News & insights
In brief
Short reads on deals, rules and network moves across the charging industry
Chargecloud buys elvah's charging-market data platform out of insolvency
Cologne-based CSMS vendor chargecloud has bought elvah's Hub market-data platform and Charging Market Report out of insolvency, its first acquisition since 2016. Elvah, an E.ON-owned charging-data specialist, filed for insolvency in March 2026 for the second time in its history.
Zaptec and Polestar renew and expand their home-charging partnership
Zaptec and Polestar have extended their home-charging partnership for another two years, expanding into the Baltics and outside Europe, with future bidirectional (V2G) charging on the roadmap. OEM-plus-charger bundling keeps growing on home-AC turf.
Plugit buys Helen's charging network, becomes Helsinki's largest charging operator
Plugit has acquired Helen's EV charging business, 199 public stations and 798 charging points serving more than 55,000 users, becoming the largest public charging operator in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Helen exits charging to focus on energy.
EU sets an indicative 46 percent electrification target for 2040
The European Commission wants electricity to cover 46 percent of the EU's final energy demand by 2040, up from about 23 percent today, backed by an EU ETS overhaul. More electrified demand means more of it needs to be steered, not just supplied.
So Energy picks the Zaptec Go 2 as its preferred home charger, bundled with a 7.5p/kWh night tariff
UK supplier So Energy named the Zaptec Go 2 its preferred home charger, paired with a 7.5p/kWh overnight EV tariff. Energy-supplier and charger-brand bundling on home-AC turf is the pattern to watch.
Monta raises about EUR 30M to push into North America and grid services
Danish EV-charging platform Monta added roughly EUR 30M in financing for North American expansion and grid-balancing work. Our most direct CSMS competitor is funding exactly the grid and energy area.
Wallbox Discounter widens from chargers into solar panels and home batteries
The Dutch multi-country charger webshop Wallbox Discounter now also sells solar panels and home batteries alongside its AC charger range. A retailer broadening across the home-energy stack.
Allego migrates its 35,000-point European network to the AMPECO platform
Allego is moving its 35,000+ point, 16-country public charging network onto AMPECO's charge point management platform after a formal tender, without touching a single charger.
CUBOS buys TotalEnergies' German commercial charging business, about 6,000 points
CUBOS has bought TotalEnergies' German commercial EV charging business, roughly 6,000 charge points, taking it past 15,000 points and into the top three German operators. It is the third such acquisition in six months.
InstaVolt sells its Spanish and Portuguese charging business to Powerdot
InstaVolt has sold its Iberian (Spain and Portugal) charging business to Powerdot, refocusing on the UK and Ireland. Another sign of public charging operators consolidating around home markets.
EU Parliament committee backs faster permits for EV charging stations
The European Parliament's industry committee backed faster permitting for EV charging stations as part of the Grids Package: no permit for stations up to 1 MW on existing structures, and a three-month cap on approvals. It is a committee-stage position, not law yet.
Monta adds Plugsurfing's network, pushing European roaming past 1 million points
Monta has connected Plugsurfing's roaming network over OCPI, taking its European roaming coverage past 1 million charge points across 26 countries. Operators get the extra network without a separate contract.
Driivz to run Iberdrola and bp pulse's 2,500-charger network in Spain and Portugal
Iberdrola bp pulse has picked Driivz to run its roughly 2,500 fast and ultra-fast public chargers across Spain and Portugal, with V2G and dynamic energy management on the roadmap.
Smart charging explained: load balancing, peak shaving and solar surplus
Every vendor sells smart charging, but the word covers three different mechanisms that solve three different problems. Here is what load balancing, solar surplus charging and price-based charging each actually do, and how they run on any OCPP charger without extra hardware.
Software | Energy | How-to
What is a charge point operator, and what does the job actually involve
Becoming a charge point operator sounds like a hardware decision: buy chargers, install them, done. In practice the job is mostly software, ongoing operations and, since last year, a growing list of EU rules. Here is what running a charging network actually involves.
Software | Regulation | Market | Europe
CSMS vs CPO: the difference explained
A CSMS and a CPO are not two names for the same thing. One is software, the other is a business. Mixing them up is easy, and it hides the one decision that actually matters: whether your CPO owns its CSMS or rents someone else's.
