Can you build a charge point management system that works with hardware from multiple vendors?

Yes. A custom CPMS built on OCPP 1.6 or OCPP 2.0.1 communicates with any OCPP-compliant charger regardless of manufacturer. We build the backend to handle multi-vendor hardware, so you're not locked to a single hardware supplier and can add new charger types without a software project each time.

Can you build roaming interoperability between our network and other EV charging networks?

Yes. We implement OCPI (Open Charge Point Interface) to connect your CPMS or EMSP platform with roaming hubs including Hubject and Gireve. This covers tariff publication, charge detail record (CDR) exchange, and settlement automation so your drivers can use partner networks and your finance team receives reconciled billing data rather than raw session logs.

How long does EV charging software development take, and what does it cost?

A focused CPMS with real-time monitoring, remote control, and billing typically delivers in 12 to 16 weeks. A driver-facing app with payment integration adds 4 to 6 weeks. A full platform covering CPMS, driver app, fleet portal, energy load balancing, and roaming runs 20 to 32 weeks. We scope every project before pricing. Fixed cost, agreed before work starts.

Can you integrate with energy management systems and grid tariff APIs for demand charge reduction?

Yes. We build smart charging controllers that read real-time energy prices from APIs including Octopus Energy and utility demand response programs, then schedule charging sessions across depot chargers to stay below site power limits and shift load to off-peak tariff windows. The load balancing logic is configurable per site, not hardcoded.

Should we buy an off-the-shelf charging platform or build custom software?

Off-the-shelf platforms cover standard public charging well. Custom software becomes the right choice when your tariff structure, white-label requirements, energy management logic, fleet billing rules, or hardware mix cannot be configured in a standard platform without significant compromise. We scope the boundary during discovery and will say clearly if an existing platform covers your requirements.

What OCPP version should our charge point management system support?

OCPP 1.6 remains the most widely deployed version and is required for compatibility with the largest installed base of charger hardware. OCPP 2.0.1 adds improved security, device management, and smart charging capabilities and is the right choice for new deployments where hardware supports it. We build backends that handle both versions concurrently so you can support your existing estate while onboarding new OCPP 2.0.1-compliant hardware.

Our network's reliability is the problem. Drivers say the app shows chargers as available when they're broken. Can software fix that?

This is the monitoring gap: the app says fine, the charger doesn't work. Most platforms log the event after the session fails. We build proactive fault detection into the CPMS: heartbeat analysis, status-transition alerts, and automated remote reset sequences that resolve the most common fault patterns before a driver arrives. Uptime is becoming a regulatory obligation: UK law requires 99% rapid-network reliability, US subsidy programs require 97% availability. The software has to prove it, not just claim it.

EV Charging Software Development

In Q4 2024, 20% of all public charging attempts in the United States failed. In the app they said all was fine, but when you tried it just didn't work. They were utterly incapable of taking my money for a service they were offering. Fewer than half of today's operators are expected to survive to 2030. The charger, the backend, the payment processor, and the roaming network fail to communicate. That is the defining operational challenge for charge point operators, and it is a software problem.

Charge point management systems built on OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1, with real-time monitoring, remote control, and fault alerting
Driver billing apps and fleet portals with tariff configuration, payment processing, and automated invoice generation
OCPI-based roaming integration with Hubject and Gireve for multi-network interoperability and CDR settlement
Energy load balancing and smart charging controls that cap site demand and schedule fleet charging around grid tariffs

The problem

Sound familiar?

Drivers failing on your network because uptime monitoring catches faults after the session fails, not before?
Finance team rebuilding billing data in spreadsheets because the platform's invoice export doesn't match how you charge fleets versus public drivers?
New charger hardware you want to add refusing to connect because your current software locks you to a single vendor's stack?

