Saascharge Introduces AI-Powered Support with Its New AI Agent: Saasi Botai

Saascharge is integrating AI into its platform with the launch of an AI-powered support service for our partners. This new AI Agent program, called Saasi Botai, is designed to enhance support services across the Saascharge platform and its applications. The solution is versatile and can be personalized for multiple partners, with a single purpose: to help, support, and continuously improve the services delivered to our partners and their customers.

What Is Saasi Botai, and What Can You Expect?

Saasi Botai is designed to support the consumers of Saascharge partners, EV drivers, and charging site owners by assisting them in locating, initiating, and operating charging stations. The AI Agent responds to user requests in real-time, registers issues as needed, and escalates complex cases to existing support teams.

The AI Agent can answer questions related to:

• How to use charging services
• Pricing and tariffs
• Billing and invoicing
• Operational issues during charging sessions

AI with an Infinite Memory for Processes

Imagine an EV driver who cannot stop a charging session and contacts a partner’s support channel. Saasi Botai can immediately guide the user through the correct steps,  whether via the mobile app, a credit card terminal, or directly on the vehicle — including instructions on safely unlocking the charging connector.

What makes AI extraordinary is its ability to store and apply a vast number of processes, charging equipment specifications, and vehicle models, enabling Saasi Botai to support EV drivers across a wide range of real-world scenarios. The AI Agent can, for example, instantly deliver clear and accurate answers across millions of possible pricing models and billing configurations, anywhere in the world.

Intelligence Built on Real Industry Data and Continuous Learning

This capability is made possible by Saascharge’s deep industry knowledge and data, built from more than 50 partners worldwide, managing tens of thousands of EV drivers and site owners across a wide variety of charging equipment. Saasi Botai continues to learn from new cases, guided and refined by our human support teams, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and continuous improvement.

Secure, Privacy-First AI Architecture

The AI Agent is powered by a Generative AI architecture hosted on AWS, leveraging market-leading AI models from Anthropic, with the flexibility to adapt to additional models in the future.

This AWS-based approach ensures that:

• Our proprietary data models remain protected
• Customer and partner data privacy is preserved
• System integrity and security are maintained

Our AI Strategy: Powered by Humans, Enhanced by AI

We embrace AI as a core part of Saascharge’s company strategy. Since the widespread adoption of ChatGPT at the end of 2023, and with the emergence of models such as Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), and others, AI has fundamentally changed the way we work and build products.

Our AI strategy follows a pragmatic and value-driven approach, structured around four key workstreams:

1. Development acceleration using AI-assisted tools
2. Support organization enhancement with AI Agents
3. Self-care capabilities, enabling diagnosis and auto-resolution through machine learning
4. Usage and load prediction to optimize charging operations

We began internally by accelerating development and creating custom applications for partners. Saasi Botai is starting now with structured processes and coaching instructions, and gradually expanding its capabilities through learning and real-world usage.

Our guiding principle is simple: apply AI where it delivers tangible value, without replacing more efficient solutions such as automation or traditional machine learning when those offer better speed and cost efficiency. For our partners, this means scalable support, better service quality, and controlled operational costs.

How to Build Value for EV Drivers with Smart Pricing

1. Define Your Pricing Objectives

2. Use the Right pricing parameters

A. Standard-Fix Pricing Parameters

These are the most common and static forms of pricing:

Combining these with minimum charges or prepaid amounts can optimize both profitability and customer experience.

B. Time-dependent Pricing Parameters

These aim to influence charging behaviour over time:

These models promote turnover but must be used carefully in specific locations (e.g., hotels or overnight stays).

C. Dynamic Pricing Parameters

Unlike fixed pricing models, dynamic pricing reflects the real-time cost of energy, which fluctuates based on supply and demand influenced by factors such as grid capacity, renewable energy production (e.g., solar and wind), and consumption patterns. Types of Dynamic Pricing:

⚡️ EV charging can represent up to one-third of a household’s daily energy use. By 2040, 15–20% of household consumption could come from EVs. This makes smart pricing models essential for balancing demand, energy costs, and grid pressure.

