It started with a Schuko socket. The 15-years e-mobility journey of WEMAG, German utility & charge point operator

In Northern Germany, most people know WEMAG as the company that keeps the lights on. As a Stadtwerke (regional energy provider in German), WEMAG operates its own electricity grid, supplying more than 200,000 customers across Germany with electricity and gas, and runs its own fibre-optic network.  

But since 2010, WEMAG has been building something else. 

Before e-mobility became a mainstream priority for European utilities, WEMAG was already electrifying its own vehicle fleet, commissioning custom-built charging boxes based on standard Schuko sockets – as standardised connectors simply didn’t exist yet. 

That early commitment grew into a full commercial offering: operating as a full-service charge point operator (CPO) for private and business customers alike, alongside a public charging network of their own. 

Currently, WEMAG manages over 1,000 charge points and serves more than 4,000 recurring charging card users – all through the Last Mile Solutions platform. They also support other municipal utilities as sub-CPOs, passing on five years of hard-won operational experience. 

“By partnering with Last Mile Solutions, we were able to consolidate technology, billing and business models within a single, powerful platform. This transformed e-mobility from a standalone activity into a scalable, sustainable core component of our energy services portfolio.”

– Benjamin Hintz, Head of Technical Sales & Solutions, WEMAG 

The beginning

A utility that plugged in before the market was ready 

WEMAG’s entry into e-mobility began internally, with the gradual electrification of their own vehicle fleet around 2010 – a time when the industry had not yet agreed on a standard charging connector. 

Rather than wait, WEMAG built their own solution. Custom charging boxes based on Schuko sockets were commissioned to support those first electric vehicles, laying the groundwork for what would become a much broader capability. 

The Stadtwerke’s scope evolved in tandem with the market. Customer interest began to grow, and with it, the demand for professionally planned and operated charging projects. WEMAG responded by taking on charging infrastructure projects for external customers and developing their own public charging network. 

Since 2017, the professionalisation of this activity has accelerated: 

For a Stadtwerke already operating at scale across energy, grid and telecoms, e-mobility was not a distraction. It was a natural extension – one that aligned directly with their identity as a sustainability-oriented energy provider.

The problem

Two backends, one problem: no end-to-end charge point management 

The complexity of WEMAG’s charging operation grew quickly. By the time they began evaluating backend platforms seriously, they were already running two different systems simultaneously, due to hardware manufacturers being tied to specific backend providers. 

The upside was an unusually clear picture of what was missing. Having operated both systems in parallel, WEMAG had direct experience of their respective strengths and limitations. They knew exactly what a future-proof platform needed to deliver. 

The core problem was consistent across both: neither system could handle the technical and commercial sides of the business within a single, end-to-end workflow. 

“In the backend solutions we had previously used, we were able to cover either the technical side or the commercial side – but never both consistently within one workflow,” says Martin Köchele, Project Manager E-Mobility at WEMAG. “This inevitably led to interfaces, manual processes, and breaks in end-to-end workflows.” 

Day-to-day operations suffered as a result. Public charging infrastructure was invoiced manually, on a quarterly basis. Payments had to be chased. Invoices were generated by hand. Dunning and receivables management sat with the team. Behind it all were countless spreadsheets, CDR data files, and hours of reconciliation. 

Up to a point, this manual approach worked. It also placed a hard ceiling on which business models were commercially viable. A charging card offering, for example, requires customers to see every session in real time, with transparent pricing and automatic billing. That level of service simply cannot be delivered manually at scale. 

Something had to change.

De oplossing

 “Almost anything is possible”: finding the right charge point management system 

WEMAG first came across Last Mile Solutions through Ecotap, a Dutch charging station manufacturer already part of their hardware portfolio.  

“It became apparent very quickly what potential Last Mile Solutions offered – within just a few days of operating the system in a test environment,” says Köchele. “While the platform can appear complex at first glance, this is primarily because it supports a very wide range of use cases. Very quickly, it became clear that almost anything is possible within the system.” 

Two things stood out immediately. First, the hardware: many of the manufacturers already in WEMAG’s portfolio were supported by Last Mile Solutions, meaning they could continue using existing infrastructure without disruption. There was no need to rip and replace. 

Secondly: for the first time, WEMAG was looking at a charge point management platform (CPMS) that could handle both the technical operation of charging infrastructure and complete financial flows – within a single system. No interfaces, manual handoffs, or broken workflows. 

Beyond the operational foundation, Last Mile Solutions opened new commercial possibilities that were deemed economically not viable for WEMAG. Wide OCPI connectivity and roaming integrations, flexible pricing models, and support for multiple business models under one roof meant WEMAG could do more than operate as a CPO. They could become an eMSP – a mobility service provider – offering end customers their own branded experience, with real-time session visibility and transparent billing. 