Software | How-to
"We are not planning to carry the burdens of the old Enovates"
The restarted Enovates will not honour warranty and service obligations entered into before its June bankruptcy, Chief Commercial Officer Rob Wolters confirmed to Plugchoice, and prices are set to rise by as much as 40 percent. Under Belgian insolvency law the new company owes former customers nothing. The warranty burden now falls on the resellers and installers behind more than 300,000 chargers.
Enovates | Hardware | Market | Belgium | Netherlands
Charging your company car at home: how the reimbursement actually works
Tax-free reimbursement for charging a company car at home in the Netherlands is not a flat rate per kWh. It runs on your real cost price, or a market-rate agreement. Here is how that works in practice, and where the meter comes in.
Billing & payments | How-to | Netherlands
How to change your charger's OCPP backend URL
Moving a charger to a new backend comes down to one setting: the CSMS WebSocket URL. Here is where that setting lives on most chargers, the steps to change it safely, the mistakes that leave a charger offline, and how a proxy turns this into a one-time job.
How-to | Protocols | Software
Enovates restarts as Enovates Group, backed by Koolen Industries
Six weeks after it went bankrupt, the Belgian charger maker Enovates has a second life: a restart as Enovates Group, backed by Booking.com founder Kees Koolen. Here is what the revival changes for the chargers already in the field, what it does not guarantee, and how OCPP keeps them yours either way.
Enovates | Hardware | Market | Belgium
What is an OCPP proxy, and why would you put one between your charger and your backend
Most EV chargers can only talk to one backend at a time, so every platform switch means reconfiguring hardware. An OCPP proxy removes that constraint: it routes OCPP traffic to one or more platforms while the charger's configuration never changes. Here is what a proxy does, what you can route, and when it makes sense.
Protocols | Software
Peblar launches the Dual: a dual-socket charger for grid-constrained sites
Peblar has launched the Dual, a dual-socket AC charger that shares one grid connection between two Type 2 sockets, with a built-in card terminal and OCPP. Here is what it is, who it is for, and how it connects to Plugchoice.
Peblar | Hardware | Netherlands
Peblar Dual: what we know about the dual-socket charger, and how to manage it
Peblar is revealing the Dual, a dual-socket AC charger for semi-public and commercial sites, on 23 June 2026 at Power2Drive in Munich. Here is what is actually confirmed, what is still unknown, and how the Dual connects to Plugchoice as its backoffice for load balancing and smart charging.
Peblar | Hardware | Netherlands
AFIR for public charging: the data and payment rules, and how to add them without replacing your backend
AFIR sets EU rules for ad-hoc payment, price transparency and open data at publicly accessible charging points. Here is what it actually requires, who it applies to, and how you can add the missing pieces to an existing backend through the Plugchoice OCPP Proxy instead of ripping it out.
Regulation | Billing & payments | Europe
Landis+Gyr left EV charging. Your charger cloud should have an exit plan.
Landis+Gyr left EV charging in EMEA, the Etrel business changed hands and Ocean was carved out as a separate company. The chargers on the wall are usually fine. The cloud around them is the part that moves. Here is why installers, CPOs and resellers should build around migration-proof OCPP architecture, and how the free Plugchoice OCPP Proxy keeps the charger manageable when a platform changes.
Landis+Gyr | Ocean | Etrel | Software | Market | Europe
Enovates went down. Your chargers don't have to.
Enovates has become a continuity risk after Connect Group pulled the plug. The chargers on the wall are often fine. The platform around them is the weak point. Here is what installers, CPOs and operators should check now, and how OCPP keeps Enovates chargers manageable through Plugchoice.
Enovates | Hardware | Market | Belgium
Lekkerladen is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice
Lekkerladen is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice. Charger owners can connect from the Plugchoice app or web portal, while Lekkerladen uses Plugchoice as its data and exposure platform for ERE registrations.
Lekker Laden | Energy | Software | Netherlands
Peblar adds Plugchoice as an operator in its web interface
Peblar installers can now select Plugchoice as an operator directly in the Peblar web interface. The option is available from today in firmware 1.9.0 + C1.15, across all Peblar chargers, and is fully tested and supported, including smart charging.