3. Price Application: How to Apply the Prices

While EV drivers see a single final price, the application model—how and where prices are set in your backend—impacts personalisation, competitiveness, and flexibility. You can choose to apply prices at either the charging station level or EV driver level.

EV driver price level – Consumer-oriented

Charging Station price level – Operator Oriented

Most platforms today default to station-level pricing for simplicity. However, we recommend systems like the Saascharge platform that enable EV driver-level pricing for maximum flexibility and customer engagement.

4. Managing & Monitoring your prices

EV charging prices are only effective when they are actively managed and continuously optimised. A successful pricing strategy requires both internal analysis and external benchmarking on an ongoing basis.

Internal Analysis

 This involves analysing your own network’s charging data. Robust reporting and data analysis capabilities are essential to assess:

• Traffic patterns – Daily, weekly, or seasonal usage trends
• Charging behaviour – Duration of sessions, energy consumed
• User behaviour – Time of day, frequency of visits, repeat users

These insights help you fine-tune pricing at the site level and adapt your strategy to driver habits and demand.

External Benchmarking

 This involves evaluating how your pricing compares to others in the market. Key areas to monitor include:

• Competitor pricing – What nearby charging providers are charging
• Charger types – Types and power levels offered by competitors
• Market expectations – Regional pricing norms and evolving consumer perceptions

While specialised services can provide competitive pricing intelligence, building an internal process for regular price benchmarking is essential for long-term market positioning and profitability.

Final Thoughts: What’s the “Right” Price?

There is no one-size-fits-all price. The right price:

1. Encourages EV drivers to charge at your location
2. Maximises return for your business and station hosts

Example:
At a hotel, applying idle fees may deter guests from staying overnight. However, at a busy Super-Fast Charging hub, combining per-kWh pricing with a time limit or idle fee may boost turnover and revenue.

Pricing isn’t just a cost; it’s a strategic tool. Use it to guide behaviour, boost utilisation, and ultimately deliver value to both drivers and infrastructure owners.

Next comes the billing and invoicing phase, where you can unlock further opportunities with discounts, loyalty programs, and promotional offers. We’ll cover that in our next post. Stay tuned and follow Saascharge for more insights.

The landscape is shifting. New regulations now mandate payment terminals, and the growth of large satellite-style payment kiosks at charging hubs is improving their cost-effectiveness.

Why Do You Need Payment Terminals?

There are several reasons why installing a payment terminal for public EV charging stations is beneficial:

1. Familiarity: Credit card payments are universally recognized and provide an easy-to-use option for consumers.
2. Accessibility: You want to offer your chargers to all drivers—whether they are registered subscribers or occasional users.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Payment terminals are becoming mandatory in different regions, such as the United Kingdom, for certain chargers in the United States, and Germany.
4. Convenience: “Swipe and charge” a simple and practical way to enable EV charging without requiring pre-registration.

How Do EV Payment Terminals Work?

A payment terminal is a physical device that allows drivers to initiate a charging transaction by swiping or tapping a credit card via an NFC reader. These terminals connect to Point-of-Sale (POS) software, which is integrated with an Acquirer Bank and an EV Charging backend.

The EV Charging platform manages pricing, session initiation and termination, and transaction billing. It then relays these transactions to the POS software, which handles invoicing through the Merchant Bank which ensures payments.

Costs & Considerations

• Hardware cost: $300 – $1,000
• Monthly fees: $30 – $50
• Transaction fees: 1.5% – 5%, depending on the provider and region

Due to integration requirements with acquirer banks and high-security standards (e.g., PCI-DSS compliance), these systems are typically provided by specialized companies such as Payter or Worldpay. To ensure seamless transaction processing, they must also be integrated with a Charge Point Management System (CPMS), such as the Saascharge platform.

What Is the Best Approach for Your EV Charging Installation?

When integrating payment terminals with EV charging stations, there are two primary setups: a standalone terminal for each charger or a shared kiosk that manages multiple chargers.

1. Embedded Payment Terminals (Standalone)

An embedded terminal is integrated directly into a charging station, allowing users to pay at each unit. This setup is most feasible for Super-Fast DC chargers (SFDC), as the cost of a payment terminal is almost as high as the cost of a Level 2 charger itself. Thus, for lower-powered stations, this solution may not be the most cost-effective.

