Take a look at some of the aspects of the EV charging in commercial venues.

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

The conversations on charging infrastructure are still circling around as one of the main topics of the EV debate. As much as it leaves no question that the demand for charging stations remains high, there are also ways to sneak a whole lot of charging points into the everyday use of city infrastructure.

As cities grow increasingly more populated and 'smart', the opportunities to fill them up with EV charging infrastructure arise directly proportional. The infrastructure that's already in place may in fact serve to power up not only the charging networks but most importantly the demand for electric vehicles itself. By infrastructure it can mean anything from shopping malls, office buildings, hotels, restaurants, bigger and smaller venues and residential developments.

Most commercial and industrial buildings have a few things in common: large parking areas, many tenants and employees, and often a central location in the city. These types of buildings are also uniquely positioned to support the growth of EVs, thanks to their pre-existing electrical capacity. These factors make commercial and industrial buildings the ideal candidates for the electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

It also comes with many benefits not only for the eMobility industry, but also for the aforementioned buildings.

EV charging infrastructure - benefits for the building complexes

So as not to focus purely on the advantages for eMobility, let’s take a look at what EV charging infrastructure may bring to the table of building owners and management.

To begin with, sustainability is becoming an important factor in the business world. By installing EV charging infrastructure, commercial and industrial buildings can significantly improve their eco-friendly standpoint. Such actions would work immensely in terms of the marketing value, placing EV charging-inclusive buildings in front of their competitors. What's more, by investing in EV infrastructure, building owners can take advantage of the ever-growing public interest in eMobility. This way, they can ensure that their buildings are future-proof and will remain relevant as the world moves towards a more sustainable future

Positive impact would also be visible in terms of attracting the customers, as all EV users are much likely to choose a place with commodities for them. This also opens up the possibility of collaborating with local car rentals offering electric vehicles.

In terms of the actual installation process, most commercial and industrial buildings already have the electrical capacity to support EV charging infrastructure. This means that, in many cases, installing EV chargers may not require any additional wiring or other major work. Simply put, it's a matter of connecting the chargers to the existing electrical system.

Of course, the number of chargers that can be installed will depend on the specific electrical capacity of the building. However, even a relatively small number of chargers can have a significant impact, as they can be used by multiple tenants and employees. In fact, a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that a single EV charger can service 10 to 20 EVs per day.

Furthermore, the installation of EV charging infrastructure can also help commercial and industrial buildings to meet their energy needs in a more sustainable way. By using renewable energy to power the chargers, buildings can further reduce their environmental impact.

EV charging infrastructure - benefits for the eMobility industry

Certainly the biggest advantage of wide EV chargers installations would be the extent to which it would ameliorate the overall charging infrastructure. Apart from the obvious availability of charging stations for electric vehicles’ users, in such scenario one could also observe the increased familiarity with this particular means of transport amongst those who had little to none contact with it. The great  acclimatization could massively increase the global interest iv EVs, the moment more and more people would realize how accessible and normalized these are by finding the charging components in commercial buildings such as hotels or office environments.

Another benefit here would be for the local 

 who would get the opportunity to partake in shared business ventures of installing, managing and maintaining chargers for the buildings’ owners. Same for those who develop the software solutions required to run a pool of charging stations. In such a case, the local eMobility (but not only) business market could bloom with incoming projects serving the entrepreneurs as much as the industry.

This would also positively affect the electric vehicles’ manufacturers as the market for their product would suddenly open up to a much wider audience. The industrial production of EVs itself could shift to a higher gear once the surge in demand arrives and this could lead to an overall drop in prices due to increased economies of scale.

In the end, it is certain that a wide-spread installation of EV chargers in commercial and industrial buildings would have a positive impact on many industries and economic sectors. The increased availability of charging infrastructure would make electric vehicles more accessible to the general public, which could lead to a surge in demand for these products. This, in turn, would have a positive impact on the electric vehicle industry, as well as the industries that support it. Ultimately, this would lead to a more sustainable future for both the economy and the environment.

Of course, such solutions are already used in practice in many places. The idea of charging an electric car at one's lodging is becoming more popular as companies like Hilton and Destination Hotels partner up with Tesla to offer this service. Such partnership means that guests can charge any other kind on sale, including Nissan Leaf - currently ranked among top-selling vehicles worldwide according to the CNN data. Such undertakings can be observed around the world. Marriott Hotels have been integrating EV charges for close to a decade and are currently having more than 1,700 charging stations at more than 600 hotels.

