Question 1

1. What is the biggest EV charging software trend CPOs are underestimating in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Regulatory-driven interoperability is the one most operators still treat as a Europe-only compliance item. AFIR's open-data API requirement and payment mandate are pushing every CPO that wants EU market access toward standards that are becoming the global default, not a regional exception.

Question 2

2. Do smaller, single-city CPOs need to worry about cloud-native architecture yet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, because the switching cost only grows with scale. A cloud-native platform chosen before a network doubles in size avoids a migration project later — retrofitting an on-premise CSMS after 100 sites are already live is far more disruptive than starting cloud-native at 10.

Question 3

3. How does OCPI roaming actually change revenue for a CPO?

Accepted Answer

OCPI-based roaming opens a network to drivers from partner eMSPs who would otherwise never see it in their app, filling sessions on chargers that would sit idle outside a CPO's own driver base — at the cost of a small revenue-share negotiated per roaming agreement.

Question 4

4. Is dynamic pricing risky for driver retention?

Accepted Answer

Only if it is applied without transparency. Dynamic, data-driven pricing works best when the app shows the price before a session starts, the same way ride-hailing surge pricing does — the risk is hidden pricing, not variable pricing itself.

Question 5

5. What does the AFIR payment mandate actually require by January 2027?

Accepted Answer

Every publicly accessible charger rated 50kW or above must accept contactless card or NFC payment, including chargers installed before the rule existed — retrofitting is mandatory, not optional, and the deadline is January 1, 2027.

Question 6

6. How should a fuel retailer entering EV charging weigh these EV charging software trends?

Accepted Answer

Prioritise roaming and payment support over advanced pricing logic at launch — a forecourt's first charging customers are drivers passing through, not a loyal base, so being visible on every roaming network and accepting every payment method matters more early on than fine-tuned tariffs.

cpo technology stack

Global EV Charging Software Trends: What Operators Should Watch