors. When the test tool is validated against multiple independent and production-grade implementations, the entire ecosystem benefits:
• Reduced ambiguity in protocol behavior
• More consistent interpretation across vendors
• Higher reliability in field deployments
• Fewer proprietary deviations
• Faster certification cycles
• Better long-term compatibility for operators and manufacturers
In short, Golden SUTs help ensure that OCPP works as intended everywhere.
Pionix contributions to OCPP 1.6, OCPP 2.0.1 and OCPP 2.1
Pionix participates in the Golden SUT program across a broad range:
• OCPP 1.6
• OCPP 2.0.1
• OCPP 2.1 development
This includes reference implementations built together with the EVerest open-source community. By continuously testing OCTT against our stacks, we help ensure that the tool is verified across open-source and commercial-grade software, covering real-world diversity that strengthens the reliability of the entire testing process.
Meet the first Golden SUT partners
The OCA announced the inaugural group of partners today. It includes:
• Pionix
• Autel
• Current
• VEV
More partners will follow as the program expands.
What this means for the EVerest ecosystem
Being a Golden SUT is not the same as being OCA certified.
However, since our implementations are continuously tested against the official tool (and the tool is continuously tested against us), future users of EVerest-based charging systems can expect a significantly smoother path to certification.
This is a major achievement for Pionix and for everyone in the EVerest community who contributes to building a strong, open and interoperable foundation for the EV charging industry.
Looking ahead
We look forward to working closely with the OCA and other Golden SUT partners to strengthen interoperability, accelerate adoption and ensure that open-source solutions continue to play a central role in the evolution of EV charging.