The e-Mobility Eco-system
The EV market has many important actors:
The GreenFlux platform builds features for 2 of these actors, the CPO and the eMSP:
- CPO: Charge Point Operator. Operates, maintains and sometimes owns the infrastructure and/or land.
- eMSP: e-Mobility Service Provider. Provides services to drivers, like access to charge stations and monthly invoicing, as well as management services for fleets.
e-Mobility Transactions
EV drivers can access and pay for charging sessions in three ways:
- Ad-hoc charging
- The driver charges without any subscription or prior agreement.
- No registration, contract, or long-term commercial relationship with the CPO is required—only the one-off purchase of the charging service.
- CPO Subscription
- The driver establishes a direct commercial relationship with the Charge Point Operator (CPO).
- The driver typically pays through a subscription package offered by the CPO.
- The CPO may also act as an eMSP in the market.
- eMSP Subscription (Roaming):
- The driver subscribes to an e-Mobility Service Provider (eMSP).
- The eMSP manages the commercial relationship with the driver and connects with one or more third-party CPOs.
- The charging services are delivered by the CPOs but billed and managed through the eMSP.
1. Ad Hoc charging
In an Ad-hoc transactions, the EV driver charges without registration or a prior subscription. Payment is made directly at the charging station, typically in one of two ways:
- Payment Terminal based
The CPO provides a payment terminal at the charging station (e.g., kiosk mode serving several chargers). The driver pays directly at the terminal using a card or contactless method.
- QR code based
The CPO displays a QR code on the charging station. Scanning the code directs the driver to a web-based or app-based interface, where they can start charging by simply adding a valid payment method (e.g., credit card), without registration.
Ad hoc: payment flow
- The EV driver initiates payment (via terminal or QR/web-app).
- A Payment Service Provider (PSP) processes the payment.
- The CPO receives the funds (minus PSP fees) and provides the charging service.
Note: The PSP typically charges a fee per transaction. The CPO may choose to absorb this cost or pass it on to the EV driver.
2. CPO Subscription
In a CPO Subscription transaction, the EV driver establishes a direct commercial relationship with the Charge Point Operator (CPO).
- This gives the driver access to the CPO’s charging infrastructure.
- The agreement may include subscription benefits such as discounted tariffs or bundled charging packages (e.g., 10 EUR/month subscription for reduced kWh rates).
- In some cases, the CPO may also operate as an eMSP, but the relationship is still directly between the driver and the CPO.
CPO Subscription Flow
- The EV driver pays the CPO (via subscription or package).
- The CPO provides charging services directly, without intermediaries.
3. eMSP subscription (Roaming)
In a Roaming transaction, the EV driver does not have a direct commercial relationship with the CPO. Instead, they contract with an e-Mobility Service Provider (eMSP), who then manages the commercial and technical connection with one or more CPOs.
- The driver pays the eMSP (retail transaction).
- The eMSP pays the CPO(s) (wholesale transaction).
- Depending on the roaming setup, an additional roaming platform may be involved (e.g., GreenFlux).
Roaming Models
- GreenFlux Managed Roaming:
- Driver → eMSP (retail transaction).
- eMSP → GreenFlux (roaming provider) (B2B).
- GreenFlux (roaming provider) → CPO (B2B).
- Self-managed Roaming (direct eMSP–CPO relationship):
- Driver → eMSP (retail transaction).
- eMSP → CPO (wholesale transaction).
In short:
- Retail (B2C): Driver to eMSP — usually charged via cost-plus (CPO fee + markup) or flat fee per kWh.
- Wholesale (B2B): eMSP to CPO — the settlement of charging services behind the scenes.
Roaming payment flow for self-managed roaming
Fleet reimbursement transaction
In addition to Ad-hoc, CPO Subscription, and Roaming, there is a fourth type of transaction, specific to CPOs: Reimbursement.
Primary Use Cases
- Business Location Charger:
- The CPO operates a charger at a company site.
- The CPO charges drivers/eMSPs at rate X cents/kWh, and reimburses the landlord (energy contract holder) Y cents/kWh for the electricity.
- Home Charger for Fleet Drivers:
- The CPO installs and manages home chargers for fleet drivers.
- The driver charges at home; the CPO collects charging data (CDRs) and invoices the fleet manager.
- The fleet manager reimburses the employee (e.g., Y cents/kWh) for electricity costs, typically as part of payroll.
Fleet Reimbursement Flow
- Driver initiates a charging session (at home or workplace).
- CPO records charging data (CDRs) and applies reimbursement tariff.
- Fleet owner (or employer) reimburses the driver for the electricity consumed or CPO reimburses the energy contract holder (e.g., landlord or utility).
GreenFlux Billing (Tariff) Engines
GreenFlux platform is equipped with 3 billing engines, which aim at calculating costs for a wide range of use cases. These billing engines run every time we calculate a CDR and are responsible for calculating the wholesale costs and/or reimbursement costs and/or retail costs, as applicable.
Check How to manage tariffs and pricing using GreenFlux platform - CPO and eMSP perspectives to know how to model your tariffs and prices, whether you are a CPO or and EMSP
For each billing engine above, there is a dedicated article explaining in detail how it works: