Accelerate the future of electric vehicle charging platforms

The eMobility landscape is undergoing a transformative shift. Electrifying transportation is crucial as global efforts towards decarbonization intensify.

In this dynamic landscape, the need for robust EV charging infrastructure becomes evident. eMobility charging platforms are essential for managing the complexities of a growing EV ecosystem. These platforms play a pivotal role in providing a unified and seamless customer experience, aligning with the ongoing convergence of the utilities, energy and automotive industries.

And as industry convergence and integrated offers become the norm, the software underpinning EV charging platforms becomes the cornerstone, facilitating cohesive solutions that cater to the diverse needs of eMobility stakeholders.

Accenture conducted its 3rd EV charging platform vendor assessment

During the summer of 2023, we conducted our third EV charging platform vendor assessment. The assessment covered European SaaS emobility platforms used by eMSP’s and CPO’s.

The assessment focuses on the functional capabilities of vendor platforms, but also how they were enabled technically. For example, it focuses on the dashboard capabilities of the platforms, and how they can be used to support business-related decisions and prepare for scale.

Our findings set out the complexities of these platforms and their significance in shaping the future of eMobility, contributing to a sustainable and electrified transport sector.

Assessment methodology

Accenture's assessment methodology involved identifying and interviewing eight key European platform vendors with global ambitions, assessing their capabilities in fleet charging enablement, managed EV charging, EV charging technical advisory, and EV platform services.

The assessment included an end-to-end demo and an extensive series of questions based on pre-established functional architecture. The result was comprehensive documentation that provided standalone capability ratings and comparisons to other vendors, including a heatmap representation. The assessment also resulted in a company and platform one-pager summary and a platform capability heatmap for each vendor.

Major EV platform trends

Based on the assessment, Accenture identified six major EV platform trends impacting the eMobility industry. These trends include consolidation in the market, substantial investment in fleet electrification, the popularity of integrated solutions, the importance of user interface and user experience, the need for comprehensive API integrations, and the expansion of advanced managed charging and pricing integration.

• Consolidation: in this scattered market, consolidation is a trend we observed. Various players, including oil and gas majors and global entrants, acquire platform players. The trend extends beyond traditional industries, contributing to market evolution.
  
  
• Fleet electrification: attracting substantial capital, fleet electrification drives investment. EV platform capabilities, such as fleet-specific portals and invoicing schemes, are vital. Maturity levels vary among market players based on strategic focus and target customer segments.
  
  
• Integrated solutions: platforms offering integrated solutions gain popularity. These include end-to-end SaaS solutions with white-label services, modular building blocks and extensions into the technical installer domain. Scaling and profitability remain challenging in this competitive environment.
  
  
• User interface (UI)/User experience (UX) especially for mobile applications, varies extensively among market players. The ease of use, customer-friendliness and interaction options with EV drivers serve as main differentiators. Enhancing these aspects is crucial for vendors to stand out in the market.
  
  
• API integrations: Comprehensive API integrations with up-to-date, well-managed and publicly available documentation are deemed crucial for market players. Lack of such integrations affects scalability and vendors without this feature generally do not emerge as market leaders.
  
  
• Advanced managed charging and pricing integration are expanding, especially in markets like the Nordics. However, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) functionalities and electric motor systems (EMS) integrations are in early phases, with limited platform support. The landscape varies across regions and regulatory environments.

We assessed what the best of the best capabilities looked like in 2023

Our assessment identified key capabilities that define the best EV charging platforms. These include financial optimization, data management and analytics, remote control of charging sessions, monetization of private charge points, and integration with energy management systems.

• Financial optimization capabilities enable direct integration with energy markets, supporting behind-the-meter optimization and dynamic pricing.
  
  
• Data management and analytics capabilities ensure the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of data, enabling insights and forecasting.
  
  
• Remote control of charging sessions enhances the user experience, allowing for self-service commands and mobile control.
  
  
• Monetization of private charge points enables the temporary conversion of private chargers into public chargers, maximizing their utilization.
  
  
• Integration with energy management systems allows for optimized charging based on the behaviors of decentralized energy resources.

Conclusion

As the eMobility landscape undergoes a transformative shift, EV charging platforms will continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of transportation electrification.

With the increasing adoption of EVs and the need for robust charging infrastructure, these platforms provide the necessary capabilities to support various use cases and ensure a seamless customer experience.

Accenture's EV charging platform vendor assessment serves as a valuable resource for businesses looking to navigate the evolving eMobility industry and make informed decisions about their EV platform.

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