Starting a charging company means settling three layers in order. The legal layer is your business registration plus the licence and permit confirmations your jurisdiction requires. The hardware layer is chargers whose stated facts match the service you plan to sell. The software layer is a platform that runs access, billing and records. The legal layer has no universal list — every item is confirmed with the authority where the site sits.
Key Takeaways
- Settle three layers in order: legal confirmations, hardware by stated facts, then the software platform.
- No licence list is universal — every item is confirmed with the authority where the site sits.
- Protocol claims are read exactly as listed; “OCPP-ready” is a question to close in writing, not a pairing.
- EVDANCE sells hardware, not a platform — the platform is a separate decision with its own exit terms.
Layer One: Licences and Permits Are Confirmations
| Item to settle | Confirm it with | What you hold when it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Business registration and tax position | The local registration authority; your own tax adviser | Registration documents in the company’s name |
| Site permission and planning position | The site owner; the planning authority for the site | Written site control covering the chargers’ footprint and term |
| Electrical installation sign-off | Licensed electrical work — confirm who may do it and who inspects it | Installation and commissioning records signed by the licensed installer |
| Selling and metering electricity | The utility or regulator for your market, if drivers will pay per kWh | A written position, closed before any tariff is published |
| Funded-programme registration | The programme’s own current documents — under the U.S. NEVI rules (23 CFR Part 680), funded sites carry stated standards for power, access, payment and uptime | Eligibility evidence per programme, per site |
Layer Two: Hardware Chosen by Stated Facts
Choose hardware against the service model, on stated facts only. A workplace or amenity service runs on access control: the EV-ACT3204PE (22 kW three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE) is built for that layer. A public, fee-taking service needs a platform pairing, so the protocol claim decides: the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station states OCPP 1.6J, two Type 2 connectors sharing up to 43 kW, RFID, IP54. Where a model states less — the EV-ACS3210E portable states “OCPP-ready” — the version and certification questions that leaves open are closed with the supplier in writing, never upgraded by assumption. DC is a separate evidence class: the EV-RHDC30K-L is a compact unit at 22 kW, below the DOT 50–350 kW DC fast band — and corridor programmes requiring DC ports of at least 150 kW are a different hardware class entirely, which EVDANCE does not offer.
Layer Three: The Software Platform
The platform is the company’s operating system: driver access and accounts, billing and payment, session records, remote fault visibility and the reporting a funded site or host contract demands. EVDANCE sells hardware, not a platform, so the platform is a separate supplier decision, evaluated on questions like these:
- Does the platform’s stated hardware support cover your exact models — evidenced how, and tested on your units before opening?
- Which protocol version does the pairing rest on — and does the charger’s listing state the same one?
- How do session data and driver accounts leave with you if you switch platforms — the exit written into the terms before signing?
- What does the platform charge, in its own current terms — and what happens to your tariffs at renewal?
The protocol layer underneath these questions is set out in our OCPP explainer for charge point operators. Settle the layers in that order — confirmations, site, hardware, pairing test, open. Trade supply for the hardware layer runs through our distributor programme or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an electrician’s licence to own a charging company?
Owning and installing are different acts. The installation and connection of fixed chargers is licensed electrical work, done and signed off by licensed installers in your market; the company’s duty is to confirm that position and contract it properly. Its registrations are separate confirmations.
Which licences does every charging company need?
There is no universal list. Registration, site permission, installation sign-off, electricity-selling and metering positions, and any programme registrations each belong to a named authority in the market you operate in; the table is a confirmation route, not a rulebook.
Can I start with AC chargers only?
Yes. Workplace, amenity and destination services are AC businesses, and AC keeps the capital layer proportionate — U.S. DOE-cited figures put public Level 2 at about $3,500 equipment plus $2,500 installation per connector, against about $38,000–$90,000 plus $20,000–$60,000 for DC fast. Add DC when a site’s duty pattern, evidenced in your records, asks for it.
Related Reading
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- How to Open an EV Charging Station: Step by Step
- How to Get an EV Charging Station Franchise (and What to Check)
- Is an EV Charging Station Business Profitable?