2. Kiosk-Based Payment Terminals

A kiosk-based solution features a pedestal with a payment terminal that operates multiple charging stations. This is similar to traditional gas stations, where a single payment terminal controls multiple fuel pumps.

This approach is particularly attractive for Level 2 chargers and charging hubs. We recommend the Saascharge Kiosk setup, which offers the following benefits:

• Cost Efficiency: Especially for Level 2 chargers, as multiple stations can share a single terminal.
• Simplified Maintenance: Repairs and upgrades can be performed without dismantling individual chargers.
• Compatibility: The solution is independent of any specific charging station manufacturer and can be integrated with various chargers.

A complete kiosk solution typically costs between $2,000 and $4,000, with potential additional license fees. The price depends on the product configuration, including screen size, multilingual support, speakers, and installation materials.

However, a kiosk solution doesn’t have to be that expensive. Saascharge, in collaboration with ChargeM8, offers a cost-effective alternative using the Sigma Pedestal with the Payter Apollo terminal. This solution starts at just $1,000 for a full setup—with no additional license fees. That translates to as little as $100 to $250 per charger, depending on the number of chargers connected to the kiosk.

When shall You start?

As the EV charging market continues to evolve, payment terminals are becoming a key component of public charging infrastructure. Whether through embedded payment systems for high-power chargers or cost-effective kiosks for Level 2 charging hubs competitive solutions exists.

We believe that increasing convenience by offering multiple payment methods at charging stations boosts the number of charging sessions and enhances the chances of converting occasional users into subscription-based smartphone users.

So, why wait? Now is the time to integrate an EV payment terminal into your charging network. With the right setup, you can ensure accessibility, compliance, and a seamless charging experience for all users.

At Saascharge, we believe that collaboration and knowledge sharing are the keys to thriving in the fast-paced EV charging industry. Staying informed is critical with new protocols (e.g., OCPP 2.0, ISO 15118, AI energy load prediction…), market entrants, and increasingly complex billing concepts. When new market players start or migrate to a new platform—whether their own or the Saascharge platform—the industry landscape can be overwhelming. This makes continuous access to best practices and use cases essential for success.

As a specialized and independent EV charging SaaS platform, Saascharge has developed a collaborative approach with our partners. By sharing insights and strategies, we help them remain competitive in their respective segments, whether targeting the hospitality sector (e.g., hotels, restaurants), the retail industry (e.g., shopping malls, stores), real estate, or fleet management. Now, we’re taking this a step further with the launch of the Saascharge Access Portal, designed to share: a centralized platform that simplifies access to key resources and supports scalability like no other in the EV charging industry.

• Product Updates
• Latest Market News
• Training Documentation
• Sales Materials (e.g., EV charging presentations for EMPs and CPOs)
• Direct Support Access
• And more…

How Do We Support Your EV Charging Network Objectives?

The EV charging market thrives on scalability and resource optimization. Maximizing transactions per charging point is essential. To achieve this, chargers need to be highly visible, easily locatable, and competitively priced for users searching for charging facilities. Once users arrive, delivering a seamless charging experience—accessible to both registered and non-registered EV drivers—is crucial.

Achieving these objectives involves many processes. At Saascharge, we are committed to sharing these processes openly with our active customers and partners through the Access Portal.

For instance, consider a company electrifying its fleet. The process begins with defining the required capacity and understanding the charging patterns: When does charging need to occur? Next, decisions must be made about the type of charging hardware—whether AC or DC—and the necessary power load. Additionally, the organization must consider:

• Multi-purpose usage: Can the chargers also serve employees or guests?
• Pricing structures: What pricing conditions should apply to each consumer group?
• Home charging: How can home chargers for company cars be managed effectively?
• International eRoaming: Should eRoaming be enabled for cross-border transactions?
• Access methods: What types of access are most suitable—RFID and Plug & Charge for the fleet, a smartphone app for employees, or QR code-based web access for guests?

These are just a few of the detailed, step-by-step analyses we support as part of our consultative approach.