Short answer

RaftLabs builds EV charging software for charge point operators (CPOs), eMobility service providers (EMSPs), and fleet operators. We build driver apps with real-time billing, charge point management systems, OCPP/OCPI integration, energy load balancing, and roaming settlement tools. Most EV charging software projects launch a validated v1 in 12 to 16 weeks, then grow.

Trusted by

01 Diagnosis

Where EV charging operations actually leak

01
Problem
The app says fine, the charger doesn't work
Solution
In Q4 2024, 20% of all public charging attempts in the United States failed, up from 18% a year earlier. Malfunctions and out-of-service equipment accounted for 62% of those failures. When a charger goes offline or a connector gets stuck in a faulted state, most platforms log the event after the session fails. The driver gets a rejection. They write a one-star review. Your support team fields the call. By the time the fault is in your dashboard, the damage is done.A custom CPMS built for your network monitors charger health in real time and executes automated recovery sequences for known fault patterns. It escalates to your maintenance team with the fault code, charger location, and recommended step before the first driver complaint arrives. The outcome is reliability the driver can see, not the app claims.
02
Problem
The money moment fails
Solution
They were utterly incapable of taking my money for a service they were offering. Dead password resets, vague app errors, a helpline that couldn't process payment, and charge points that accept no roaming credentials the driver actually holds. The charger, the backend, the payment processor, and the roaming network fail to communicate, and the root cause is not hardware alone. The largest reliability issues come from the client software, not the charger itself.Driver-facing apps with real-time availability that matches reality, in-app payment that works the first time, and roaming integration that actually accepts the driver's credentials. The outcome is revenue collected, not revenue refused.
03
Problem
Fleet billing doesn't match how you actually charge your clients
Solution
Fleet operators need invoices that reflect their rate agreements: cost per kWh with time-of-use adjustments, fixed session fees for specific vehicle types, monthly caps per vehicle, and separate cost centers per depot site. Off-the-shelf platforms typically offer one or two billing models. When the platform can't produce the invoice your fleet clients expect, your finance team exports raw session data and rebuilds it in spreadsheets. At 200 vehicles it takes a week and introduces reconciliation errors that delay payment.Custom billing logic built to your tariff structure generates accurate invoices automatically, regardless of how complex your rate agreements are. The outcome is invoices that match the agreement, not the spreadsheet rebuild.
04
Problem
Roaming settlement is a manual reconciliation exercise
Solution
EMSP platforms that support roaming receive charge detail records from partner CPOs covering sessions your drivers completed on external networks. Reconciling those CDRs against your billing system, matching tariffs, handling disputed sessions, and generating settlement invoices manually works for low roaming volume and breaks as your driver base grows. Roaming is a card-and-app sprawl: a different smart card per network plus roaming agreements, and hyper-high costs on certain networks via roaming.OCPI integration built into your platform automates CDR ingestion, tariff validation, and settlement generation. Disputed sessions trigger an automated workflow rather than a support email chain. The outcome is settlement that scales with the driver base.

