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The case for EV charging management software has never been stronger, as people are now more likely to attempt charging electric cars at work, at the shopping centre or anywhere there’s a convenient location. 

At the end of August 2021, there were nearly 300,000 pure-electric cars on UK roads, and more than 600,000 plug-in models including plug-in hybrids. Experts say there could be 145 million electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 in the world – and this includes not only car manufacturers like Tesla, but also electric cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks. Charge point management software will be crucial to deal with this EV boom.

That being said, businesses today need to start thinking about offering their customers an easy, eye-catching way to top up their battery levels. This creates a massive opportunity for hotels, housing associations, parking lots, construction companies, and other public spaces to build new revenue streams by setting charging stations and selling electricity. But how do they monitor their charge points?

A good EV charging solution comes to the rescue to save everyone money and time. It aims to ensure complete customer satisfaction and provide you with detailed information on how to make your charging stations even more efficient. Learn more about the other benefits in this guide.

What is EV charging management software?

First things first, let’s define a ‘charge point’. A charge point is an electric vehicle (EV) charging station where electric vehicles can recharge their batteries. Charge points can be installed in a variety of locations such as private or public parking lots, homes or commercial buildings. 

Imagine that you own a parking lot and you want to start earning some money from its use. You charge for the parking, but you can also enjoy some additional revenue, setting up charge points for EV drivers. 

Now that you are installing charge points, it is important that you have software pre-built to help you manage the charge points. Charge point management software, also known as an EV charging system or software for charging stations, is a centralized management tool which helps optimize the efficiency of all your charge points from one simple to use central hub.

It’s important to note that it isn’t just a simple list of stations with information on them. Instead, it allows users to access a wide range of additional features and services which can make it easier and more convenient to charge their vehicles and ultimately boost the adoption of electric vehicles. 

For instance, Monta enables a consistent charging experience across all charge point brands, and we empower charge point owners with a full-fledged solution to attract users and seamlessly manage usage, pricing, availability, and transactions.

Who can benefit from EV charging solutions? 

Charge point management tools offer a range of benefits, from increased convenience for drivers to increased profitability for charging station operators. In essence, charge point management software can provide a platform for a variety of functionalities, including:

  • Information about charge points and their availability
  • Mobile applications for drivers seeking charge points
  • Detailed reporting functionality allowing users to track performance data over time
  • Management tools that allow administrators to oversee all aspects of a charging station’s operation, from booking charge points to managing finances. This information allows them to make the most of available charge points and maximize revenues.

Truth be told, anyone who manages or owns electric vehicle charge points can benefit from using charge point management software. But we’ve distinguished that charge point operators, installers, and EV drivers could benefit from it the most. 

Charge Point Operators & Installers

For charge point operators, EV driving solutions are a must if they want full control over their charging stations. The charge point owners and operators can see the availability, utilization and revenue for all their charge points through a centralized portal; they can also manage their fleet of charge points remotely. 

As a matter of fact, they can keep track of who used which charge point when, and for how long they did so. With an EV charging platform, you can get an idea about how much electricity was used at any given time and plan future upgrades for your charge points. 

Did you know? Our EV charging platform, Monta, also has a lead generator functionality that allows CPOs and installers spot businesses or ‘leads’ that are interested in setting up charge points. Thus, Monta connects its users with prospects having a direct impact on our customer’s revenue. 

EV Drivers

On the other hand, it is an essential tool for any electric vehicle (EV) driver. Most charge point management software vendors offer a mobile application for EV drivers to easily find and use charging stations, manage their own charging station at home, and even share it with their neighbours. It helps you monitor the charge point usage and check the invoices of electricity usage

At the same time, charge point management is a new way of using technology to make your electric vehicle, hybrid or plug-in more convenient, sustainable and economical. 

The benefits of EV charging software

EV charging solutions offer many benefits to businesses who are now beginning to implement them across their network. With the right platform, you can more easily track charge point performance, capture more revenue from the charging stations, and better understand customer usage patterns to improve charging station placement and marketing strategies.