“Sharing is winning. We believe that using platform functions alone isn’t enough. Setting up the right charging solution with the most competitive pricing tailored to your company’s needs can be a game changer—especially when applied with a strategic approach. That’s what we aim to support through our sessions and guides.”
– Richard Albrecht, Saascharge CEO

Let’s work together to make EV charging in 2025 the best experience possible. Contact us today to learn more or access the portal!

What is the right EV charging Access method for you?

There are multiple ways to charge an electric vehicle, but unless you’re using a charger in your home garage, you’ll need an access control method to initiate a charging transaction. They are known as ISO 15118 Plug & Charge, smartphone apps, web apps, RFID technology, payment terminals, and Autocharge. The question arises: How do they function and which one should we choose? The objective of this post is to determine the optimal charging access method, whether you’re utilizing a public (commercial), semi-public (fleet), or private (apartment) charging station.

What are these access methods and how do they work?

EV charging access methods encompass the technologies used to identify a driver and initiate a charging transaction, aimed at authorizing and invoicing EV drivers. These methods often utilize physical means such as RFID cards or remote access via smartphone or web applications. It’s important to understand that while these methods facilitate invoicing, they should not be mistaken for the billing protocol, which manages payments after the transaction. We have chosen to categorize access methods based on customer profiles: registered users (subscribers) or occasional users (non-subscribers).

A. Subscriber EV charging Access method: Requiring prior registration for payment

These are EV charging access solutions that necessitate registration with an eMobility Service Provider (EMPs).

Smartphone App

This method entails EV drivers downloading a smartphone application from an online store (e.g., Play Store, Apple Store…). EV drivers are required to register to access multiple functions such as charging station identification (QR code or map point selection), initiating and stopping charging sessions, setting up payment methods (e.g., credit card, Google Pay…), and other features like monitoring energy load and trip planning. These applications are connected to a backend system to facilitate transactions and manage payments.

RFID

RFID is a widely adopted technology for access control in offices, homes, or hotel rooms… To use this method, an EV driver must register and obtain a physical RFID card from an eMobility provider (EMP). The EMP registers the card with its Unique Identifier (UID) to a backend system to manage authorization. The EV driver simply swipes the RFID card on a charging station RFID reader, sending the UID data for identification to the backend. If the card identification is validated, the charging transaction will commence.

Autocharge

Autocharge is the capability to recognize a vehicle connected to a charging station automatically. This functionality allows a charging station equipped with Autocharge to directly identify a connected vehicle using its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or MAC address. Subsequently, this data is transmitted to the eMobility platform for validation. Autocharge is considered a Plug & Charge charging method. The identification principle is similar to RFID, as the user must register the car data with the eMobility provider.

Plug & Charge (ISO 15118)

The ISO 15118 principle is comparable to Autocharge, with the distinction that this technology handles the EV driver’s subscription through smart contracts registered within the electric vehicle. Similar to registering a phone with a cellular network, the user selects their eMobility provider (network) directly from the car. This enables secure charging across multiple EV charging networks without the risk of multiple subscriptions, as with Autocharge.

B. Non-Subscriber EV Charging Access Method: On-Site Direct Payment

These are contactless methods that allow access on-site without prior registration.

QR – Web Application

This contactless payment method utilizes a QR code to open a web page, enabling users to initiate a transaction by entering payment details (such as credit cards or services like Google Pay or Apple Pay).

Payment Terminal

The payment terminal is a physical device attached to a charging station that allows drivers to initiate a charging transaction by swiping a credit card on an NFC reader. These Point of Sale (POS) software systems are connected to the charging network backend, which manages the charging process, and to a merchant bank that facilitates settlement of the credit card payment.

How shall I apply these access methods?

The decision to offer these various methods should primarily be based on the location and the type of customers.

We can observe how various technologies diverge depending on their usage. For example, contactless methods applicability depends on the type of charging stations with QR codes being suitable for Level 2, and credit card terminals being preferred for fast chargers. Additionally, in private and semi-private environments, RFID is ideal for residential settings with AC chargers, while Autocharge is well-suited for companies with fast chargers. When accessing public chargers, we recommend using a Smartphone application, and when applicable, Plug & Charge ISO 15118 due to its high level of convenience.

What Access Method Should EV Charging Networks Adopt?

