The next phase of embedded charging is direct

Last time we looked at how embedded charging becomes a brand risk when resellers shape the pricing and experience that drivers associate with the visible brand.

But the answer isn't to stop embedding; it's to look harder at the commercial model sitting underneath. Because that model, more than any UX detail, decides whether embedded charging strengthens the product or erodes trust in it.

Access is the easy part

Most platforms can secure charger access today, what's harder, and increasingly more important, is:

• Accessing direct CPO prices the platform can confidently display under its own brand
• Commercial terms that don't turn charging into a cost sink
• A driver experience that’s defensible

Price sits at the centre of this, and USCALE's 2025 Charging Tariff Pricing Study is clear on why:

• Price is the primary driver of customer satisfaction and churn in public charging
• >90% of drivers say they would switch providers in response to a tariff increase

That makes the price displayed inside an embedded charging product more than a number - it's the single variable most likely to determine whether the experience holds up. If the price has been shaped by reseller mark-ups before it reaches the product, the platform is left presenting a price it may struggle to defend.

What direct CPO connection actually changes

Direct CPO connection creates a clear route between operator, platform and driver:

• The CPO sets the price
• The platform accesses that direct CPO price
• The driver sees and pays that price within the platform's own product

That’s an entirely different model from the typical embedded solutions today, and the implications run further than the price itself:

• The platform is presenting a price it can stand behind, because it reflects the operator's actual offer
• The operator keeps commercial control of its pricing and customer experience, rather than competing against distorted versions of its own tariffs
• The driver has a clear view of what they're paying for, and to whom

What this means for platforms

Direct CPO connection gives platforms a better foundation to build embedded charging on:

• Pricing confidence - what's shown to users reflects the operator's actual offer, not a reshaped version of it
• A charging experience aligned with the brand promise, rather than working against it
• Less dependency on reseller economics the platform can't influence
• A more direct relationship with the operators whose tariffs sit inside the product

And outside of the direct CPO connection, Cariqa Connect's commercial model for embedded charging goes a step further. 

Most embedded charging solutions incur costs - per-user or per-transaction fees the platform absorbs in order to offer the feature. Cariqa Connect flips this model and lets platforms participate in the revenue charging generates instead, turning charging from a cost line into a product layer that pays back.

What this means for CPOs

Direct connection lets CPOs carry their commercial strategy beyond their own app and into the platforms drivers already use:

• routing apps
• vehicle interfaces
• mobility platforms 

where charging decisions get made mid-journey. 

Take A Better Routeplanner (ABRP), for example. Millions of EV drivers use ABRP to plan where to stop and charge, and now CPOs connected through Cariqa can surface inside ABRP and stay in control of their price without needing to build a separate integration.

That kind of commercial control and reach matters in a market where public-charging customers are willing to switch. The same USCALE study found that:

• 80% of drivers regularly or occasionally consider changing provider
• 40% think about changing in response to price jumps

Therefore being reachable and consistently priced across the channels drivers actually use isn't a distribution choice, it's how operators hold demand. 

The opportunity isn't simply more reach, its reach with commercial control at the moment drivers decide where to charge.

What this means for drivers

Drivers don't need to understand the full commercial structure behind every session, but they need confidence that the platform isn't adding another layer of confusion or cost.

Direct CPO prices make that easier. The driver isn't paying a marked-up version of the operator's tariff; they're paying the operator's tariff itself. It’s a meaningful change for platform brand trust, and one that makes embedded charging feel consistent with the rest of the platform experience.

Cariqa Connect: making direct connection embeddable

Cariqa Connect API is the infrastructure layer that makes direct CPO connection embeddable for platforms. Integrating with multiple operators, handling payments and settlement, and maintaining pricing logic across networks have historically been the operational reasons platforms have stayed with reseller arrangements. Cariqa Connect takes that layer off the platform's plate.

One integration gives platforms access to multiple CPOs through Cariqa's direct payments infrastructure. The platform owns the driver relationship, the CPO keeps commercial control, and Cariqa handles the connectivity, payments and settlement underneath.

The model decides the outcome

The next phase of embedded charging won't be defined by which platforms can add charger access, most already can.

It will be defined by which platforms embed charging in a way that's commercially direct, transparent and trusted, and which ones continue presenting reseller-led experiences under their own brand without fully seeing the cost.

If you’re building charging into a product drivers already use, now is the moment to ask not just whether you can add access, but what commercial model your brand is prepared to inherit.

If the model we've described - one where you maintain brand trust, keep your users happy and participate in charging revenue - is one you want to explore for your platform, get in touch.