What is CMS?
Charging Management System
A charging management system connects chargers to a central platform so operators can manage stations, connectors, sessions, tariffs, billing and driver services from one place. It is the same kind of system as a CPMS or CSMS, and CMS is the term most operators use day to day.
Operators use a CMS to see every charger’s live status, start and stop sessions remotely, set prices per site or per driver group, run billing and payments, push firmware updates and act on faults. Chargers connect to it over OCPP, and it connects to other networks over OCPI for roaming.
When buyers compare systems, the main differences are which chargers and OCPP versions are supported, whether the driver app and portal can carry the operator’s own brand, how roaming and payments are handled, and how much of the network’s day-to-day operation can be automated.
Also called: CPMS, CSMS, EV charging management system, charging station management system, charger management system, electric vehicle charging management system