 We recommend the following approach for eMobility providers and Charging Point Operators when selecting and applying access methods:

1st: Flexibility: Utilize these methods in parallel based on the service provider system (CPO or EMP backend) and charging station technology.

 

2nd: Openness: As a principle Commercial and Public charging stations should be accessible for both registered and non-registered users.

 

3rd: Convenience: Prioritize user experience, offering the convenience of using a service without registration, while registered users should benefit from features like “click & charge” or “Plug & Charge”.

Finally, commercial conditions should be tailored to the registration process. While charging services should be available to anyone, subscribers should always receive preferential conditions.

All customers providing commercial EV charging services utilize a platform known as the back office. This platform serves as the central hub for operating charging stations, handling tasks such as support, authorization, billing, and energy management. The majority of market players opt for one of three approaches: developing a proprietary platform in-house, purchasing an existing platform from the market, or utilizing a Software as a Service (SAAS) platform. Each of these approaches comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses but what is the best approach?

EV charging backend growing market requirements

The era of relying on an OCPP driver providing CDRs (charging data records), basic pricing plans with an operational console along with an app for initiating transactions, has passed. Today, a competitive EV charging backend is required to provide complex pricing mechanisms, accommodate various tiers of customers (Charging station operator, Site owner, locations…), and manage billing processes involving the integration of diverse payment gateways (e.g. Stripe, Payter, TRX, among others). Next to that, we have to integrate energy management protocols such as OSCP or OpenADR, assimilate different eRoaming protocols (such as OICP, OCPI) and hubs (e.g. Hubject, Gireve), and ultimately merge all of this seamlessly into a company’s operational environment (e.g. ERP integration). This requires knowledge and a state-of-the-art EV platform.

EV charging backend market models

1. House-made development: This entails the necessity of recruiting or establishing a comprehensive IT and product team to fabricate a competitively viable platform.
2. Purchasing an existing market solution: These pre-constructed solutions are retailed by companies specializing in commercial EV Charging backends, often offering room for certain customizations.
3. SAAS solution: This involves acquiring a fully prepared and hosted market-ready backend and application through a licensed arrangement, typically based on charging points with system integrations facilitated by APIs.

Make, buy, or lease an EV charging software? Let’s compare!

Here is a short estimated comparison for 1’000 to 10’000 charging points with development costs that includes all charges for a complete charging service setup: (Analysis, Development, testing, White labeling, configuration…). The yearly management costs include hosting (server), service support, and market adaptations (new functionalities).

The optimal approach depends on your company’s structure, strategy, and timeline for achieving your objectives. Based on this analysis, it appears that the most suitable model would be to begin by utilizing a competitive SAAS solution until you have reached a certain number of charging stations (e.g., 10,000). At that point, it could become financially viable to develop your own platform. However, this decision goes beyond a mere ‘make or buy’ cost analysis. Establishing your own platform would necessitate assembling a comprehensive team of market experts, analysts, and developers, solely to create a standard version. This expertise is readily available with a SAAS solution, and additionally, you gain the flexibility to customize your platform by integrating key systems (e.g. ERP for invoicing, ticketing system, CRM…) with APIs.

What if you could customize and adapt your model progressively?

It’s evident that every emerging EV charging business undergoes a learning curve. By commencing with a SAAS solution, you can create an attractive product, pricing, and distribution model, and subsequently refine the approach on a step-by-step basis by integrating key applications. This is possible through a modular and evolutive platform such as Saascharge with its API catalog.

At Saascharge, we have noticed that around 30% of customers (including CPOs or EMPs) tend to start by gradually integrating essential business applications. Then, they explore the possibility of developing more significant Smartphone Apps or other user-facing applications.

The benefit to invest and develop in what truly matters

The foundation of a great EV charging solution lies in delivering reliable and cost-attractive charging services. There are core service elements that you can hardly differentiate from other EV charging software. It’s all about specifics! For example, integrating with an external Energy Management System (EMS) for load management or linking with an ERP to automate invoicing for fleets, rather than relying on standard ‘credit cards’ payments. This holds greater significance than attempting to replicate existing features. You can also build specialized business applications for hotels, Fleets, Real estate management or Retailers…

Start Your EV Charging Journey with a Competitive SAAS Model and Evolve through Selective API System Integration

Despite weighing the pros and cons of various models, a backend inherently offers a range of shared functionalities. Initiating your journey today using a competitive SAAS model with API integration is a pragmatic approach to adapt your model as you grow (e.g. more EV Drivers, charging points…). This is an opportunity to create a unique EV charging product built upon your proprietary applications! Make or buy an EV charging platform? Don’t compromise, let’s get the best of both!

