Every charging site divides three roles. The owner holds the charging assets, the host controls the site, and the operator runs the service — tariffs, access, maintenance, the driver relationship. One company can hold all three, but contracts still separate them, because each carries different costs and risks. When a site disappoints, the argument is almost always about a line the role split never wrote down.
Key Takeaways
- Owner holds the assets, host controls the site, operator runs the service — three roles, whatever the company count.
- Each role carries different costs: capital with the owner, site and often energy with the host, operations with the operator.
- The seams — electricity, driver data, faults, end of term — are contract lines to write before opening.
The Three Roles at a Glance
| Role | Owns and decides | Carries which costs | Written down in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | The chargers and usually the infrastructure behind them; hardware choice and replacement | Equipment and installation capital, and the asset risk if the site underperforms | The purchase and installation contracts; the asset register |
| Host | The land and bays; access hours, parking rules and how the site presents to its own customers or staff | Site costs — and the electricity account, where the agreement assigns it | The site agreement or lease clauses covering the chargers |
| Operator | The running service: platform, tariffs, access rules, support line, maintenance programme | Operating costs — platform fees per their terms, maintenance visits, support, reporting | The operating agreement between operator, owner and host |
Where the Seams Sit
Four seams cause most of the friction, and each is a contract line, not a technical question:
- The electricity bill. Whose meter feeds the chargers, and whose name is on that supply account, decides who carries energy cost and price rises. Silence here is the most expensive gap in the model.
- The driver relationship. Accounts, session data and payments sit on the operator’s platform — including at sites carrying the host’s brand on the post. The platform layer underneath is what our OCPP explainer for charge point operators covers.
- Faults and replacements. The operator answers and attends; replacement hardware beyond the manufacturer’s warranty is the owner’s cost. The warranty is the manufacturer’s term — 3 years standard on EVDANCE units — routed through the supplier’s process.
- The end of the arrangement. Removal, transfer or purchase of installed units — and the condition they are left in — are decided in the first contract.
When One Party Wears Several Hats
The split is clearest at workplaces: the employer is host and owner, and operates the chargers itself or contracts the role out. At public retail sites the pattern inverts — the landowner hosts, an operator funds and runs the equipment, and ownership follows the operator’s money. On public land the same three roles appear inside concession structures, where a tender’s documents assign funding, ownership and revenue explicitly. A franchise is a different instrument: a brand licenses its model to an operator, as our guide to charging station franchises sets out.
What Each Role Asks of the Hardware
Each role reads the same charger differently. The owner asks for exact-model evidence — the certification file and warranty terms behind a unit such as the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, IP54, floor-standing). The operator asks what the platform can work with: this station states OCPP 1.6J and carries RFID for access. The host asks about footprint and presentation — a floor-standing station at a car park entrance is a different conversation from wallboxes in a staff garage, where a unit like the EV-ACT3204PE (22 kW three-phase, Type 2, RFID and app) fits. EVDANCE is a Shenzhen manufacturer founded in 2011 with a 3-year standard warranty; role-by-role discussions run through our commercial charging team or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the site host responsible when a charger breaks?
Not by default. Maintenance is the operator’s duty under the operating agreement; the host’s part is access — keeping bays reachable and reporting visible damage. If your agreement says otherwise, the agreement counts — which is why the line gets written.
Who pays for the electricity the chargers use?
Whoever the contracts name. Common shapes put the supply account with the host (their building’s meter) or with the operator (reconciled against session records). It is a line to write down, never an assumption to share.
Can one company be owner, host and operator?
Yes — a business charging its own fleet on its own land often is. Still write the roles separately: the paper is what a buyer, an operator or a second site inherits the day something changes.
Related Reading
- How to Get an EV Charging Station Franchise (and What to Check)
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- How to Open an EV Charging Station: Step by Step
