How do I apply cost tracking to charge points?

For: Charge point operators who want to know what each charge actually costs them in electricity, for both paid and free charging.

Cost tracking attaches an electricity cost price to your charge points. Every charge then gets a tracked cost next to the price the driver paid, so you can see your margin per charge, per charge point and per site.

Why use cost tracking?

• Know your margin. For paid charging, compare what drivers pay with what the electricity cost you, and spot sites or times of day where you're losing money.
• Put a price on free charging. Employee, guest or visitor charging still costs you money. Cost tracking shows how much.
• Set better prices. Use real cost data, including spot-price swings and grid tariffs, when you decide what to charge drivers.
• Report and recharge internally. Tracked costs are in your charge exports, ready for finance, cost centres or internal billing.

How the cost is calculated

When a charge ends, Monta multiplies the energy delivered by the cost price that applied while the vehicle was charging:

• Fixed price: one price per kWh, optionally with an hourly tariff on top.
• Spot price: the electricity market price in 60- or 15-minute intervals, optionally with hourly tariffs (for example, grid tariffs) or advanced price settings. Each interval of the charge is costed at the price for that interval.

Step 1: Create a cost price group

A cost price is a price group of type Cost price. You can only apply it to charge points and charging sites in the same account.

1. In the left-side menu, select Global Configurations, then the Price Groups tab.
2. Click + Add new price and select Cost price.
3. Select the pricing type:
   • Fixed price: enter the price per kWh, and optionally add an hourly tariff.
   • Spot price: choose 60- or 15-minute intervals, then optionally add an hourly tariff or configure advanced prices.
4. Name the price group and enter the amount.
5. Review the price calculation and click Save.

Step 2: Apply it to charge points

1. In the left-side menu, select Global Configurations, then the Price Groups tab.
2. Click the settings for the cost price group and select the option to apply it.
3. Select the charge points or charging sites and click Apply.

Or apply it to a whole site

1. Go to Chargers and select Charging sites.
2. Open the site and go to Settings.
3. Click Apply cost group and select an existing cost price, or create a new one.
4. Optionally, choose to recalculate the cost of previous charges with the selected cost price.
5. Click Continue, then Save changes.

Where you see the results

• Charge details in Monta Hub: open any charge to see its tracked cost alongside the price paid.
• Charge exports: tracked cost is included per charge, so you can calculate margins in bulk.
• Partner API: the cost is available on charges for your own reporting and integrations.

Good to know

• No money moves. Cost tracking is for reporting only. It doesn't create a transaction in your wallet or change what drivers pay.
• Works for paid and free charges. Cost is tracked whether or not the driver pays.
• One cost price per charge point. Applying a new cost price to a charge point replaces the previous one.
• Changing a cost price. When you update a cost price, you can recalculate previous charges on the charge points that use it. Otherwise the new price only applies to future charges.
• Calculated when the charge ends. The final cost of an ongoing charge appears once the charge is complete.

Related articles

• How do I set up the electricity cost for my charge point?
• Charging site functions