Users Unplugged: Restoring EV Charger Functionality after Provider Abandonment

It’s an all too common occurrence: you receive an unexpected notification that your EV charging provider is discontinuing service for their software, or even service entirely. We’ve seen this many times over the years, as dozens of smaller companies fail or are absorbed by larger companies, and more shockingly, when larger companies dramatically exit the EV market – leaving users high and dry. Some of the most recent – and stunning – cases of this happened within the last six months:

Enel X, a multinational European energy giant, ceased operations in North America leaving thousands of operators stranded.
Shell Recharge made the decision to focus on its public charging network and leave behind third-party commercial users of its Sky software.
Bosch, yet another multinational giant, announced the discontinuation of its “Charge My EV” services, making all previous data inaccessible.

What do these have in common? Short notice to system owners and no solutions offered. Whether you’re working with one of the biggest industry players, or a vendor with a track record, you can still be exposed to risk. There’s good news: If you’ve been abandoned by your provider and looking to quickly and efficiently restore service to your chargers, or if you’re wanting to protect against future provider instability, Liberty Plugins has options that tailor to your businesses’ or multi-unit building’s chargers and your needs. We’ve got you covered: read on to learn how you can futureproof your charge station operations. Where do your charge stations stand? According to reports, Bosch intends to discontinue service effective March 31, 2025, with Shell Recharge to follow on April 30, 2025. Although given more advance notice than Enel X customers (who only had nine days), the impact is the same. As of the listed dates your chargers will no longer support smart features that are essential to effective operations, including load management, data analytics, usage reporting, and payment processing. While it is unclear at this time if Shell Recharge and Bosch chargers will still support simple battery charging, it’s critical to plan for the future. Bottom line: you need a continuation plan to keep your chargers operational and optimized. What now? The first step in restoring functionality to your chargers is setting your expectations: in cases of software and service abandonment, the OEM will shut down the servers that power your administrative portal, user application, and all of the digital functions you’re accustomed to. While this disruption may seem like a dead end, it doesn’t mean you need to start over. As you explore solutions, you’ll find that many vendors promising “restore service” are actually selling a full charger + software replacement. This approach—often called “rip and replace”—requires tearing out your existing chargers and committing to an entirely new ecosystem. It’s unnecessary, expensive, and time-consuming. We break down the pitfalls of this approach here. While you may not be able to bring everything back exactly as it was before, there’s no need to scrap your investment. If locking into multi-year contracts and paying for all-new equipment all over again doesn’t sound like the right solution, Liberty offers a smarter alternative—one that upgrades and restores functionality without excessive costs or risks. Charge station management for the future If your charge station hardware is still operational, and rip-and-replace feels a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, Liberty’s solutions might be for you. Liberty is built on open standards, ensuring interoperability between different charger manufacturers and internet management platforms. While many competing CSMS platforms exist, Liberty offers something no one else does. With our system, you can manage not just smart chargers, but also legacy “dumb” chargers—seamlessly integrating them with Hydra. This capability is completely unique, giving you more control, flexibility, and cost-saving options than any other solution on the market. Your continuation plan shouldn’t only account for the chargers you currently have, it should be flexible for any chargers you add in the future. With Hydra, you can add any charger of any make or model at any time. And, you can manage our CodeConnect™ chargers, our standalone solution for monetizable, access-controlled Level 2 charging. CodeConnect are the simplest, lowest-cost managed chargers in the industry. With Liberty, you can avoid risk, lower cost, and futureproof your systems

If your charge stations are losing software functionality—whether due to your provider exiting the EV market or shutting down entirely—there’s no need to start over. Liberty offers a proven, cost-effective solution to restore and even enhance functionality for both your business and end-users.

A pioneer in managed EV charging since 2009, Liberty has thousands of successful installations and a long-term commitment to this industry. If you’ve been abandoned by Shell Recharge, Bosch, or Enel X—or simply want to future-proof your system—reach out today. As a welcome, Shell Recharge and Bosch customers get 90 days of free service when they switch to Liberty Plugins.