3 questions - 3 answers

With Tobias Schneider

Billing solutions for electromobility - what is it all about?

Billing solutions for electromobility are essential systems and processes that ensure that the charging process for electric vehicles is correctly recorded, monitored and billed to users. A distinction is made between the basis and type of billing solution.

Basics of the billing solutions

Charging infrastructure and backend systems: Billing solutions often work together with a backend system that monitors the charging infrastructure, logs charging processes and manages billing.
Access control: Billing solutions also include mechanisms for controlling access to the charging stations. This can be done using RFID cards, smartphone apps, QR codes or other identification methods.

Types of billing solutions

Time-based billing: Users pay for the time they spend at the charging station.
Energy consumption-based billing (kWh-based): Users only pay for the amount of energy actually charged.
Flat rates: A flat rate per charging session, regardless of charging time or amount of energy charged.
Dynamic pricing: Pricing that changes depending on demand, time of day or grid utilization.

Tobias, what requirements does the charging station have to meet?

To connect a charging station to a billing solution, two key requirements are particularly important: support for the OCPP communication protocol and the provision of an integrated energy meter.

1. Support of the OCPP communication protocolThe

charging station must support the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). OCPP is an open, standardized protocol that enables communication between the charging station and the backend system. By supporting OCPP, the charging station can:

Control and monitor charging processes: The backend can start, stop and manage charging processes remotely.
Transfer user data: Data such as user ID, charging time and amount of energy charged is securely transferred to the backend, which is necessary for correct billing.
Updates and remote maintenance: Software updates and maintenance work can be carried out remotely to keep the charging station up to date and minimize operational disruptions.

2. Integrated energy meterThe

charging station shall be equipped with an integrated energy meter that accurately measures actual energy consumption. This energy meter must:

MID-compliant, which means that it complies with European standards for measuring devices. This ensures that the measurements are accurate and reliable.
Provide measurement data for billing: The energy meter records the amount of energy charged (in kWh), which serves as the basis for billing the user. This is the only way to ensure correct and fair billing of the charged energy.

Compliance with these two requirements - support for OCPP and an accurate, MID-compliant energy meter - ensures that the charging station can be reliably integrated into a billing system.

Can I freely choose the billing solution?

Yes, in principle you can freely choose the billing solution for the charging stations as long as both the charging stations and the billing solution support the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). OCPP is a standardized, open protocol that enables communication between charging stations and backend systems. This means that it is theoretically possible to connect any charging station that supports OCPP to any billing solution that is also OCPP-compatible.

Billing solutions make the management of charging stations more efficient and user-friendly, improve the user experience and ensure legally compliant handling of charging processes.

What are the advantages?

Billing solutions for charging stations offer a variety of advantages that benefit both operators and users. They play a central role in the management of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, as they not only enable the financial processing of charging, but also offer additional functions that make the operation of charging stations more efficient and user-friendly.

Advantages of a billing solution

Transparent and accurate billing: Allows charging sessions to be billed based on actual electricity consumption. This ensures fair and transparent billing for customers or tenants.
Easy payment processing: Offers flexible payment methods such as credit card, direct debit or mobile payment solutions, which improves the user experience.
Remote monitoring and control: Operators can remotely diagnose and fix faults and adjust charging station settings remotely, increasing operational efficiency and minimizing downtime.
Data analysis and reporting: Collects and analyzes usage data to optimize the charging infrastructure and plan expansions.
Security and compliance: Supports compliance with legal requirements (such as calibration law and data protection) and ensures secure data transmission.
Roaming functionality: Allows users to charge at different providers and centralizes billing, simplifying access to a larger charging infrastructure.

Conclusion

Billing solutions make the management of charging stations more efficient and user-friendly, improve the user experience and ensure that charging processes are legally compliant.

Thank you Tobias for answering the questions.

If you would like to find out more about billing solutions in electromobility, please contact us directly. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Optec team answers