02 What we ship

EV charging software we build

Charge point management systems
We build CPMS platforms on OCPP 1.6 and OCPP 2.0.1 that connect to any compliant charger hardware regardless of manufacturer. Real-time monitoring gives your operations team live charger status, active session data, and site-level power draw across every location in one view. Remote commands cover start and stop, remote reset, firmware update, and availability toggles for planned maintenance windows. Fault management goes beyond logging: the system monitors heartbeat intervals, detects status transitions that precede faults, and executes configured recovery sequences automatically.
Built for CPOs managing public networks of 20 or more sites, fleet depot operators needing depot-level control, and property developers who want a managed charging product for tenants rather than a third-party platform they can't brand or configure.
Driver apps and payment platforms
Driver-facing iOS and Android apps cover charger location discovery, real-time availability, session start and stop, live energy meter data, and in-app payment via Stripe or card-present payment terminals. RFID card management covers card issuance, balance, and access control for operators who offer subscription or pre-paid access models. Tariff configuration in the backend drives what drivers see: per kWh, per minute, per session, and idle fee structures display accurately at the charger and in the app before the session starts.
Built for CPOs who want a white-label driver app that matches their brand, EMSPs building a driver-first product to compete with existing networks, and property developers who want tenant EV charging as a managed service.
Fleet charging and depot management software
Fleet portals give operators visibility across every vehicle, charger, and depot in one view: current state of charge per vehicle, estimated charge completion times, session history per vehicle or driver, and energy consumption per cost center. Billing runs per vehicle, per driver, or per cost center with the rate structure your fleet agreements require. Monthly invoice export in the format your finance system accepts removes the spreadsheet rebuild step. Integration with telematics platforms including Samsara, Geotab, and Verizon Connect pulls vehicle routing data so the charging schedule reflects actual departure times.
Built for logistics operators, last-mile delivery fleets, municipal vehicle fleets, and any organization managing 20 or more electric vehicles across one or more depot sites.
Energy load balancing and smart charging
Site-level power management enforces a configurable maximum draw across all chargers at a location, distributing available capacity dynamically as sessions start and end. Integration with energy APIs from Octopus Energy, utility demand response programs, and real-time electricity price feeds allows time-of-use scheduling that shifts load to off-peak windows automatically. For operators in grid demand response programs, the system sheds load on request and logs the curtailment event with timestamp and power data for incentive payment claims. Solar and battery storage integration allows the controller to draw from on-site generation before pulling from the grid.
Built for depot operators managing demand charges, commercial property owners with high-power charging installations, and energy retailers adding managed EV charging as a grid flexibility product.
OCPI roaming and network interoperability
OCPI 2.2 integration connects your CPMS or EMSP platform to roaming hubs including Hubject and Gireve, covering the full exchange: location and tariff publication, real-time availability feeds to partner networks, CDR ingestion, tariff validation against published rates, and settlement invoice generation. Drivers on your EMSP can use partner CPO networks without a separate account; drivers on partner EMSPs can use your chargers with their existing app. Disputed CDR handling routes exceptions to a review queue with the source CDR, the matched tariff, and the discrepancy amount.
Built for EMSPs needing multi-network driver coverage, CPOs wanting to accept drivers from partner networks, and operators expanding from a national network into cross-border markets in Europe.
Maintenance scheduling and field ops tools
Maintenance management starts with the CPMS fault data: every fault event creates a ticket with the charger ID, location, fault code, and session impact. Ticket routing assigns to the right field engineer based on location and certification. The engineer app provides the work order, fault history for that specific charger, and parts requirements before they arrive on site. Planned maintenance schedules integrate with charger availability management so the CPMS sets chargers to unavailable during the maintenance window and returns them to service automatically on completion.
Built for CPOs managing their own field service teams, network operators with third-party maintenance contracts needing visibility, and property owners who want fault reports without managing field operations themselves.

03 Buy, build, or wait

The EV charging question is really about whether the platform can keep the chargers working and take the money.

Buy or rent

Off-the-shelf platforms, for standard public charging
Before the tariff logic, the white-label needs, and the hardware mix outgrow the configuration.
Wait, while the network is small
A handful of sites before the fault volume, the billing complexity, and the roaming needs justify the build.

Build custom

When everything else sucked
Operators building their own CMS because nothing on the market worked. The differentiated layer, built properly.
When the app lies about availability
In the app they said all was fine, but when you tried it just didn't work. Proactive fault detection, not post-failure logging.
When the money moment fails
Utterly incapable of taking my money. Payment and roaming that work the first time.

Bottom line

Stay on the platform while the tariff logic and the hardware mix fit its configuration. Build when the reliability, the billing, or the interoperability stop fitting.

