Plugsurfing eyes multi-CPO subscription for EV charging

Founded in Berlin in 2012, Plugsurfing set out to give electric vehicle drivers seamless access to charging networks across Europe through a single app. The company quickly became a defining player in the EV charging roaming space, influencing many of the platforms that followed. Over the years, Plugsurfing changed ownership twice, and its B2B arm — offering white-label apps and APIs to charge point operators — has grown into a core part of its business.

In a recent interview with Electrive, Wilhelm Henriksson, Head of Networks, Strategy and BI at Plugsurfing, shed light on where the company is heading next. The headline development: Plugsurfing is actively working on subscription models that span multiple CPOs. In practice, this would allow EV drivers to pay a single monthly fee and access charging infrastructure from several different network operators — much like a mobile phone plan that works across carriers.

This concept addresses one of the most persistent pain points for EV drivers today: the fragmentation of charging networks. Across Europe, drivers often need separate accounts, apps, and payment methods for different networks. A unified subscription layer could dramatically simplify this, and Plugsurfing's established roaming technology positions it well to deliver such a solution.

The push also aligns with regulatory momentum. The EU's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) is steadily raising the bar for interoperability and payment transparency at public charge points. A cross-CPO subscription model would complement these requirements by offering drivers a premium, predictable-cost alternative on top of the baseline ad-hoc access mandated by AFIR.

On the B2B side, Henriksson noted growing demand from energy companies, automakers, and fleet managers for white-label charging apps under their own brand. Plugsurfing's role as a behind-the-scenes infrastructure provider is expanding, making it an increasingly significant — if less visible — force in shaping how Europe charges its electric vehicles.