How Roaming Agreements Benefit Charge Point Operators

For charge point operators (CPOs), enabling roaming expands your network’s reach, improves charger utilization, and strengthens your competitive edge in the rapidly growing EV market. This article explores the key advantages of roaming agreements, how they function, and why interoperability should be at the heart of your strategy.

📌 TL;DR

• Roaming lets EV drivers from different networks access your chargers without extra accounts.

• CPOs benefit from higher utilization, revenue, and visibility. Plus a better driver experience.

• Open protocols like OCPI and partnerships with mobility service providers (MSPs) or roaming hubs make it easy to open your network to more users with minimal hassle.

Charge point optimisation

What Is EV Roaming?

EV roaming enables drivers to use charging stations outside their “home” network without needing a new app or account. This is made possible through agreements between CPOs and MSPs, often facilitated by open communication protocols like OCPI (Open Charge Point Interface).

Main models of EV roaming:

• Peer-to-peer roaming: Direct agreements between CPOs and MSPs.

• Hub-based roaming: A central platform (e.g., Hubject, Gireve) connects multiple networks for easier access.

• Single-network roaming: The CPO and MSP are part of the same proprietary network.

Each model affects how you manage access, billing, and interoperability.

Key Benefits of Roaming for CPOs

1. Increased Charger Utilization

Roaming opens your network to a much wider pool of drivers, addressing the common challenge of underutilized chargers especially in new markets or low-traffic areas. With more drivers able to find and use your stations, you benefit from more charging sessions, higher energy throughput, and a stronger return on your infrastructure investment.

2. Additional Revenue Streams

More users translate to more charging sessions and increased revenue. Roaming lets you monetize chargers even during off-peak hours or at less-frequented locations. Many roaming models also allow you to set roaming-specific tariffs, giving you control over margins while staying competitive.

3. Improved Driver Experience and Loyalty

A seamless roaming experience builds trust and loyalty among drivers. When drivers know they can rely on your stations regardless of their MSP they’re more likely to return, recommend your network, or even switch to your service. This convenience enhances your brand reputation, even if you aren’t the direct service provider.

4. Enhanced Network Visibility

Integrating with roaming platforms or MSPs increases your stations’ visibility on popular apps and maps. This boosts the chances that drivers will choose your locations over competitors—much like being listed on a widely used map for restaurants.

5. Future-Proofing Through Interoperability

By adopting open protocols like OCPI, your network becomes interoperable, flexible, and ready for future integrations. This avoids vendor lock-in, supports smart charging features, and makes it easier to comply with government mandates or connect to broader utility programs.

6. Reduced Marketing and Customer Acquisition Costs

Roaming allows you to tap into the customer base of other networks, reducing the need for heavy marketing or onboarding efforts. The MSP handles the user interface, support, and billing while you focus on delivering a reliable charging experience.

What You Need to Enable Roaming

To unlock these benefits, you’ll need:

• OCPI compatibility in your Charging Station Management System (CSMS)

• Commercial agreements with MSPs or roaming hubs

• Integration testing to ensure seamless session data, authentication, and billing

Most modern CSMS platforms such as Eigen Digital support these requirements, making roaming activation straightforward.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

While roaming offers significant advantages, consider the following:

• Revenue sharing: a portion of session fees may go to the MSP or hub operator.

• Limited user data: roaming users are customers of the MSP, so your access to their data may be restricted.

• Reliance on third-party uptime: outages at the MSP or hub could impact charging session reliability.

For most CPOs, these trade-offs are outweighed by the benefits, especially as driver expectations continue to rise.

Conclusion: Open Networks Win

EV roaming is quickly becoming a standard rather than a feature. CPOs that enable roaming position themselves at the heart of a collaborative, expanding EV ecosystem. Those who remain closed risk isolating their network and missing out on valuable revenue opportunities.

Ready to unlock more revenue and reach more drivers?

📨 Talk to Eigen Digital about enabling OCPI-based roaming on your charging stations. We’ll guide you through setup, integration, and partnerships so you can operate with confidence in a connected EV world.