ChargePoint Operators are going through tough times, especially regarding site profitability and margins that are under pressure. One of the items that can overcome, or at least improve profitability is pricing. Often overlooked by CPOs as they focus mainly on getting spots to build new sites.
The strategic importance of pricing
Pricing is one of the strongest strategic levers a company has. It directly influences revenue, margins, customer behaviour, and competitive positioning. Yet in many industries, pricing is shaped incrementally over time, driven by contracts, systems, and historical decisions rather than by a clear strategic vision.
The EV charging industry is a clear and timely example of this. While infrastructure investments, charger speed, and uptime receive significant attention, pricing is often treated as a technical or contractual outcome. At the same time, it is precisely here that a large, largely untapped opportunity exists.
As electric driving moves into the mainstream, consumers increasingly expect simplicity, clarity, and predictability. Clear pricing is no longer a “nice to have”. It is becoming a decisive factor in trust, usage, and long-term growth. For CPOs, pricing strategy is therefore not just a commercial topic, but a core element of market leadership.
Why pricing is such a challenge today
To understand the opportunity, it is important to first understand why pricing in EV charging is so complex today.
The industry has developed as a layered ecosystem. CPOs operate chargers, while mobility service providers, roaming platforms, energy suppliers, hardware vendors, and OEM partners all play a role in the value chain. Each layer introduces its own pricing logic, costs, and margins. What makes sense within the ecosystem becomes difficult to explain at the charging point.
In addition, many pricing models are built on fixed contracts and long-term agreements. Fleet deals, employer charging schemes, memberships, and OEM-linked tariffs result in structurally different prices for different users. These models were effective in the early growth phase, but they limit flexibility as the market matures.
Finally, pricing logic is often driven by operational and technical considerations. Time-based fees, idle fees, dynamic pricing, and power-based tariffs help optimise assets and grids, but they are rarely translated into a clear and intuitive customer message.
The result is a system that works internally, but is not transparent for customers.
The impact on consumers, businesses, and the industry
When pricing is unclear, consumers do not assess fairness rationally. They react emotionally. Even reasonable prices can feel unfair if they are not visible upfront or easy to understand.
For consumers, this leads to hesitation, frustration, and a growing perception that EV charging is complicated. That perception directly affects usage behaviour and confidence in electric mobility as a whole.
For CPOs, the impact shows up in lower utilisation, increased customer service pressure, and reduced trust. Pricing becomes a source of friction rather than a driver of growth.
At an industry level, a lack of pricing transparency slows down adoption. When users struggle to understand what charging will cost, uncertainty spreads beyond individual providers and affects the ecosystem as a whole. This is a risk for an industry that depends on scale and repeat usage.
The opportunity: from complexity to clarity
At its core, EV charging is the sale of electricity. A commodity. As markets mature, commodities tend to move towards clear, comparable, and visible pricing structures.
This creates a significant opportunity for CPOs. By moving away from non-transparent, contract-heavy pricing models towards clearer and more open pricing strategies, charging locations can evolve into true trade areas, similar to traditional service stations.
In such a model, prices are visible before charging starts, roaming works in the background, and consumers can make informed choices without navigating apps, subscriptions, or hidden conditions. Charging becomes a straightforward transaction rather than a source of uncertainty.
What CPOs can gain by moving first
CPOs that succeed in creating this level of price transparency stand to gain a meaningful first-mover advantage.
Many competitors are still locked into fixed pricing structures and long-term contracts. Redesigning pricing governance, renegotiating agreements, and updating systems takes time. Early movers, on the other hand, can act while others are constrained.
The benefits go beyond customer satisfaction. Clear pricing builds trust, increases utilisation, and strengthens brand preference. Over time, this trust compounds into market share, especially as EV charging becomes more competitive and more consumer-driven.
In this sense, pricing transparency is not a defensive move. It is an offensive growth strategy.
How NXTsteps.eu can support
Creating clear pricing strategies is not about changing a tariff in isolation. It requires alignment between strategy, governance, operations, partnerships, and systems.
At NXTsteps.eu, we support leadership teams in designing and implementing pricing strategies that are both commercially sound and customer-centric. This includes rethinking pricing governance, translating complex ecosystems into clear customer propositions, and supporting the transition towards scalable, transparent trade-area models.
If you want to explore how clearer pricing strategies could create competitive advantage for your organisation, or discuss what this could mean in practice for your charging network, feel free to reach out. A focused discussion or brainstorm is often the most effective first step.