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Rs 3.7 lakh crore (Approx US $50 billion). According to NITI Aayog, this is the value that India’s EV finance industry will likely reach in 2030. This number is backed by substantial events. The electric passenger vehicle market in India just saw its best year in 2024, riding the same momentum that pushed record-breaking sales in electric two- and three-wheelers. On Indian roads today, green-plated SUVs and hatchbacks are an increasingly familiar sight. This is unsurprising, given the lower running costs of EVs.
This growth presents a timely opportunity to invest in EV charging businesses. However, to unlock the full potential of this opportunity, smooth operations and efficient management are key. According to a recent survey, 36% of businesses experienced network connectivity issues at least once a month, meaning that ‘business as usual’ stopped when the network connection went down. Almost 80% of these faults can be fixed remotely. This is where EV charging management software (CMS) becomes vital. These platforms turn basic charging hardware into intelligent, responsive systems to yield what we like to call S.M.A.R.T. C.H.A.R.G.E. benefits. Though intangible, CMS forms the backbone of charging infrastructure that could become as ubiquitous as petrol pumps.
What exactly is a CMS? How does it operate? How can it help fleet operators? What are the S.M.A.R.T. C.H.A.R.G.E. benefits, and how does this support India's electric transition? Let’s find out in today’s blog.
The future is zero emission.
You may have already heard the statement of the union minister, Mr. Pralhad Joshi regarding EV30@30. India's EV30@30 initiative aims to achieve 30% electric vehicle (EV) penetration in new vehicle sales by 2030, with specific targets for different segments (30% private cars, 70% commercial vehicles etc). This seeks to not only accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility, but also to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
With rising EV usage, comes a need for massive infrastructure upgrades as the local power grid is in an evolving phase. But that would be half of the story. Even if the grid capacity has evolved beyond its present state, certain challenges will always be present. Not just for the end-user, but also for the business runners too.
So, what are these challenges?
Why Power grid upgrades alone won’t be enough?
This is common knowledge at this point that EV charging can place additional stress on the grid. The logical solution to this would be to invest money in increasing power grid capacity or to wait before the necessary changes take place. While it is a critical step for supporting widespread EV adoption, it is not enough. Because it does not fully resolve the operational, economic, logistical and accessibility challenges that businesses, site operators and EV users face. To name just a few: High downtime, maintenance delays, operational inefficiency, billing complexity, poor user experience, scaling difficulties, network fragmentation, multiple apps/accounts, long wait/charge times etc. Increased grid capacity only addresses the supply side of the equation. It only guarantees that there’s enough electricity to handle increased demand from EVs.
For example: think of a wedding function. The host arranges extra food (like increasing grid capacity) for all the guests. But when every guest rushes to the buffet at once, chaos erupts. Without a system to manage you will have long lines, delays, and confusion even with plenty of food. Likewise, more electricity alone isn’t enough. Bottlenecks and charger overloads will still remain. Without a management system and dynamic load balancing in place, maintaining an expansive network can be an operational headache. Such limitations also put a damper on charging network scalability, and by extension, on the entire EV industry.
When power grid upgrades alone are not the solution, then what can help resolve this predicament?
Charging Management Software benefits CPOs:
Charging management software is a a suite of digital tools that helps operators to run, monitor, and maintain multiple EV charging stations for public networks, private fleets and commercial sites. Through the process of telemetry, it transforms basic charging hardware into ‘smart’ stations by enabling features such as access control, payment processing, real-time monitoring, and analytics. This helps everyone from charging business owners to EV drivers. The below table covers the types of CMS and the purpose it serves.
Together, these software solutions enhance the efficiency, management, and overall user experience of EV charging infrastructure across various scales and use cases.
The above help businesses through:
- Operational Efficiency: CMS automates routine tasks, reduces manual intervention, and optimizes resource allocation.
- Scalability: CMS supports expansion from a single site to a network of stations. As it future-proofing investments.
- Data-backed decisions: CMS provides actionable insights for infrastructure planning, pricing strategies, and customer engagement.
- Regulatory compliance: Helps meet industry standards and protocols, ensuring interoperability and security.
Just to summarize, CMS helps charging businesses by Saving costs, Mitigating peaks, Automating fixes, Reporting insights, Tracking Revenue, Cutting downtime, Harnessing data, Adding revenue, Responding to power grid, Growing the charging network, and Engaging with EV drivers. (S.M.A.R.T. C.H.A.R.G.E.)
ENDING THOUGHTS:
As EVs become more common on Indian roads scaling of EV charging infrastructure has become extremely crucial. To make the most of it, smooth operations and minimal downtime are crucial. Even with an evolving power grid, operational inefficiencies like downtime, billing hassles, and long queues will persist without effective management systems. So much so that a recent survey in the UK states that 47% of EV drivers are willing to pay more for simpler payments. This highlights the critical role of billing software (like RFID and subscriptions) to help in converting casual users into loyal customers. By automating operations, reducing downtime, and enabling scalable networks, CMS helps Charge Point Operators run efficient, future-ready charging businesses in line with India’s EV30@30 goals. We should not forget that the hardware lets you charge, but it is the software that lets you profit.
If a profitable charging station is your need, then we highly suggest looking up IONAGE. IONAGE is a leading EV charging software platform that has swiftly grown from a public charging enabler into a transformative force in electric mobility. Designed with neutrality, scalability, security, and ease of use at its core, it delivers intelligent, future ready software solutions such as Advanced Reporting, Tariff Management, Automated Payouts, SDK Integrations, Dynamic Pricing, Fleet Management to meet the EV charging industry's evolving demands. IONAGE has recently partnered with Exicom, one of India's leading EV charging and Critical Power solutions manufacturer. Exicom is present across the entire EV charger value chain with a host of products across both AC & DC charger segments and is spearheading India's transition to sustainable transportation while ensuring the smooth functioning of critical infrastructure.
