The software behind commercial chargers comes in layers, and most sites need one of them in full: a charge point management platform (a CSMS). It is the layer that authorises drivers, applies your tariffs, records sessions and reports faults. Around it sit the charger’s own firmware, the driver-facing app and a payment service — separate pieces with separate jobs. The chargers themselves are hardware; the management software is the operator’s own choice and contract.
Key Takeaways
- Think in layers: charger firmware, management platform, driver app, payment service — four separate jobs.
- The platform (CSMS) becomes necessary the moment drivers are billed, grouped, reported on or managed across sites.
- The charger’s stated OCPP version is the connection the platform uses — and your protection against lock-in.
- Management software is the operator’s contract, not a charger specification. EVDANCE supplies the hardware layer.
The Four Layers, and What Each One Does
| Layer | Where it runs | Its jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Charger firmware | On the charger itself | Runs the session, the display and on-unit features such as RFID card lists where the model states them; receives firmware updates |
| Management platform (CSMS) | The operator’s service, connected to each charger | Driver access and accounts, tariffs and pricing, session and energy records, fault alerts, remote start/stop/reset, uptime and usage reporting |
| Driver-facing app | The driver’s phone | Finding the charger, starting a session, holding the driver’s account and receipts |
| Payment service | Behind the app or the card reader | Taking card payments, holding driver money, paying the operator out |
The layers are easy to confuse because one supplier may bundle several. Keep them separate: the firmware is the charger’s, the platform is a service you subscribe to, the app is the driver’s view of it, and the payment service is where money is handled. Our guide to white-label apps for smart EV chargers covers the app layer for brands.
Which Jobs Decide Whether You Need the Platform
A platform is not compulsory — it is the answer to specific jobs. You need one as soon as any of these is true:
- Anyone is billed individually. Tariffs, accounts and receipts are platform work; no charger bills drivers on its own.
- Different users pay different prices. Staff free, members at one rate, the public at another — user groups live in the platform, as our guide to RFID and user management for shared chargers shows from the access side.
- You must report uptime or usage. Funders and landlords ask for records; NEVI-funded stations, for example, must average above 97% uptime — a figure only recorded sessions can prove.
- Several sites, one operator. One console for tariffs, alerts and reports across sites is the platform’s core job.
- Faults must reach you before drivers do. Remote alerts ride on the charger-to-platform connection.
If none of these applies — a closed site, free charging, one location — charger firmware plus on-unit access control may be the whole stack you need.
The Hardware Side of the Choice
Software can only manage a charger that can talk to it, and the talking is a stated claim. The EV-AC03201T station and the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger both state OCPP 1.6J: that protocol line is what a platform connects to, and it is also what keeps your options open — hardware that speaks an open, stated protocol can move between platforms that support the same version. Read protocol claims precisely. A listing that says “OCPP-ready”, as the EV-ACS3210E’s does, leaves the version open: which version, and which pairings have been tested, are questions to close with the supplier in writing. EVDANCE’s position in the stack is the hardware layer — the chargers on our commercial EV charging page state what they can connect to; the platform you run them on is your contract, not a charger feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the charger come with management software included?
The charger comes with its firmware — the software on the unit. A management platform is a separate service with its own contract, chosen by the operator. Where a seller bundles the two, ask which platform it is, which OCPP version it runs, and what happens to your chargers and records if you leave.
Can I change software later without replacing the chargers?
That is exactly what the stated protocol decides. A charger stating an OCPP version can, in principle, be re-paired with another platform supporting that version — but “in principle” is not a plan: have the new platform confirm the pairing with your exact model, in writing, before you commit.
Do I need the driver app as well as the platform?
Not necessarily. The app is one front door into the platform’s accounts. Sites can run on RFID and contactless alone, with the platform still doing tariffs, records and reporting behind them. Add the app when drivers need accounts and receipts.
Related Reading
- White-Label Apps for Smart EV Chargers: What Brands Should Know
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
- What Is an RFID Card for EV Charging?
- Do EV Charging Stations Take Credit Cards?
