Switching Charge Point Software: 5 Steps for Fleet Compliance
If your current charge point management system lacks modern OCPP support, payment roaming or smart energy controls, the answer is simple: switch now. Start with a full charger inventory that maps firmware versions and OCPP compliance against each unit. Done properly, this gives you compliance readiness, tighter energy control and a migration you can actually plan around rather than firefight.
TL;DR:
Inventory each charger’s firmware, OCPP version, certification, connector, metering limits, and remote configuration support; unsupported commands may require updates or site visits.
Pilot representative hardware, migrate in batches, and retain the old network profile until telemetry is stable; keep the outgoing system read only through one billing cycle.
Rules require machine readable reference and availability data, with status updates within 30 seconds; verify open APIs and payment roaming before choosing a platform.
Before signing, request OCA certificates, a sample migration plan, pilot KPIs, and support terms; budget for manual work if firmware blocks remote changes.
Table of Contents
What switching charge point software involves
Switching your charge point management system (CPMS) touches more than a backend login screen. It spans the central system (CSMS), the driver and payment front end, metering and reporting feeds, and any integrations you run into fleet telematics, accounting or energy management tools. Treat it as an infrastructure project, not a software update.
Several teams need a seat at the table: procurement, your engineering or facilities staff, the charger manufacturers whose hardware you already own, the incoming and outgoing CSMS providers, and IT or security colleagues who will own data access and credentials afterwards.
Most successful migrations follow a similar shape:
Audit and inventory every charger, its firmware version and OCPP capability.
Pilot the new platform on a small, representative site.
Migrate the remaining chargers in planned batches.
Decommission the old backend once data and billing have fully transferred.
Optimise settings, tariffs and smart charging profiles once everything is live.
Each phase builds confidence before you commit the whole estate, which matters most when fleet uptime is non-negotiable.
Technical checklist: OCPP versions, firmware and connector standards
Before you sign anything, run through the technical detail that determines how smooth (or painful) your migration will be.
Check the OCPP version each charger model actually runs, either 1.6 or 2.0.1, and confirm it against the manufacturer’s documentation rather than assuming.
Look up whether that charger and your target CSMS both hold Open Charge Alliance certification for the features you need, since certificates vary by vendor and some mark features as not tested.
Confirm whether network settings can be changed remotely using configuration keys, or whether a firmware update or manufacturer intervention is required first.
Plan certificate management for TLS and, where relevant, ISO 15118, and note which security profile each charger supports.
Inventory connector types, including Type 2 and CCS Combo 2, along with any metering limitations that might affect billing accuracy after the switch.
Our OCPP primer for procurement and engineering teams sets out what to request from a vendor before you commit to a platform.
OCPP compatibility is the single most important technical dependency for a smooth migration. Verifying the OCPP version and firmware for every charger model before you start avoids the most common source of delay: discovering mid-project that a charger cannot accept the commands your new CSMS sends.
Pro Tip: Request the OCA certificate PDF for both your existing and incoming CSMS before migration planning begins, not after.
Step-by-step migration approach: remote methods and fallbacks
A structured migration reduces downtime and protects driver access throughout the switch.
Build a full inventory and firmware matrix, confirm OEM support contacts, and choose a pilot site that represents your typical hardware mix.
For OCPP 1.6 chargers, use ChangeConfiguration to point devices at the new backend remotely where supported.
For OCPP 2.0.1 chargers, use SetNetworkProfile to pre-load a secondary network connection, test it, then switch over without visiting site.
Where remote methods are not supported, schedule firmware updates or, as a last resort, on-site manual reconfiguration.
Keep the old network profile intact as a fallback until the new connection is verified and logging confirms stable communication.
Migrate in batches rather than all at once. A staged roll-out lets you catch proprietary quirks, missing configuration keys or firmware mismatches on a small group before they become a fleet-wide problem. Our backend migration guidance for operators covers planning assumptions worth building into your own schedule, including realistic site-visit allowances.
Pro Tip: Keep the outgoing CSMS live in read-only mode for at least one billing cycle, so you can reconcile transaction records if a dispute arises.
