Knowledge base > Charging infrastructure and the EV landscape
What is EV roaming?
We are all familiar with roaming on our cell phone. When we travel abroad, our phone automatically connects to an external network without having to use a local SIM card. Roaming for electric vehicle charging works similarly: drivers can use charging stations belonging to different networks, both national and international, with one account.
EV Roaming (or eRoaming) is made possible by agreements between service providers and is enabled through an EV charge management platform (CSMS) such as the one provided by Last Mile Solutions. This feature allows drivers to find, reserve and use a charging station whenever and wherever they want.
Roaming also removes some of the charging stress for EV users, which still keeps some of the potential drivers from switching to EVs. We are doing everything we can to create a good user experience for EV drivers, including ensuring more consistent service levels and making billing management easier. The goal is to not have to think about where, how and when to charge.
To ensure that roaming works as reliably as possible, it uses open protocols such as OCPI and OCHP. This also ensures that the market can develop quickly and flexibly.