EV charging infrastructure grows increasingly popular amongst residential properties. At present, developers in bigger cities tend to implement charging points in a lot of new blocks of flats, giving their residents easy charging. Same goes with shopping malls and the surrounding parkings.

As mentioned above, such a solution poses a great deal of opportunity for many industries, including software development agencies.

Namely, such chargers require a suitable software enabling the maintenance and management as well as apps for EV drivers from which they can start/stop charging or simply pay. In cases of residential buildings, these may even be apps designed specifically for residents to schedule their charger. It makes for a great opportunity for software houses to build up expertise in the eMobility field and come together in making chargers more accessible and easier to manage.

EV charging infrastructure in commercial buildings - post scriptum

With all the aforementioned benefits, naturally there come many challenges. These include all the technical aspects from picking the right type of charges and their maintenance solutions all the way to anything related to the installation and electrical capacity. Much like with any introduced innovation, the beginning may be slightly hard but so worth it at the end, given all the advantages it brings to the table.

And it brings a lot to both eMobility as it stands as well as other industries who may get involved at any level. Not to mention the marketing behind electric vehicles and mass familiarity with the topic among potential customers and future EV drivers.

Take a look at some of the most interesting and significant aspects of the EV charging in commercial venues.

eRoaming Hubs explained

Check out our series of articles on e-mobility fundamentals and learn more about EVs' eco aspects.

Until now, we’ve been majorly focusing on the technical aspects of eMobility, especially in terms of the software solutions. However, it would be hard not to mention the ecological aspects of eMobility at some point, especially given the Earth Day was just a while ago.

The impact of electric vehicles on the environment is one of the most fundamental and widely discussed topics related to eMobility. It’s also the primary inducement of the broadly-promoted mass adoption and various governmental undertakings in the pursuit of it.

Certainly, at this point it’s to no one’s surprise that internal combustion engines, which have been at the forefront of transportation, account for inordinate amounts of pollution emitted to air via exhausts. With current, heavily climate-oriented stances, it becomes clear to many policymakers that the time to take action has come in full might.

In order to even start talking about the impact of EVs on the environment, it must be understood to what extent ICE (internal combustion engine) cars have previously affected it and why they are problematic.

The process of converting fossil fuels into energy through the burning of fuel in an engine causes several harmful byproducts, including 

carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other greenhouse gases

. These gases are released into the atmosphere, where they contribute to climate change, smog, and other environmental problems.

Despite a temporary decrease in 2020, caused by the pandemic and global travel downtime, the levels of greenhouse gases released by transportation account for (depending on the source and criteria) approximately 25-35% of all emissions, making the transport industry the biggest polluter, even given the record Covid19 decrease. According to Statista up to 41% of transport emissions come from passenger vehicles alone. That’s more than shipping and aviation combined (sic!).

With numbers of that scale, it’s pretty evident that the whole industry as it stands right now should (and most probably) will undergo massive changes towards more eco-friendly means.

Here is where the situation gets tricky. Namely, the entire eco-friendly aspect of electric vehicles (much like of any other type of vehicles actually) gets frequently questioned, over/under-estimated or even simply denied.  As a matter of fact, it would seem that each point of view has its rights and wrongs and the whole issue is not as straightforward as it may seem at first glance.

There’s certainly quite a bit to unpack here. As it must be remembered - looking at the environmental impact goes beyond just zero-emission driving. It also includes manufacturing, batteries and the charging process.

In terms of the way an EV is manufactured - there isn’t much difference to what it looks like with an ICE car. It starts with raw materials that are then being appropriately processed, made into components, transported to warehouses and finally assembled into finished products.

manufacturing an EV emits more emissions than an ICE car.

 Why is that?  It is mostly due to the production of an electric vehicle battery.

Let’s take a closer look at the batteries. EVs are charged and powered with the use of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium (much like i.e. nickel or cobalt) falls under the spectrum of 

. REE are being extracted from below the surface of the Earth. Mining of such, tends to be a rather polluting and difficult process. Amongst top lithium miners, some have already risen many controversies with their environment-damaging actions. This includes the Thacker Pass owned by Lithium Americas (Nevada, USA) or the infamous Nornickel mine in Russia, which had to pay a record 2.5billion fine for an Arctic oil spill.

In short, as much as it’s hard to find definite data and proven figures, the manufacturing of an EV seems in fact slightly less sustainable than it would be for an ICE car.