The electrification of medium-duty transport fleets or let’s say Delivery Vans is growing fast! Driving range, efficiency and costs of these EVs are ideal for retailers. Amazon recently ordered 100,000 from Rivian and Walmart 4,500 from Canoo but how does it work for any company to start electrifying their fleet?

How is it to own and run a fleet of electric delivery vehicles?

This episode of the SNGLR Group podcast with smart mobility experts discusses the benefits and challenges of medium-duty transport fleets electrifications:
–      How is it to own and run a fleet of electric delivery vehicles?
–      What do you need to charge these EVs?
–      How secure are these charging infrastructures?

What are the EV Charging challenges of electric delivery vans?

Medium-duty transport vehicles have batteries that go from 100kWh to 300kWh. Charging these vehicles is not a matter of  2-5 minutes but rather 30 minutes to 6-7 hours depending on the type of vehicle, type of chargers and the available capacity.

Capacity: How much do you need?

All suddenly your parking becomes a gas station! How much infrastructure and energy do you need to supply to charge your fleet? Do you have sufficient capacity to provide 100 to 200 kWh per EV, do you need to get them charged at any time? Professional EV charging service providers can measure and discuss your EV charging pattern to define the needed capacity.

Scheduling: When and how much energy?

This is the planning part of the charging. How do you organize the fleets to get them constantly ready to be on the road and deliver? This requires some organizations to get the right vehicle with enough battery to go ahead. Reaching 80% is fast, getting to the last 20% can take double the time but do you need to? An efficient charging scheduling can be achieved with a Smart load management system with scheduling capabilities such as the Saascharge EV charging platform.

Travelling: Where can I charge and how?

How can you travel further away than the necessary range of the battery? Can we just charge anywhere? Good news, it’s electricity! Now some networks exist, for example, fast networks such as Electrify America in US  and IONITY in Europe. Also, the capacity to charge at the customers’ site while you are unloading is a possibility.

How to plan your EV charging needs for your electric vehicle fleet?

1. Plan the first installation

This is the most challenging as you have no data and requires an engineering company to realise these actions:

1. Understand usage profile: Some analysis about the mileage of your vehicles and planning. When and how much charging is needed?
2. Charging infrastructure sizing: Depending on the analysis you may need fast chargers to get your fleet back on the road immediately or night charging with Level 2 chargers could be sufficient for your daily use.
3. Site survey planning: This is the ground analysis to define the necessary capacity requirements for the cabling and prepare the necessary permit to get your installation running.

2. Install charging station

These can be performed by the same company that does the design or not.

1. Project management to coordinate all different jobs and permit requirements
2. Construction work with tranching and cabling
3. Charging station installation

Credit

Jim Castelaz, CTO & Founder of Motiv Power Systems

Prasad Ramakrishnan, COO at Motiv Power Systems & mobility Partner at SNGLR Group

Richard Albrecht CEO & Founder of Saascharge.

This podcast was produced by SNGLR Group with the moderation of Luca Sambucci

Customers Re-fueling their car after shopping has become an after-sales standard which is why many retailers operate gas stations. However, with the growth of electric vehicles, they have to think differently! EV charging is more than just a “potential full tank” after shopping; It is a chance to attract new customers, build loyalty, and valorize a forgotten asset; Car parks! This by just installing a few EV charging stations per store and – crucially – connecting these stations with their loyalty management systems to offer the best “shop and charge” experience.

Why is EV charging so interesting for Retailers? 

There are many benefits to provide EV charging services next to the obvious market transition from gasoline to electric.

