Case study: How da emobil unlocked 5.9x revenue through direct pricing control

Introduction

For charge point operators (CPOs), pricing is a powerful lever for demand and utilisation. But execution is difficult. Most CPOs sell through resellers, meaning they have no direct control over the final price drivers see. Resellers add markups, blend tariffs, or ignore price signals entirely, so a CPO price reduction often doesn't reach the driver.

Even when a reseller does pass the new price through, the process is slow. Contract notice periods can stretch the process over weeks or months; by the time the price change reaches the market, the conditions that triggered it have often shifted.

Cariqa changes this model by providing a direct sales channel between the CPO and driver, bypassing the reseller value chain entirely. When da emobil adjusts a tariff, it reaches drivers the same day across the Cariqa app and Cariqa Connect partners like A Better Routeplanner, with no delay or dilution.

The approach

Drawing on market benchmarking data and independent research on driver price sensitivity, Cariqa recommended tariff adjustments to improve competitiveness within the market.

From 1st February to 31st March 2026, da emobil implemented updated pricing:

• AC charging: €0.53/kWh → €0.39/kWh (-26%)
• DC charging: €0.66/kWh → €0.49/kWh (-26%)

Because da emobil could manage their prices directly through Cariqa, the price changes reached drivers the same day, with no delays or markups. 

The results

Following the pricing update, da emobil achieved the following performance on Cariqa:

• 8.4x increase in sessions
• 8.3x increase in energy delivered
• 5.9x increase in charging revenue

Despite a 26% reduction in per-kWh pricing, total charging revenue grew nearly six-fold, with the increase in charging volume more than offsetting the lower margin per kWh.

Seasonal variation in EV charging demand is known to increase from late winter into spring, and likely contributed to the observed changes. However, the scale and timing of this increase, with sessions rising more than 5x within a single month of the tariff adjustment, substantially exceeds typical seasonal variation and closely aligns with the new pricing strategy.

da emobil on the partnership

“For us as a CPO, the real difference lies in setting our own prices – and knowing that these exact prices reach drivers unchanged.

With the new pricing, we had full transparency at all times: no mark-ups, no delays.

This allowed us to test pricing changes in a targeted way and clearly see their impact within just a few weeks.” Fabio Höller, Operations Specialist, da emobil

Why it matters

The results demonstrate two fundamental truths:

1. Price matters
2. CPOs need control over their pricing strategy

With traditional reseller models, CPOs lack this control, but Cariqa changes that by providing a direct sales channel between CPO and driver. 

CPOs can now set prices, know they reach drivers unchanged, and respond to market conditions in real time, whether that's matching competitor pricing, responding to energy costs, or capturing demand when opportunities exist.

da emobil's results show what becomes possible: a single pricing adjustment produced a near six-fold increase in revenue, without infrastructure changes or additional marketing spend.