The moment a charging site sells energy by the kilowatt-hour, the number on the bill stops being a display figure and becomes a regulated measurement. Two names dominate that conversation in Europe: MID, the European Union’s Measuring Instruments Directive framework, and Eichrecht, Germany’s national calibration-law regime. They answer the same question — may this meter’s reading be used to bill a driver? — through different machinery, and neither regime’s requirements are a checklist to copy from an article: the seller confirms the position for its exact charger and billing design, in writing, before the first paid session.
Key Takeaways
- Selling by the kWh makes the meter a regulated measurement — MID in the EU, Eichrecht in Germany.
- The two regimes are separate confirmations; neither is discharged by the other.
- The billing design — display, records, disputes — is part of the compliance position.
- No EVDANCE listing states a metering approval; energy monitoring is not metering certification.
Two Regimes, One Question
MID is the EU framework under which measuring instruments, including meters, are examined and approved for legally controlled uses such as billing. Approval under it attaches to the model examined — which is why the meter’s documents matter, as our guides to rating labels and required markings and EV charger certifications set out. Eichrecht is Germany’s calibration law: a national regime over the same billing question for charging sold in Germany, with its own approval and verification practice. One is a European framework; the other is one member state’s regime in depth. A seller active in Germany must satisfy itself on both — the second is not discharged by the first.
The Two Frameworks Side by Side
| Framework | What it governs | Whose verification or approval | The seller’s pre-launch confirmations |
|---|---|---|---|
| MID (EU) | Whether a meter model’s measurement may be used for billing, under the EU framework | The conformity route the framework provides, evidenced by documents naming the exact meter model | The fitted meter, its approval documents for the exact model, and their conditions |
| Eichrecht (Germany) | Whether paid charging in Germany may bill on a meter’s reading, under German calibration law | The German calibration side — the authority and bodies the regime works through | The position for the exact charger and billing design, and the records to keep — in writing |
| Both together | The complete billing proposition: meter, charger, platform and driver record | Each regime’s route, closed separately | No paid launch until both files match the installed configuration |
The Meter Is Only Half the Answer
Sellers routinely treat metering compliance as a hardware line — the approved meter — and stop there. The regimes reach further: what the driver is shown, how a session’s measurement is recorded, and how a disputed bill is reconstructed are part of the billing proposition being assessed. That is why the platform’s billing design is confirmed together with the charger, not after it. A display is not a meter: the touchscreen on a station such as the EV-AC03201T is a display, not a metering device and not a payment terminal, and a kWh figure on a screen is a display figure until the measurement behind it is approved for billing — the distinction our guide to smart meters for EV chargers draws from the buyer’s side.
The EVDANCE Position
Metering questions land on site equipment such as the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) and the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox (Type 2, RFID and app, IP66, CE). Metering questions land on site equipment such as the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) and the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox (Type 2, RFID and app, IP66, CE). No EVDANCE listing states MID approval, an Eichrecht position, or an approved billing meter for any model — and the EV-ACS3210E‘s “energy monitoring” is monitoring, not metering certification; the two phrases must never be blurred in a tender or sales document. For a paid-charging project, the exact model’s metering position is a written-confirmation item with EVDANCE, raised through the OEM and private-label programme or contact us, before the billing design is built on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The charger displays kWh. Can we bill drivers from that figure?
Not on the strength of the display. Billing needs the measurement behind the figure approved for billing use under the regime that applies to your sale — MID, or Eichrecht in Germany — confirmed for the exact charger and billing design in writing.
Does MID approval settle Germany?
No. Germany runs its own calibration regime over the same question. Treat the two as separate confirmations: the EU framework position for the meter, and the German position for the complete paid-charging setup.
Can we bill per session or per minute instead, and skip metering law?
Which billing structures a market permits, and what each demands, is itself part of the same confirmation. Do not choose a structure as a workaround on an assumption — close it with the same authorities, in writing.
Related Reading
- Rating Labels and Required Markings on EV Chargers
- EV Charger Certifications Explained: CE, UKCA, UL, ETL, CB and What Buyers Should Ask For
- Do You Need a Smart Meter for an EV Charger?
- CE Marking for Private-Label EV Chargers Sold in the EU