1. Perfect location

Retailers have the 3 most critical success factors to make an EV charging network successful:  Locations (the stores), Drivers (the shoppers) and an Occupation while charging (shopping)

2. Attracting more customers at stores

In today’s online delivery era, having new reasons to get consumers onsite for an in-store experience is more important than ever (10 times more sales than online according to entrepreneur)

3. Generate new revenues with EV charging

Sales start at the parking, with $10 to $30 revenue per charging session!

Make or buy: Shall retailers provide or outsource EV charging services?

It is a legitimate question since electric vehicles represent only ~2% of cars on the road and specialized EV companies are willing to install chargers at “no costs”. These outsourcing models similar to a “Vending machine” proposition can be attractive if we manage a few drawbacks:

• Direct relationship with consumers: Managing EV drivers offers the benefit to engage and push targeted cross-marketing actions (product advertising, promotions…)
• Full access to charging data: Direct access to charging data (Who, when, how long, how much…) is a necessity if Retailers wants to develop their own “shop and charge” strategy
• Charging income model: Whether it is a revenue share or commission model, getting access to $10’000 to $50’000 annual income per charger shall not be underestimated

Now if retailers can operate gas stations, providing EV charging as charging station operator and eMobility provider shall not be much of a challenge. Especially as they can mandate engineering companies to install and maintain chargers while using a white label EV cloud-based platform (e.g. Saascharge) to operate and commercialize charging services (authorization, eRoaming, billing…).

What kind of EV charging strategy can retailers adopt?

Offering EV charging services while shopping is only a beginning. The real opportunity is to steer EV drivers to selected shopping sites. For this, three different aspects need to be considered:

• Integration of EV charging with loyalty and store data
• Development of commercial strategies to attract and stimulate EV drivers
• Establishment of key partnerships to valorize your EV charging assets

1. Use the power of data

EV drivers in need of a charge require a smartphone application, RFID cards (e.g. retail loyalty card) or in-car systems (Plug & Charge) to find and start charging sessions. These systems collect valuable traffic data (Consumer ID, location, usage, time, state of battery….) that can be combined with consumers and real-time retail data (e.g. store frequentation, promotions, inventory…) to create a powerful customer journey:

The principle is to feed these charging, loyalty and inventory data with advanced recommendation engines, such as reinforcement learning algorithms to push the right product to the right customer at the exact location!

2. Develop a commercial strategy to engage with EV drivers

This is about how Retailers can engage with the “Shop and Charge” experience to increase retention and convert occasional shoppers into regular ones.

A. Attract EV consumers by offering better charging rates

Segment customers by offering members better-charging conditions (e.g. $0.20 per kWh for members instead of $0.30 per kWh for guests…) and pushing guests to sign up for loyalty cards.

B. Stimulate EV driver sales with circumstantial offerings

Imagine a regular shopper driving home with low batteries and looking for a charging site on the store application. We now know who needs a charge; For example, a young professional with a shopping history indicates that she is an amateur of “fine food”. This information enables retailers to push promotions for fresh Italian pasta at a store located on their way home! On top of that, they can offer further promotions on “sell-by date” vegetables yielding better inventory turnover and reducing waste.

C. Make consumers stay longer with EV charging

Charging an electric vehicle can take from 20 to 120 minutes depending on the type of vehicle and charging stations. This is a great reason to motivate customers to get a longer shopping journey by upselling in-store services. Let’s take the example of a family getting a shopping break while charging their car. The store could offer coupons for restaurants or coffees to extend their stay. This is possible as we know who is charging (loyalty member), the level of the battery (state of charge) and shopping habits (e.g. coffee).

 3. Valorize your EV charging service by creating new partnerships

The number of stores that Walmart covers in the US (5’000), Carrefour (5,592) in France and Tesco in the UK (4’008) could make them among the largest EV networks by just adding 3 to 5 chargers per location. This is an ideal basis for partnerships as:

• Charging Point Operator (CPO) offering charging access to other EV market players such as car manufacturers with dedicated promotions to attract drivers of specific brands (e.g. Ford, Toyota, VW…).
• eMobility service providers (EMP) giving loyalty members access to other EV charging networks with eRoaming. This with preferential “charge and leisure” offers (e.g. wellness, golf club, hotels…) thanks to the large group of consumers they represent.

Going full EV is the only way! Start now, collect data and build up your future!

