What is an eMSP? Mobility service providers and charge point operators in Morocco

Key takeaways

• The eMSP (e-Mobility Service Provider, also MSP) owns the relationship with the driver: account, app, RFID card, payment, invoice.
• The CPO (Charge Point Operator) runs the charger: supervision, tariffs, faults, collecting revenue.
• One company can play both roles. Chargma does: software for operators, and an app for drivers.
• Roaming (the OCPI protocol) lets a driver charge on another operator’s network with the same app. At Chargma it is coming soon.

What is an eMSP?

It is the company that gives the driver access to charging. In practice: the account, the app, the RFID card, the means of payment and the invoice.

MSP and eMSP mean the same thing; the “e” just signals electric mobility.

The role does not require owning a single charger. An eMSP can give access only to other companies’ chargers, through agreements with the operators that run them.

What is a charge point operator, and how is it different?

The CPO runs the charger, the eMSP owns the relationship with the driver. That is the sentence to remember.

	CPO (charge point operator)	eMSP (mobility service provider)
Its customer	The site owner, and the driver on site	The driver
What it manages	Chargers, uptime, tariffs, faults	Account, app, card, payment, invoice
Its tool	Management software (CSMS)	An app and a customer back office
Without it	The charger is not operated	The driver has no simple way in

All the acronyms are explained in our EV charging glossary, and the market structure in EV charging companies in Morocco.

Why does roaming matter in Morocco?

Because without roaming, a driver needs one app and one account per network. Every operator that launches its own network without opening it to others adds another app to the driver’s phone.

Roaming fixes that. Through the OCPI protocol, the driver’s eMSP and the charger’s CPO exchange session data and billing automatically. The driver charges with their usual app; the two operators settle between themselves.

For a charger owner the benefit runs the other way: a charger open to roaming becomes visible and usable from other operators’ apps, without extra sales effort.

At Chargma, OCPI roaming is listed as “coming soon” on the pricing page. We do not present it as available until it is.

How does Chargma act as an eMSP?

Through its driver app, available on iOS and Android. It lets drivers find a charger, start a session, pay in one tap and track their charging history.

On payments:

• the app, RFID card, Google Pay and Apple Pay are accepted;
• payments are processed by our provider Payzone;
• on chargers in the Chargma network, public charging is billed per minute, with a published tariff.

To find a charger before setting off, the charger map is public.

On the operator side, Chargma supplies the management software: see our CPO software.

Should a charger owner become an eMSP too?

Rarely. Building and maintaining a driver app, payment methods and customer support is expensive, and the value to drivers comes mostly from how many chargers one app can reach.

The common setups:

• a hotel, mall or car park keeps ownership of its chargers and hands operation to a CPO; drivers reach them through the operator’s app;
• a network that wants its own brand takes a white-label app rather than building one. At Chargma, that option costs 999 MAD per month.

Frequently asked questions

Are eMSP and MSP the same?

Yes. Both describe the operator that owns the relationship with the driver.

Who sets the charging price?

The charger’s operator sets its price. Under roaming, the eMSP may add its own margin or conditions, which is why it is worth checking the price shown in the app before starting a session.

How do I list my chargers in the Chargma app?

By connecting them to the Chargma platform over OCPP 1.6 or 2.0.1. Contact us or see our partners page.