Pionix Virtual Charger Park (VCP) Examples

This repository contains practical examples and automation tools for the Pionix Virtual Charger Park (VCP). VCP allows you to spin up massive virtual charger fleets running the full EVerest stack in the cloud, enabling realistic OCPP load testing and CSMS validation without physical hardware.

🚀 Quick Start: Run in Google Colab

The fastest way to experiment with the VCP API is via our interactive notebooks:

• Load Test Example Learn how to use aiohttp to simultaneously authorize, plug in, and start charging on multiple VCP instances.
• Configuration Generator Programmatically generate CSV templates for bulk-creating a diverse fleet of virtual chargers.

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🛠️ Local Development

For running examples locally or developing your own tools:

1. Environment Setup

• Nix (Recommended): Run nix develop for a reproducible shell.
• VS Code: Open in DevContainers for a fully pre-configured environment (Python, Docker, ngrok).

2. Local CSMS (SteVe)

To connect the Virtual Charger Park to a local backend:

1. git submodule update --init --recursive
2. ./start-steve.sh (Exposes SteVe via ngrok)
3. Configure your VCP dashboard using the provided ngrok URL.

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📖 Key Concepts

• VCP: A cloud-based fleet of virtual chargers running the open-source EVerest stack.
• VCP API: The interface at vcp.pionix.com used to simulate physical interactions (plugging in, swiping RFIDs).

📂 Project Structure

• notebooks/: Load testing and configuration examples.
• steve/: SteVe OCPP Central System submodule.
• start-steve.sh: Automation script to start SteVe and expose it via ngrok.

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🔍 About EV Charging Simulation & Load Testing

Pionix Virtual Charger Park (VCP) is a professional-grade EV charging station simulator designed for high-scale OCPP load testing and CSMS software validation. By utilizing the EVerest open-source charging stack, VCP provides a 1:1 digital twin of real-world charging behavior in a cloud-native environment.

Why use VCP for your EV charging project?

• OCPP Compliance: Test your Central System against OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1 scenarios.
• Asynchronous Load Testing: Simulate hundreds of concurrent charging sessions.
• EVerest Integration: Experience the industry-standard charging stack used in commercial hardware.
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Alternative: Reduce costs by validating software logic in a virtual park before deploying to physical test rigs.

For more information on how to optimize your EV charging infrastructure, visit the PIONIX Official Website.