Some Retailers have already started providing charging services to follow a trend or for image reasons but being present isn’t enough! We believe that the real opportunity for Retailers is an end-to-end “Shop and charge” strategy! This is a unique chance to interact with consumers from home to shopping destinations.

355 parking spaces to be equipped with electric vehicle chargers at nine Queens, NYC Hilltop Village properties

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. and BELLE MEAD, N.J., Oct. 05, 2021 – Atom Power, manufacturer of the world’s first and only UL listed solid-state digital circuit breaker, has been selected by ESD Global, a technology solutions integrator, to provide electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to the largest single contract electric vehicle charging project for multi-family buildings in NYC. The project will help New York meet its goal of cutting carbon emissions and phasing out fossil fuel cars and trucks in 2034 by increasing access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

“With EV adoption happening at an exponential pace, EV charging infrastructure needs to be scaled up and enhanced in parallel,” said Vrindavanam Murali, President, ESD Global. “According to ESD Global’s evaluation, Atom Power’s EVSE is the only product that can meet today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their requirements. This product, along with ESD-Connect integrated software, maximizes efficiency, minimizes utility expenses and enhances long term sustainability.”

Atom Power commercialized the world’s first and only UL listed solid-state digital circuit breaker in 2019. Since then, Atom Power has leveraged and adapted its technology to charge electric vehicles directly from their digital circuit breakers, enabling easy-to-use, 100 percent digital control with flexible installation solutions, while simultaneously delivering power and capacity optimization to the building owner and the grid.

“Electrification of everything in our everyday lives is a key step in the global transition to clean energy,” said Ryan Rizor, Vice President of Sales, Atom Power. “Our fully digital circuit breaker can seamlessly manage the variability that comes with renewable resources and increased EV charging without disrupting our quality of life. Simply put, our technology enables the electrification of everything.”

As corporations and governments move to reduce carbon emissions and electrify transportation, Atom Power’s digital circuit breaker technology provides a scalable, intelligent power management platform solution that will deliver up to 50 percent cost savings by centralizing the power management system, eliminating costly maintenance, and reducing equipment costs.

This solution reduces the risk of costly damage to EV charging pedestals and wall boxes as the smart technology that charges the vehicle resides inside the building (the electrical panel and digital circuit breaker). The charging pedestal or wall box does not contain high-tech electronics; they are simply metal tubes and enclosures with charging plugs and cables.

This project, which ESD Global & Atom Power are embarking on together, includes nine multi-family residential buildings situated in the community of Jamaica in Queens, New York City. It is expected that the community will benefit from increased access to charging (refueling) their vehicles and that increased access will aid in dispelling myths about the affordability of electric vehicles. A Harvard Kennedy School Study found at $200 per kWh, the EV is cheaper to purchase, own and operate than the internal combustion vehicle in every scenario by up to $4,300. ESD Global will also help the Hilltop residents obtain incentives that the federal and state governments offer for owning an electric vehicle.

About ESD Global
ESD Global was formed by veterans who worked on energy & sustainability for several years. With the advent of digital technology in the 21st century, it was inevitable to have an integrated approach to energy, sustainability, and reduction of greenhouse gases. As transportation electrification has become a global priority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ESD Global partnered with Atom Power to provide EVSE hardware with advanced API and energy management capabilities, Saascharge software, and the acclaimed veteran-owned New York contractor DVM Industries for installation. ESD Global focuses on serving the community with the best solutions that can enhance lives and have a delightful experience when we move into the newly developed world. For more info please visit www.esd-global.com or email: esd@esd-global.com

About Atom Power
Atom Power invented the world’s first and only UL listed commercial solid-state digital circuit breaker. Designed and manufactured in North Carolina, the Atom Power suite of smart electrical products includes a digital circuit breaker, a customizable distribution panel and a personalized software solution that enables complete control and customization of electrical infrastructure for commercial and industrial, electric vehicle and residential applications. By transitioning the traditional circuit breaker from mechanical to digital, Atom Power has introduced the safest and fastest circuit breaker on the market and enables infrastructure components for smart power distribution and more sustainable energy delivery. For more information, please visit https://www.atompower.com/ or contact: info@atompower.com