Recently there has been a lot of discussion about price transparency concerning charging stations/charging sessions in The Netherlands. For example, there has been an episode in the Dutch TV program Radar, and parliamentary questions have been asked. However, the arguments are based on European law, which is why we suspect that this will be the situation throughout Europe.
It is difficult because every provider uses different prices, which can even be adjusted during the day. Also, the combinations of prices applied between the charging station and the charging card can be confusing for the EV driver.
To put an end to this lack of clarity, agreements were made during an eViolin consultation with a large number of parties in the industry. These agreements regarding price transparency mean that it must be made easier for the customer to know the price in advance. This is made compulsory for both the Charge Point Operator (CPO) and the e-Mobility Service Provider (e-MSP).
Of course, the CPOs and e-MSPs are free to think of ways to achieve this price transparency. For example, reference can be made to a website or an app but also using a sticker on the station.
Because Last Mile Solutions considers price transparency important, the organization has already taken the following measures:
- OCPI connections made with other platforms/ CPO’s and e-MSP’s in the market;
- OCPI capabilities developed on the platform for third parties (platforms, CPO’s or e-MSP’s) and partners who wish to connect to our platform;
- a white label charging app that displays the prices of connected charging stations.
These OCPI links make it possible to share real-time price information from different providers.
We are also working on a couple of new features that will improve price transparency in the future. Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter to stay up to date!