04 How we work

How we build EV charging software

01
Discovery
We map your network topology, hardware mix, and existing integrations before writing a line of code. For CPOs, this means confirming which OCPP version your chargers support, what data your operations team needs to manage uptime, and where your current platform creates workarounds. The risk this retires: the hardware the software can't talk to.
02
Architecture
We design the system around your scale and compliance requirements: the WebSocket connection architecture for OCPP, the data model for chargers and sessions, the event pipeline for real-time monitoring, and the API surface for driver apps and third-party integrations. The risk this retires: the architecture that can't handle the peak.
03
Build
Two-week sprints with working software at each checkpoint. OCPP connectivity and real-time monitoring ship in the first sprint so you can see live charger data before the project is half finished. Billing, driver apps, and roaming integrations follow in subsequent sprints. The risk this retires: the integration that fails at 200 chargers.
04
Launch and operations
Phased go-live starting with a subset of sites or a single depot before full rollout. Load testing confirms the system handles your peak concurrent session count before you switch over. The risk this retires: the go-live that misses the uptime target.

05 Track record

What EV charging businesses get when they work with us

Week delivery for a focused CPMS with billing and monitoring: 12-16

Cost delivery: agreed before build starts, no scope creep surprises: Fixed

08 Why us

Why choose us?

01
We've seen your problem before
Across dozens of industries, we recognise your situation fast, then frame the fix around your margin and your operations, not a generic template.
02
We own the number, not the ticket
We measure success the way you do: hours saved, revenue earned, margin recovered. We stay through launch and growth, so the result is ours to own.
03
Serious businesses trust us
Vodafone, T-Mobile, Cisco, Energia, Aldi, Nike. Building since 2015. Serious businesses keep coming back because we stay accountable long after launch.

09 Questions

Common questions

: Yes. A custom CPMS built on OCPP 1.6 or OCPP 2.0.1 communicates with any OCPP-compliant charger regardless of manufacturer. We build the backend to handle multi-vendor hardware, so you can add new charger models, switch hardware suppliers, or run a mixed estate without a software rebuild each time.
: Yes. We implement OCPI 2.2 to connect your CPMS or EMSP platform with roaming hubs including Hubject and Gireve. This covers location and tariff publication, charge detail record (CDR) ingestion, tariff validation, and settlement automation. Your finance team reviews exceptions rather than auditing every roaming transaction.
: A focused CPMS with real-time monitoring, remote control, and billing typically delivers in 12 to 16 weeks. A driver-facing app with payment integration adds 4 to 6 weeks. A full platform covering CPMS, driver app, fleet portal, energy load balancing, and OCPI roaming runs 20 to 32 weeks. We scope every project before pricing. Fixed cost, agreed before work starts.
: Yes. We build smart charging controllers that read real-time energy data from APIs including Octopus Energy and utility demand response programs, then schedule charging sessions across depot chargers to stay below site power limits and shift load to off-peak windows. The configuration is per site, not hardcoded, so tariff changes don't require a software update.
: Off-the-shelf platforms cover standard public charging well. Custom software becomes the right choice when your tariff structure, white-label requirements, energy management logic, fleet billing rules, or hardware mix cannot be configured in a standard platform without significant compromise. We scope the boundary during discovery and will say clearly if an existing platform covers your requirements without a custom build.
: OCPP 1.6 remains the most widely deployed version and is required for compatibility with the largest installed base of charger hardware. OCPP 2.0.1 adds improved security, device management, and smart charging capabilities and is the right choice for new deployments where hardware supports it. We build backends that handle both versions concurrently so you can support your existing estate while onboarding new OCPP 2.0.1-compliant hardware.
: This is the monitoring gap: the app says fine, the charger doesn't work. Most platforms log the event after the session fails. We build proactive fault detection into the CPMS: heartbeat analysis, status-transition alerts, and automated remote reset sequences that resolve the most common fault patterns before a driver arrives. Uptime is becoming a regulatory obligation: UK law requires 99% rapid-network reliability, US subsidy programs require 97% availability. The software has to prove it, not just claim it.

EV charging software by product

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