1. Charging management platforms simplify the process of managing charge points by automating many of the most time consuming aspects of managing charging stations. 

Charge point management software automates all the charge point data entry as well as the monthly reporting, as opposed to doing it manually or having a member of your team sit down and enter it into a spreadsheet. With the right EV charging solutions, you can monitor the electric vehicle usage, revenue, payments and maintenance costs. It also provides reports which can be used for billing, auditing and financial reporting reducing the need for staff to manually input data. It often serves as an information hub, providing information regarding usage patterns and usage times. This kind of information can be quite useful in helping you understand how best to manage your charging stations. If you are interested in learning more about charge point management software options, contact us today!

2. Charge point management tools are meant to be intuitive and easy to use, even for those with little or no experience in the EV industry. 

Thanks to charge point management software’s intuitive design, EV charging stations can be monitored and managed by even the least tech-savvy members of your team. This eliminates the need for specialized training and allows you to use existing employees who may or may not have direct experience with EV charging stations. 

3. EV charging solutions facilitate communication between the various parties involved in setting up and managing charge points. 

Because all parties are able to communicate through the same platform, there’s no need for multiple emails or phone calls to coordinate tasks that affect the same areas of the charging infrastructure.

4. The right EV charging tools greatly reduce time & costs associated with installation, maintenance and data collection. 

Decreased time spent managing stations is another benefit CPOs and installers can experience. Charge point management software can help reduce maintenance time by scheduling regular inspections and auto-notifying technicians of issues or malfunctions. It can also monitor usage patterns and alert technicians when a charging station is underutilized or overutilized based on historical trends, so they can plan future work schedules accordingly.

5. EV charging management software provides real-time and historical data regarding each charge point and station group. 

Who wouldn’t want to monitor the use of charge points in real time? With intelligent EV platforms, when users access your charge points, they will have their usage automatically registered onto your system so that you can see who used them and also how long they were used for. You can then set up billing based on usage. 

Charge point management software has detailed information about all aspects of your charge points. This includes information related to maintenance, including details about any faults that have occurred with each individual charge point. It also includes information about the type of electricity used by each unit, which will be useful when it comes to setting up billing for customers based on their electricity types. This level of detail is crucial for ensuring smooth operation and maintaining regular customer relations. 

6. EV charging systems greatly reduce energy costs by optimizing the charging process and minimizing downtime at charge points. 

Charge point management software will allow you to see exactly how much electricity each charge point is using on a daily basis, helping you to maximize profits from each one. It will give you the ability to set rules for when a charging station can be used and how much power it can use. 

The software will help you control the amount of electricity that goes into each car. You can limit this so that people only charge until their battery reaches three quarters full so that they don’t overcharge it and therefore it doesn’t die on them before they reach their destination. Charge point management software also has the ability to turn off the power so that unauthorised users cannot use it after hours or when the business is closed.

7. EV charging management software allows users to easily add new charging station locations and manage station groups remotely. 

Charge point management software also allows users to monitor energy consumption patterns over time, which can allow them to make better decisions about which areas to expand their network of charge points. That being said, intelligent EV charging solutions will allow you to quickly see which charge points are in use so you can place more as needed. 

8. Charging apps make it easy for EV drivers to search for nearby charge points.

The most obvious benefit of using EV apps is that they help EV drivers find nearby charging points. This is especially useful as there are now thousands of public charging points across the globe with many more being built every year. Some market leaders also offer features that allow users to view all stations within a given radius of their current location and find the nearest available stations based on their destination or destination market and then generate a route that includes those stations. This feature makes it easy for drivers to find the nearest available stations as well as those with power so their vehicle can be fully charged. 

All in all, once you have EV charging management software in place, you can access all the information about your charge points in one place and manage them smarter, not harder. 

Monta

Monta is the operating platform powering the EV ecosystem serving drivers, companies, cities, and the electricity grid with one integrated software solution.