Regulatory and data obligations that affect switching
Your choice of CPMS has to satisfy legal obligations, not just operational preferences.
The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 require reference and availability data to be published in machine-readable formats, with status updates within 30 seconds of a change.
AFIR-related guidance pushes compliance beyond hardware, prioritising payment roaming and contactless payment capability as standard software features.
Metering accuracy, reporting cadence and open API access all need to be built into your CPMS specification, not retrofitted once a regulator asks for them.
We cover the practical side of these duties in our guide to public charge point regulations and our three-stage approach to smart charging compliance.
Compliance is now as much a software question as a hardware one. A platform that cannot expose open data feeds and 30-second status updates will leave you non-compliant regardless of how reliable the chargers themselves are.
How to choose a compliance-ready CPMS
Selecting the right platform comes down to a short list of non-negotiables.
Confirm OCPP certification, advanced device management, smart charging profiles and certificate handling are all supported, not just advertised.
Ask what migration support looks like: staged onboarding, a named project contact and support SLAs that scale across multiple sites.
Weigh managed service against a straight licence, factor in grant application support, and look for hidden costs in site visits or API access.
Request evidence before you sign: the OCA certificate PDF, a sample migration plan and KPIs from a comparable pilot.
A vendor that cannot produce these documents on request is one to question before committing your fleet to their platform.
Swift Charging: practical notes from the field
Across migrations we support, the same issues recur: mixed firmware versions across a single site, proprietary configuration keys that no one documented, and site-visit estimates that run light. Planning for a small proportion of manual interventions, rather than assuming every charger will migrate remotely, keeps timelines realistic.
We build pilots around a handful of representative chargers, verify telemetry after each batch, and support grant applications once the new platform is live. Our fleet charging guidance includes a checklist worth handing straight to procurement or engineering before kick-off.
— Swift Charging
What modern CPMS features mean for fleet operations
Real-time energy controls and open APIs matter because they let you respond to tariff changes and site load without manual intervention. Driver expectations around ad-hoc access and payment roaming have also shifted procurement: a platform that cannot support these is a liability, not a convenience.
Waiting for an existing vendor to catch up rarely pays off. If your current system already shows gaps, switching proactively costs less than managing non-compliance after the fact.
How Swift Charging can help with switching charge point software
We handle the parts of a migration that are easiest to underestimate: feasibility review, firmware and OCPP verification, staged installation, and ongoing managed software once your fleet is live. Whether you are replacing an ageing backend or consolidating multiple sites onto one platform, we scope the work before anything is switched off.
If you are weighing up a switch, our fleet EV charging solutions page sets out what a managed migration looks like in practice, or you can request a feasibility review to get a site-specific plan before you commit.
FAQ
How do I pay for EV charging across different networks?
Payment methods vary by network but increasingly include contactless card payment, RFID cards and app-based billing, with regulatory pressure moving providers towards payment roaming. AFIR-related guidance is pushing contactless and roaming capability into more charge point software as a standard feature rather than an add-on.
What does a charge point app typically do?
A charge point app lets drivers locate chargers, start and stop a charging session, and pay for electricity used, usually tied to a specific network or CPMS. Functionality varies between providers, so it is worth checking whether an app supports ad-hoc payment or requires an account and RFID card.
How do I know if a cheaper EV charging tariff is worth switching to?
Pricing between charging networks varies by location, power rating and time of use, so a lower headline rate does not always mean lower total cost. Compare actual cost per kWh for your typical charging pattern rather than relying on a single advertised figure.
What should I check before picking an EV charging network for my fleet?
Look for OCPP certification, transparent metering, open API access and demonstrated compliance with the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, rather than focusing on charger brand alone. A network that can show a sample migration plan and certificate documentation is generally a safer long-term choice.
How long does a typical CPMS migration take?
Timelines depend on fleet size and firmware consistency, but a phased approach, pilot, batch migration, then optimisation, keeps the process predictable. Budgeting for a proportion of chargers to need manual intervention, due to proprietary firmware or missing configuration keys, helps avoid schedule surprises.
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