“Our customers notice the difference immediately: transparent billing, flexible pricing and a system that grows with their needs. This is exactly what companies expect from modern charging infrastructure today.” 

— Martin Köchele, Project Manager E-Mobility, WEMAG 

A partnership built on structure, trust and continuity 

WEMAG has now been working with Last Mile Solutions for around five years – long enough to have witnessed the continuous evolution of the platform over time. 

From the very start, the process was clearly structured. Transparent pricing, defined responsibilities, and an extensive knowledge base meant that many questions could be explored and resolved independently. There was no ambiguity about what was included, what was expected, or what came next. 

What stood out from the beginning, however, was something less typical in enterprise software relationships: a dedicated contact person who remained consistent throughout.  “This was a major advantage – we were able to build trust,” says Hintz. 

That continuity has proven durable. Despite Last Mile Solutions’ growth over the five-year partnership, the collaboration has remained personal: dedicated contacts, regular exchange formats, and a direct feedback loop that means platform improvements translate into real operational benefits for WEMAG’s day-to-day work. 

For a Stadtwerke evaluating a long-term technology partner, that stability was essential.  

De resultaten

Automating CPO operations and launching new products 

The most immediate impact of switching to Last Mile Solutions was felt in operations that had previously consumed significant time and effort. 

Public charging infrastructure that had previously been invoiced manually, on a quarterly basis, was now handled automatically. Payment collection, invoice generation, dunning, receivables management – processes that had required hands-on attention at every step – were streamlined into a single automated workflow. Day-to-day workload dropped noticeably, and with it, the risk of manual error. 

But the deeper shift was what automation made possible beyond efficiency gains. 

With the operational burden removed, WEMAG could build and launch products that would never have been commercially viable to run manually. Their charging card offering is the clearest example. Customers now see every charging session reflected immediately in an app, with correct pricing applied across different charge points and transparent billing. 

A further use case that Last Mile Solutions enabled was home charging reimbursement for company car drivers. This feature feeds directly into their broader vision of e-mobility as part of an integrated energy offering – alongside photovoltaic systems, battery storage and heat pumps – serving customers across home, workplace and public charging contexts. 

The road to 1,000+ charge points: CPO, eMSP, and mentor to other Stadtwerke 

The numbers tell part of the story. When WEMAG began working with Last Mile Solutions, they had fewer than 50 charge points in the system and no charging card or end-customer services to speak of. Today, they operate well over 1,000 charge points via the platform and serve more than 1,000 recurring charging card users. 

WEMAG’s operational capabilities became a competitive asset in the installation market itself. Backend strength and system expertise helped win projects that might otherwise have gone elsewhere – and when customers’ previous operators failed to meet their requirements, WEMAG was positioned to step in.  

Existing charging infrastructure was taken over, generating new operating contracts and expansion projects. 

“We can say very clearly that we would not have won many installation projects without our strength in operational management and our backend capabilities,” says Hintz. 

Reaching sustainable profitability took time. Having entered the market early, WEMAG navigated an industry still working out fundamentals like site selection, usage patterns, and viable business models. Funding programmes helped ease the initial investment, but it took around five years before the CPO business became durably profitable. The patience paid off. 

Today, WEMAG operates as an established charge point operator, managing sub-CPOs within the Last Mile Solutions platform, actively supporting other municipal utilities with their own practical experience. Their role has shifted: from early mover learning the market, to established CPO helping others do the same. 

The differentiator for any e-mobility service provider, Hintz notes, is no longer simply offering charging services – many providers do that. System expertise, user experience, and the ability to manage the full project lifecycle are where success lies.  

What WEMAG would tell other Stadtwerke considering e-mobility 

For municipal utilities considering their own entry into e-mobility, WEMAG’s recommendation is direct. 

“My recommendation clearly points towards Last Mile Solutions,” says Hintz. “Whether as an entry-level solution or with your own sub-CPO setup from around 50 to 100 charge points onwards, Last Mile Solutions enables growth, individualisation, and sustainable value creation without the need to change systems.” 

One of the clearest lessons from WEMAG’s journey is the cost of working with platforms that cannot scale with the business. The ability to start lean and expand without switching systems is a strategic requirement for a Stadtwerke building for the long term. 

E-mobility, in WEMAG’s view, is not a standalone service. It is one component of a broader, integrated energy transition – sitting alongside photovoltaic systems, battery storage, heat pumps and grid management as part of a holistic offering. The platform that powers it needs to be built for that ambition from the start. 

With Last Mile Solutions, WEMAG found one that was.