The good news around batteries is that currently a lot of work is being put into their energy-storage capacities. Second-hand batteries are being looked at as a potential new way to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing. Reusable and recyclable, these scraps can be resold for use in technological innovations and become a great energy source or the fueling mechanism.

In terms of the utilization of an EV (aka driving) as much as it leaves no greenhouse gases, eMobility pessimists strike with THE question: There is no emission, but what about the electricity used to charge a car? It pollutes!

As much as it’s a valid point and equally valid question, the controversies and debates here seem to cancel out the even greater question: But what about the electricity needed for combustion engine cars, or more specifically what about oil extraction, doesn’t it need a tonne of electricity?

Yes, electric cars are not entirely clean. As much as driving itself emits no greenhouse gases, the electricity used to charge a car produces quite a bit of pollution (unless, of course, it comes from renewable sources like wind or water).

However, let’s briefly analyze what it looks like with ICE and EV cars. Here are some facts:

It has been previously established that the manufacturing process may be cleaner for ICEs.

It’s evident that driving an ICE vehicle itself releases quite a lot of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Driving-based emissions are not the case for EVs

EVs pollute indirectly from electricity used to power them

If we stopped here, the match would be a tie-in game, as both options have their advantages and drawbacks. However, let’s look at the bigger picture - 

the electricity it takes to power an ICE car.

But combustion engines use fuel and not electricity!

Yes, however the electricity it takes to make fuel may shock some people.

Neither gasoline, nor petrol can be found naturally. They’re both produced from oil that is being extracted from the ground (usually rather deep). The oil comes from 

 through the use of electricity-ran machines called 

. For those who may wonder how many pump jacks there are in the world - data from 2021 saying that the market for them is estimated to grow from $3 billion to $5.2 billion in the span of just 10 years may put things into perspective.

Certainly most people know that apart from ground, the oil is also being extracted from under the sea by offshore drilling. It is said that there are currently close to 1500 

 around the world, these are being powered by generators using inordinate amounts of diesel per day.

The monthly electricity used to run oil-retrieving pump jacks and offshore rigs could most likely power an equivalent of a few million EVs. And that’s only on getting the oil out of the ground!

 which again use a lot of electricity on a daily basis. In cases, where the pipeline is of no use, the oil would be shipped via massive ships which often use the cheapest fuel to cut the costs, polluting the air into oblivion. (not-so-fun fact: current length of oil and gas pipelines combined is estimated to be enough to circle the Earth even 30 times).  The pipelines and the ships lead to 

 - where oil is heated up to 420 degrees centigrade in the refinement process - making the refineries the biggest polluters in the areas they are - not only in terms of electricity used, but also in terms of greenhouse gases emissions.

With that in mind, if all the electricity used to extract oil, transport it and finally refine, was to be put just to charge electric vehicles, the chances are that millions and millions of people around the world could drive EVs with the same use of electricity it takes only to make fuel.

What’s the point if the electricity is being used anyway? The point here is that EVs do not produce further pollution while driving as they do not require burning of all this fuel which transforms into hazardous greenhouse gases.

Ecological aspects of eMobility - post scriptum

The ecological aspects of eMobility are definitely a whole different level of task to handle in terms of the amount of data, knowledge and sources it takes to understand the bigger picture. And yes, they are not entirely clean even when charged with renewable sources of electricity, as the battery production left an environmental footprint anyway. However, it must be taken into account that as of now, there are no means of transport that cause no harm whatsoever on each level: manufacturing, utilization, source of power or waste management.

Although, it doesn’t mean that electric vehicles are worse or even equal to ICE cars. In times where more money is being put into renewables than ever, the energy gets cleaner and cleaner, all the introduced eco-friendly solutions (including EVs) are there for a reason and keep on undergoing massive changes for the better. We get to witness a transformation that’s bound to reach a level where fuel-powered vehicles are to be labeled outdated and deemed no longer of use, even if humankind is yet to find a mean of transportation that’s clean from start to finish.

Check out our series of articles on e-mobility fundamentals and find out more about EVs' eco aspects.

Ecological aspects of eMobility

Get our comprehensive PDF packed with knowledge on eRoaming, hubs and protocols!

Certainly, roaming is something known to everyone at this point. However, what that has to do with eMobility?

