Charging stations are increasingly less likely to stand alone. They’re being paired with batteries, solar panels are installed on the roof, and due to grid congestion, a location must manage its grid capacity more intelligently. That’s why the Embion EMS is now integrated with VoltTime. Through Plugchoice, the platform behind VoltTime, the Embion EMS controls most OCPP chargers without requiring you to switch chargers or back-office systems.
VoltTime develops charging stations and the software to control them. The Amsterdam-based company launched its first in-house charging station in 2020, which has since spawned several models.
VoltTime subsequently made the smart features for its own chargers available to other brands. This led to the creation of Plugchoice: a brand-independent platform where you choose which charger, which back-office system, and which energy management system to use. More than 1,700 charger models from about 350 brands are now supported.
The Embion EMS controls a location’s electrical system 24/7. A single on-site controller continuously tracks how much electricity is generated, stored, consumed, and exchanged with the grid. This ensures you stay within the limits of your connection, and the system automatically adjusts to meet your goals, such as low energy costs and reduced CO₂ emissions.
The EMS is brand- and asset-independent and coordinates the operation of charging stations, batteries, solar panels, heat pumps, and more, including based on dynamic energy prices. This helps you avoid peak costs and prevent grid congestion. In the Embion Hub, you can see in real time what each asset consumes and generates.
Normally, a charger communicates with a single back office via OCPP. The OCPP proxy in Plugchoice forwards that connection to multiple parties simultaneously. This allows the Embion EMS to control the charger while it remains connected to the back office of, for example, a charging station operator. The Plugchoice cloud is hosted entirely within the EU on ISO 27001-certified servers.
The load management in Plugchoice is designed for the charging station itself. For a location with only a charging station, that is often sufficient. If a battery, solar panels, or grid congestion are added, an EMS is needed to oversee the entire building.
Once the Embion EMS is connected, it takes full control. Embion determines how much power the charger receives and when; Plugchoice ensures a stable connection. This prevents two control systems from working at cross-purposes. The end user continues to use the free Plugchoice app to operate the charger and monitor charging sessions and energy consumption.
The Embion EMS can also connect directly to a charging station via Modbus, but this isn’t always possible due to distance, additional cabling, or a charger that doesn’t support it. With Plugchoice, the connection goes through the cloud, and the charging station only needs an internet connection.
With the new Autoconnect feature, Plugchoice also connects chargers from the ten largest brands—including Alfen, Zaptec, Easee, and Peblar—with the push of a button. The installer does not need to log in to the charging station to do this.
Those who start with just a charging station often end up with a battery, more solar panels, or have to deal with grid congestion a few years later. In that case, nothing needs to be removed: the charger stays in place, Plugchoice handles the connection, and the Embion EMS takes over control. This allows installers to offer a complete solution: a charging station of your choice, linked to an EMS that monitors the entire building.
Curious about what this could mean for your location? Contact Embion or Volt Time, or check out our other integrations.