Frequently asked questions
What the registry does, what it deliberately does not do, and how to use it.
Does the registry decide who owns a charger?
No. The registry is neutral. It records which programs have registered a charger and the timeline of those registrations. When two programs claim the same charger, it records the conflict and the outcome the parties reach — it never decides ownership or allocates credit.
Do you store charging sessions or energy data?
No. The registry holds registrations — charger reference IDs, program names, periods, and the organizations involved. It never stores charging sessions, energy readings, or any telemetry.
What does an anonymous lookup reveal?
Only whether a charger has an active registration, how many active registrations exist, and the period they cover. It never reveals which organization registered the charger. Lookups are rate-limited to deter enumeration.
How is a charger identified?
By a deterministic SHA-256 hash of its canonical vendor and normalized serial number. The hash is computed locally, so participants can derive the same reference ID without sharing raw serials. The registry stores the hash and the last four characters of the serial.
How do I authenticate to the API?
Either with an API key (a Bearer token) or via OAuth2 client-credentials, which exchanges a client id and secret for a short-lived Bearer token. Both carry scopes that limit what the key can do. The anonymous lookup needs no authentication.
Can I get notified when something changes?
Yes. Register a webhook endpoint to receive signed notifications when a registration is created, updated, expired or cancelled, when a conflict is detected, and when a dispute is created or resolved. Each delivery carries an EVR-Signature header you can verify.
How do I join?
Access for participating organizations is granted by the registry, not via self-serve signup. Request access and we will set up your organization and API credentials.