Peblar | Hardware | Software | Netherlands
The evcc app now supports Plugchoice for OCPP charger connections
The evcc app now supports Plugchoice as a way to connect OCPP chargers. evcc users keep their solar and smart charging, while the charger stays connected to and managed through Plugchoice.
evcc | Software | Germany
Easee chargers can now connect to Plugchoice in a few taps
Easee now supports selecting Plugchoice as operator. Installers, CPOs and resellers can bring Easee chargers online in the Plugchoice platform without a technical detour, straight from the Easee app.
Easee | Hardware | Software | Norway
Laadloon is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice
Laadloon is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice. Charger owners can connect from the Plugchoice app or web portal, while Laadloon uses Plugchoice as its data and exposure platform for ERE registrations.
Laadloon | Energy | Software | Netherlands
Joulo is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice
Joulo is now available as an ERE integration in Plugchoice. Charger owners can connect from the Plugchoice app or web portal, while Joulo uses Plugchoice as its data and exposure platform for ERE registrations.
Joulo | Energy | Software | Netherlands
Choosing EV Chargers for Software Compatibility: What Installers Should Check Before Buying
Not every OCPP charger behaves the same in practice. Here is what installers should actually verify before purchasing EV chargers, from remote configuration depth to meter access, firmware support, phase switching and load-balancing hooks.
Hardware | How-to
MID meters for EV charging: when do you need one, and when don't you?
A practical Europe-only guide to when a MID meter matters for reimbursement, billing, Dutch ERE and why not every charger kWh reading is strong enough for settlement.
Hardware | Regulation | Europe
Why smart charging through the car API breaks, and why OCPP wins
Smart charging through the car sounds clever until OEM limits, rate limits and platform changes get in the way. Here's why controlling the charger through OCPP is usually the cleaner, more reliable setup.
Software | Protocols | Energy
ISO 15118-1, -2, -3 and -20 explained: what each part does, and why Plug & Charge, V2G-ready and real V2G are not the same thing
ISO 15118 gets mentioned everywhere in EV charging. Here's what each part actually does, and why Plug & Charge, V2G-ready and real V2G are not the same thing.
Protocols | Energy
What is OCPI, and how is it different from OCPP?
OCPI and OCPP get mixed up all the time. This article explains the difference in plain English, shows where each protocol fits, and clarifies when OCPI actually matters.
Protocols
REST API, MQTT, or dashboard: how should you control EV chargers?
People often compare REST API, MQTT, dashboards and OCPP as if they all do the same job. They do not. Here is how to think about them as layers and pick the right one.
Software | How-to
Nobody Wants to Go Back On-Site: Why Remote EV Charger Visibility, Configuration and Control Matter
Remote visibility, configuration and control are what keep an EV charger operationally useful after installation. Here is why installers, owners and support teams care so much about not having to drive back to site.
Software
How OCPP Came to Dominate EV Charging
OCPP became the open standard behind modern EV charging because it keeps chargers, software, billing, and future upgrades flexible. Here's where it came from, why it spread, and what the U.S. rule angle really means.
Protocols
EV charging billing explained: roaming, charge cards, CPOs and backoffices
A plain-English guide to how EV charging billing works in Europe, from charge cards and roaming to CPOs, backoffices, OCPP, OCPI and Plugchoice.
Billing & payments | Software
How OCPP Smart Charging Profiles Work and Why Plugchoice Uses TxProfile
A practical explanation of OCPP smart charging profiles, why TxProfile is transaction-scoped, and how Plugchoice uses it for dynamic charging control.
Protocols | Energy
ERE certificates explained: what they are, how the calculation works, and why you cannot register them yourself
A plain-language explanation of ERE certificates for EV charging: what an ERE is, how the official calculation works, why private users cannot register it themselves, and where Plugchoice fits in.
Energy | Regulation | Netherlands
What is OCPP?
OCPP stands for Open Charge Point Protocol. It's the language of EV chargers. There is a good chance your EV charger is OCPP compliant, which means you can connect it to many different systems for payment, energy management and more.
Protocols
What is an OCPP Backoffice?
An OCPP Backoffice, also referred to as OCPP Backend, Platform, or CSMS, is a database in which you can see your chargers and check how they're doing.
Software | Protocols