What’s a Charge Point Operator and why it matters

30 January 2025

With the rapid rise in electric vehicle adoption, EV charging has become as essential for many hotel guests as WiFi, making it a strategic priority for hotel owners and managers. But one question often goes unanswered: Who is legally responsible for managing hotel EV charge points under the UK’s Public Charge Point Regulations 2023?

Understanding Charge Point Operators (CPOs)

A Charge Point Operator (CPO) is not necessarily the company that installs your EV charging hardware or the provider of the software managing the chargers. According to the regulations, the CPO is the person “responsible for operating a public charge point, whether as an owner or as a third party on behalf of the owner.”

For hotels looking to make their EV charging facilities available to the public, defining who takes responsibility for the operation, maintenance, and compliance of charging points is essential. Without clear accountability, hotel owners risk falling short of their legal obligations.

Public Charge Point Regulations 2023: What hotels need to know

The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, which took effect in November 2023, set strict requirements for public charge point operators in the UK. These include:

Maintaining 99% reliability for rapid (DC) chargers.
Providing a free, 24/7 staffed helpline for customer support.
Ensuring transparent pricing for EV charging.
Enabling contactless payment options for drivers.
Sharing real-time open data about charger availability.
Supporting payment roaming across networks by November 2025.

Failure to meet these requirements can result in penalties enforced by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

Who’s the CPO? The compliance gap hotels need to watch

For hotels, this is where the situation can become tricky. Many charge point management platforms offer software solutions for EV chargers but do not assume the role of the CPO. As a result, the legal responsibilities for compliance fall back on to the hotel – the property owner.

If the hotel takes on the role of the CPO, it will need to:

Oversee proper maintenance and uptime management of chargers.
Provide customer support, including a 24/7 helpline.
Ensure data security and pricing transparency.
Guarantee compliance with payment roaming and open data requirements.

Non-compliance can lead to regulatory enforcement actions, which could be costly, with OPSS able to impose fines of up to £10,000 on CPOs that fail to meet the regulatory requirements.

Go Zero: simplifying compliance for hotels

We eliminate this compliance burden for our hotel partners. Unlike many charging platforms, we fully embrace the role of CPO for all public chargers on our network.

Our software-first service handles every aspect of charge point operation, including:

Ensuring regulatory compliance with the latest Public Charge Point Regulations.
Managing charger maintenance, uptime, and customer support.
Handling payment processing, data management, and security protocols.

By partnering with Go Zero, hotels can focus on their core business – delivering exceptional guest experiences – while we take care of EV charging compliance and management.

Key considerations for hotel owners

Before installing public EV charging stations, hotel owners should review their agreements with charge point providers to determine whether the partnership model meets their needs, and which provider is best suited to act as their partner and charge point operator (CPO).

Important questions to ask include:

Who is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance?
Will the provider handle maintenance, customer service, and uptime management?
Are payment and data-sharing requirements included in the agreement?

Making the right decision upfront can prevent costly compliance issues and ensure a smooth charging experience for hotel guests.

Conclusion

The rise of electric vehicles presents an exciting opportunity for the hospitality industry, but it also introduces new regulatory requirements. Understanding the role of the Charge Point Operator and clearly defining responsibilities is essential for hotels offering public EV charging.

By partnering with an experienced CPO like Go Zero, hotels can meet their regulatory obligations while enhancing guest satisfaction and driving revenue from EV charging.