Being a broad term for services allowing for connection outside of the usual network, roaming turns out to be an on-point solution for EV charging. With many players in the eMobility game (i.e. Charging Point Operators, eMobility Service Providers), some type of a connector is a must. Here’s exactly where eRoaming comes into play allowing for multi-dimensional connection between operators and EV drivers.

In short, eRoaming can be established via the use of hubs and protocols. A hub here can be an open platform which, after subscribing, can be used by many operators, who operate on common terms. This all happens in such a way that a certain charging pool introduced to a common hub can then be easily used by clients (EV drivers) of different providers. Such a solution allows electric vehicle users to charge their car across cities/countries with limited hussle.

In order to facilitate such a solution, the hubs developed their own open protocols, which are essentially responsible for the connection. They also define the functionalities of each eRoaming platform.

Amongst the existing hubs, we can differentiate three major ones. They all come with their own open standards and unify hundreds of CPOs and EMPs as well as millions of EV drivers.

The three biggest hubs and their protocols are:

(eMobility Inter-Operation Protocol - eMIP)

Apart from the proprietary protocols coming from hubs, it’s worth mentioning that there's also an independent one - 

Open Charge Point Interface Protocol (OCPI)

. It allows for eRoaming between the hubs as well as peer-to-peer connection.

To learn more about eRoaming, hubs & protocols, their importance and functionality as well as the future of eMobility - take a look at our exclusive paper covering all that needs to be covered on the topic!

Standardize your e-mobility knowledge with our dedicated glossary!

Knowing the industry complexity, at Solidstudio, we thought it would be a good idea to launch a series of blog entries on e-mobility fundamentals. The articles are to shed light on some of the topics that may not necessarily be clear to everyone.

Those who spent some time operating within the electro-mobility field already know how multi-dimensional this industry is. It connects many branches from various specializations including both hardware and software. Such interdisciplinarity leads to a very sophisticated and rich vocabulary specific only to the e-mobility. As the trade press is filled with a whole plethora of terms and abbreviations, one must be well familiar with them in order to understand what it’s all about.

We’re going to break down some of the most frequently used phrases.

The related terms will be split into categories for easier navigation.

Internal combustion engine cars (ICE) are vehicles that run on gasoline, diesel or other fuels. This technology has been around for more than a century and is quite mature. These cars work by using the energy stored in the fuel to convert it into kinetic energy. This happens through explosions of various kinds - either precisely controlled or uncontrolled, which then turn the wheels and move the vehicle forward

BEV here stands for battery electric vehicle. They use electricity as their power source. An EV does not need to be plugged in and charged overnight as it can store enough electricity for a limited-length commute. These are relatively new for mass-usage but significantly grow in popularity.

A hybrid car is a vehicle that uses two or more power sources to move the car. The most common type of hybrid car is one that uses an electric motor and a gasoline-powered engine. Hybrid cars are more fuel efficient than regular cars and they produce fewer emissions. Some people choose to buy hybrid cars because they want to help the environment


A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a type of hybrid electric vehicle that uses rechargeable batteries, or a plugin, to store energy. PHEVs combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors, which can result in significant fuel economy improvements over traditional vehicles.

. An EVSE unit comprises two parts - a cord set with connector that plugs into your car on one end; either hardwired or pluggable on the other; and a charging station where you connect to an EV outlet. The charger communicates with the car to determine what current will be most efficient. Put simply, an EVSE here would be a charging station and its related protocols managing the charging sessions.


As much as this term is not strictly dedicated to e-mobility it occurs quite frequently in industry papers. OEM stands for:

. In the electromobility world, these are usually car parts manufacturers and those who construct charging hardware.


Fleet electrification is the process of using EV's within a fleet environment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fleet owners are already utilizing EVs in their fleets, as they offer cost savings and other benefits that cannot be found with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE). There are four main steps to fleet electrification: EV selection, charging infrastructure, training and support.


Connected cars are capable of gathering all sorts of information. From principle information, such as the speed or location, through engine status and malfunctions all the way to details such as whether the door was locked. For the collection of data, the responsibility holds the vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM). ECM is an embedded system in automotive electronics that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a vehicle. It runs via multiple sensors and camera modules and consists of many subsystems which combined together make up what we know as a car's computer. You can learn more about connected cars 

Charging session is simply the time the car spent charging. All the way from the very first plug-in to the payment for finalized charging.

Charging point is nothing but a charging station. Put simply, it’s the hardware that allows EV to be charged. It can be deemed as a charging location.


