Blogs

28 March 2025

Reading Time: 6 mins

The Future of EV Charging: Insights and Innovations in IoT Connectivity

Eseye

IoT Hardware and Connectivity Specialists

Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption is rising fast, with sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles due to be phased out in many regions over the next decade. Demand for EV charging points is growing in tandem as a critical part of EV infrastructure given the reduced range of today’s electric vehicles, creating a phenomenon known as ‘range anxiety’, and IoT is emerging as a key enabler in charging station deployment.

Integrating IoT capabilities into EV charging stations provides several benefits for the ecosystem, including real-time monitoring and remote management of facilities, optimized energy usage, predictive maintenance, and enhanced user experience, leading to a more efficient and reliable EV charging infrastructure.

The role of IoT connectivity in EV charging infrastructure

To meet rapidly growing demand for EV charging infrastructure, Berg Insight forecasts the number of EV charging points in Europe will increase from 7.8 million in 2023 to 26.3 million by 2028. The North American market is less mature but growing faster with the total installed base of dedicated charging points increasing from 3.4 million in 2023 to 15.3 million in 2028.

Over 30% of these charging points across the two regions were exclusively monitored via cellular connections in 2023, demonstrating the existing penetration of cellular IoT into EV charging infrastructure.

With EV charging stations becoming a more common sight in car parks that serve communal facilities such as apartment blocks, offices, malls, and public buildings, often underground, many different types of LPWAN-based IoT connectivity become ripe for consideration.

Charging stations often feature an embedded card reader for payments and need to connect to the internet to send other information about the charging unit’s status back to the operator’s management systems to help optimize energy usage.

Importance of reliable IoT connectivity for EV charging stations

The main advantage of IoT-connected EV charging stations is their ability to enhance efficiency in terms of energy load and electricity usage.

Grid interaction and integration

EV charging stations are part of a larger energy ecosystem and the load needs to be managed across the whole network. IoT-enabled stations can communicate with each other and the electrical grid, providing real-time information about grid load, energy demand, and electricity rates.

By optimizing charging schedules and managing the draw of electricity from renewable sources, IoT-connected charging stations can contribute to a more sustainable energy grid. They can make informed decisions about when and how to charge vehicles to minimize costs and reduce strain on the grid during peak demand as well as reducing carbon emissions associated with EV charging.

For the grid operators this can result in savings by reducing the need for grid upgrades by better and more intelligent management of EV charging.

For EV owners, this could mean lower electricity rates and smart charging during off-peak hours, reducing the overall cost of EV ownership.

Smart charging stations can prioritize fast charging for EVs with lower battery levels, and even schedule charging over longer sessions when electricity is more affordable.

IoT-enabled stations can communicate with each other to support load management, responding to grid signals to avoid overloading the grid during peak demand.

Remote monitoring and management

IoT-connected EV charging stations can relay usage data back to the operator, providing valuable insights into station utilization and overall performance.

EV charging network operators can perform diagnostics and troubleshoot issues remotely, reducing the need for on-site visits with a proactive approach to maintenance that ensures charging stations remain operational and accessible to users.

Better customer experience

IoT-connected EV charging stations can enhance the customer experience through association with smartphone apps or integrated vehicle dashboards and navigation systems. Apps can provide real-time information about station availability and charging options based on grid usage.

IoT-connected charging stations can also support mobile payment options, allowing users to pay for their charging sessions using smartphones or cards.

The role of Eseye’s AnyNet+ SIM, AnyNet Federation and Infinity Platform in ensuring uptime

Unreliable connectivity negatively affects the commercial viability of the EV charging network. A connectivity wait time of one minute per customer to pay or start charging soon accumulates, reducing the number of customer charging sessions available. Moreover, if connectivity fails entirely, payments cannot be processed and the station cannot be used at all.

Eseye’s AnyNet Federation offers the widest choice of network profiles and roaming interconnects available anywhere. It provides access to over 800 cellular networks in more than 190 countries, along with the choice of 16+ different OTA localization options, and easy access to 25+ interconnects.

Eseye’s award winning AnyNet+ SIM and our advanced connectivity management platform, Infinity, delivers the uptime needed to build customer confidence in EV charging infrastructure.

Together these elements combine to create a robust IoT connectivity solution that delivers near 100% uptime to your EV charge points. In the event that any networks experience an outage, we can ensure your charge points instantly recover and remain online thanks to our advanced eUICC network switching capabilities.

Fallback connectivity options mean charge points can switch networks seamlessly and connect to the best available solution at the point of connection, ensuring customers get the same reliable service, wherever the charge point is located and whatever conditions it is operating in.

AnyNet+ SIMs offer exceptional availability and reliability, which gives EV charging network operators the confidence to meet rising consumer demand with a dependable and scalable solution.

Eseye’s Infinity IoT platform delivers a simplified IoT estate management that allows the EV charging network operator to monitor, configure, and control all charging points via a single platform.

While our technical support is available around the clock so you have access to 24/7 expert support if you need it.

EV charging success stories

Instavolt

As the provider of the UK’s largest owner-operated rapid EV charging network, InstaVolt delivers the simplest and most transparent approach to EV charging available. Its straightforward pay-as-you-go service has no subscription or connection charge; customers simply drive up to conveniently located charge points, tap their contactless payment card, and pay only for the energy they use.

InstaVolt currently has a network of 700 rapid and ultra-rapid charging stations nationwide and has seen network utilisation grow exponentially in the last few years, delivering close to 1.5GWh of 100% renewable energy per month and is on track to install 10,000 rapid chargers across the UK, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland by 2030.

“We have to do more as an industry to improve confidence in the public charging network if we’re going to encourage drivers to adopt EVs. This involves changing the rhetoric that the public infrastructure isn’t fit for purpose. We changed the perception of public charging for the better when we installed our first chargers in 2017 and redefined what the customers expect in terms of reliability and ease of use.” – Adrian Keen, CEO, InstaVolt

Read the case study

Park’n Plug

EV charging specialist Park’n Plug has been at the forefront of France’s electric mobility revolution since 2011. The company installs and manages turnkey charging stations in car parks that serve communal sites such as apartment blocks, offices, and public buildings.

Park’n Plug’s goal is to support the rapid development of electric mobility through widening the availability of fast and reliable charging stations. Its proprietary system uses NFC connectivity in drivers’ smartphones to authorize access and enable payment.

Today, Park’n Plug operates 350 sites, 80% of which are in Paris, with a total of around 6,000 connected charging points. It has grand plans for expansion, intending to activate up to 700 more sites over the next few years.

“We expect that in 10 years’ time 50% of vehicles in France will be electric, influenced by government incentives and environmental regulations. Historical energy suppliers are not well structured for installing and managing communal charging infrastructure, which puts us in a really strong position to take advantage of the rising demand.” – Olivier Toggenburger, Park’n Plug’s Business Development Manager

Read the case study

Shell Recharge

The She l l Recharge network is a rapidly growing worldwide network of public fast chargers, enabling drivers to seamlessly recharge their vehicles at convenient places while on the road. Shell Recharge is Europe’s largest charging partner offering fast and ultra-fast charging at Shell stations and access to over 600,000 public charge points in 35 countries.

When opening EV charge stations in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, the UK, and Norway, the multi-regional deployment needed some thought. Certain regions faced roaming restrictions which can affect connectivity levels, so Shell Recharge sought reliable, high-connectivity providers who would make their vision into a reality and become partners for the long road ahead.

“With each EV charge station expected to have a lifespan of 5-10 years, it is imperative that our suppliers understand our need to have reliable and future proof solutions.” – Remi Caron, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Shell Recharge