One invoice instead of dozens
Through the eMSP contract, your thousands of charging stops are bundled into a single monthly invoice.
What is an eMSP? Your charging provider
Why the eMSP matters to you
The eMSP is in practice your contract partner for charging: it provides the app or charging card that you use at thousands of stations — and issues the invoice at the end.
1. Definition: an eMSP is a "charging provider"
E-Mobility Service Provider , kurz eMSP (auch EMP — E-Mobility Provider — or MBS — Mobile Billing Provider —) is the so-called charging provider. It enables its customers to charge at the stations of other operators (CPOs) under contractually defined tariffs.
The number of stations an eMSP can offer its customers depends on how many operators it has concluded access agreements (roaming) with. An eMSP is typically not an operator of its own hardware — it provides the digital interface: access, tariff and billing.
2. What an eMSP does for you
- Authorization: via app, RFID charging card or plug & charge backed by the eMSP — instead of one own app per operator
- Roaming: integration with the networks of many CPOs (e.g. via Hubject WAVE, Gireve, Charge League), so that a single card works at thousands of stations
- Tariff: contractually defined prices for electricity, subscription fee or pay-as-you-go where applicable, instead of ad-hoc rates
- Billing: one monthly invoice across all networks — not one invoice per station
- Support & value-added services: charging point data, route assistance, cost overview, and for fleets additionally cost centers and reporting
A company can by the way be both a CPO and an eMSP at the same time — that is why grid operators, for example, also offer their own cards (more on this under CPO and eMSP compared).
3. How roaming works technically
Roaming is the connecting layer between your eMSP contract and the CPO at whose station you are charging. The processing runs through roaming platforms and standardized interfaces — technically via the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI). (Distinction: OCPP vs. OCPI.)
When a charging session starts, it typically works like this:
- You identify yourself with a card, app or plug & charge — your authorization resides in your eMSP's system
- The request travels via the roaming platform to the CPO that operates the column
- The CPO permits the charging session and reports back progress, consumption and end
- In the end, eMSP, platform and CPO settle via a clearing house; you see the charging session on your eMSP invoice
.The principle is simple.
4. Well-known eMSPs in Germany
You will probably already know these examples from our charging card comparisons . As of: 09/2026:
| eMSP | What makes it special |
|---|---|
| ADAC e-Charge | Cooperation with EnBW and others, benefits for ADAC members, > 500,000 charging points |
| Arval pulse (Aral) | Fuel-station integration, large network in Germany |
| CHARGE NOW (DCS) | Largest open network in core Europe with 942,000 charging options (AUTO BILD 2026) |
| Elli (VW-Konzern) | Cross-brand (open to all), > 800,000 charging points in Europe, Charge&FuelCard |
| EnBW mobility+ | Market leader in Germany, own fast-charging network "HyperNetz", > 800,000 charging points in 17 countries |
| EWE Go | Cheapest charging tariff according to AUTO BILD 2026, very clear pricing model |
| GreenFlux | B2B roaming platform, 1.2 million charging points, peer-to-peer connections |
| has·to·be | B2B roaming platform (eMSP.OPERATION), access to ~90 % of the European charging infrastructure |
| IONITY | OEM joint venture (BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes, VW), HPC up to 350 kW at motorways, > 4,800 HPC points in 24 countries |
| Maingau Energie (EinfachStromLaden) | Competitive tariffs, coupled to electricity contract, best app usability (AUTO BILD) |
| Mercedes me Charge / BMW Charging | OEM-specific, deeply integrated into the vehicle system, plug & charge |
| Monta | B2B/B2C platform, focus on fleet management, API-based |
| Octopus Electroverse | Cheap off-peak tariffs, smart charging, focus UK/Germany |
| Plugsurfing | Cheap tariffs, charging card/chip required, discounts at partner CPOs |
| Shell Recharge | Ex-NewMotion, > 600,000 charging points in Europe, loyalty program "ClubSmart" |
| Tesla Supercharger | 16,000 HPC points in core Europe, increasingly open to non-Tesla, very reliable |
| Electra | Fast-charging pioneer in France/Belgium, full-fledged eMSP as of 06/2026, 800,000 charging points, up to 400 kW, no roaming surcharges |
| eFlux | 1.5 million charging points, no roaming transaction fees, peer-to-peer roaming |
| DKV Mobility | Focus on fleets & business, MultiTankCard integration |
| E.ON Drive | Utility major offering, broad European roaming |
5. Pricing logic: what the eMSP adds on top of the tariff
What you pay at the charging point is rarely the bare electricity price of the CPO. The eMSP price is typically made up of:
- electricity price of the CPO (base, kWh billing)
- standing/parking fee where applicable from the CPO (at long-distance breaks)
- roaming surcharge (depending on the agreement between the eMSP and the CPO)
- service/subscription fee of the eMSP (if subscription-based)
AFIR regulation: no discrimination
Die EU-Verordnung AFIR requires operators to ensure that price differences between ad-hoc payment and eMSP tariffs must be objectively justified — transparent, traceable and non-discriminatory. Also, cross-border e-roaming may no longer cost a premium on top.
In practice this means: if the ad-hoc price at the charging point is clearly above your eMSP tariff, this is a deliberate pricing decision by the eMSP — not an accident you can "bypass".
see charging costs at a glance for what ad-hoc, subscription, standing fees and roaming surcharges typically amount to.
6. CPO vs. eMSP: briefly at a glance again
| Question | CPO answers | eMSP answers |
|---|---|---|
| "Who operates this station?" | That's me (the CPO) | not my area |
| "Why won't it charge?" | I handle fault elimination | I forward your request to the CPO, you get the answer from me |
| "What does the charging stop cost?" | the ad-hoc price | your eMSP tariff (roaming + subscription where applicable) |
| "Who sends the invoice?" | not me | me |
| "Why do I find this station in my app?" | I provide the data | I display it in the app |
7. What this concretely means for you
One contract, many networks
Roaming partnerships in the background turn one eMSP card into a card that is meant to work at thousands of stations.
One support level
For faults, billing questions or complaints you have one contact person — not a dozen operators.
8. Further reading
CPO and eMSP compared (part 1 of the series) · What is OCPP? · charging cards and tariffs compared
LadeGuide checks which eMSP card in which network is the cheapest for you
CPO price, eMSP tariff, roaming surcharges — the app combines it all and calculates your cheaper option.
Learn moreSources
- National Charging Point Infrastructure Management Office: glossary (CPO, EMP/eMSP, charging session)
- Next Mobility: CPOs and eMSPs: role clarification, interoperability and market logic through AFIR
- Bundesnetzagentur: public charging infrastructure — obligations and e-roaming