Charging infrastructure: public vs private

Public EV charging networks are those available to any EV user that happens to be in need of charging a car. It can be:

Rest areas and parking lots along highways, state routes, interstates

Workplaces that allow employees to charge their EV while they work (provided by employers)

Community spaces such as parks or libraries. They usually have a few chargers on site, but they are not intended for EV owners to use

Whereas, private charging infrastructure is made available only to a specific group of individuals. Such scenarios include:

Charging stations for drivers of a specific company/organization/residential complex. They can also be privately owned and only available for residents of particular neighborhoods (e.g., condominiums)

Worth mentioning is also the differentiation between open and closed charging networks. You can learn about it 

EV charging levels are like gas stations for electric cars. There are three EV charging levels: slow, medium, and fast. Slow EV charging can take up to 20 hours, while medium EV charging can take up to 12 hours. Fast EV charging can take as little as 30 minutes. The different EV charging levels allow drivers to choose the best EV charging method for their needs. EV charging levels are important to know because they can help drivers plan out their trips. For example, if a driver knows that they will be driving in a slow EV charging area, they can plan to charge their car at the end of their trip. This will help them avoid running out of battery power while driving. EV charging levels can also help drivers know how much EV charging time they will need for a trip. EV drivers should always check the type of EV charger in their car and where it is located to ensure that they are able to charge at all EV chargers when driving across different locations.


Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used battery in electric vehicles, and for good reason. They offer a high energy density that can power a car with increasing speeds up to about 200 mph. Lithium ion batteries use a process known as intercalation where lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive one through an electrolyte. When you discharge them, these same charges come back around and vice versa for charging.

Range anxiety is the fear of running out of charge while driving an electric vehicle (EV), and it's one of the main reasons people are hesitant to switch to EVs. While range anxiety is a valid concern, it's becoming less and less of an issue as EV technology improves.

Bidirectional charging is a process that allows EVs to send power back to the grid. This can happen either through a bi-directional charger or by using vehicle-to-grid technology. Bidirectional charging is beneficial because it helps stabilize the grid and manage energy consumption more efficiently. Additionally, it can help EV drivers earn money from energy not used for driving.


An energy supplier is a company that supplies electric power to customers. The company may be an electricity generator, or it may purchase electric power from generators and sell it to consumers. Some energy suppliers also own and operate electric transmission and distribution systems. Energy suppliers are important players in the electric grid because they help ensure that there is enough electric power available.

The electric grid is a network of electric power lines and associated equipment that transmits electric power from suppliers to consumers. The grid includes generators, transmission lines, distribution systems, and loads. The electric grid helps ensure that there is enough electric power available to meet the needs of consumers.

EV Charging Management Software and Services


In short eMSP is a unit that provides charging services directly to EV drivers and manages the payments for charging sessions. It should be free to say that eMSPs are responsible for the end-user care. They deliver the possibility to locate a charging point, get it to run and finalize the transaction. It’s also up to them to establish the charging network monetization ( payment methods, adequate tariffs and real-time billing) and customer satisfaction, ensuring the best client experience. One can say that eMSP’s are responsible for ensuring that products of CPO’s are ready to be used by EV drivers.

To see more about EMSP’s and learn the difference between them and CPO’s, we highly recommend you to take a look at our other article, where we go into more detail. 

Charge Point Operators are responsible for the construction of the charging stations. They are focused on developing and maintaining the charging infrastructure, which includes hardware installation, ensuring proper connectivity of charging points and their service. CPO’s main point of interest is keeping the technicalities up and running and, if needed, reacting to possible malfunctions in real-time. This is specifically important as a vast majority of charging stations should stay available 24/7.

CPO’s also care about the energy management and seamless connectivity to the grid, this includes i.e. energy storing or utilization of renewable sources of energy.

To see more about CPO’s and learn the difference between them and EMSP’s, we highly recommend you to take a look at our other articles, where we go into more detail. 

Common set of policies to guide interoperability among e-mobility service providers / charge point operators. These are APIs created to facilitate charging services. They also operate as a hub, connecting CPOs and eMSPs. Once a company is compatible with open standards, it becomes open for integration with any other comrade being already assigned.

Open Standards are a big topic within the industry as they play a crucial role in charging network unification and availability. We have published a much more in-depth look into what they are and how they work. You can learn about OCPI & OCHP 

EV charging in commercial and industrial buildings

03 JUNE 2022 • 7 MIN READ