EV charging sessions involve authentication, pricing, and settlement across multiple parties, making them closer to financial transactions than utility services. This article explores why payments and identity are becoming central to charging infrastructure, how Plug & Charge and programmable payments change backend responsibilities, and why open charging platforms give operators greater operational and economic control.

As EV adoption accelerates, car dealerships are discovering a powerful new profit center: EV charging. In this commentary featured in Motor Trade News, S44 Energy CEO Olga Haygood shares how smart software strategies and open infrastructure can help dealerships turn charging into a scalable, customer-focused revenue stream.

Explore how dynamic pricing strategies could revolutionize electric vehicle charging networks by balancing operator margins, grid load and user satisfaction. In this guest commentary, CEO of S44 Energy, Olga Haygood breaks down the case for smart, real-time pricing models that adapt to demand, energy costs and station utilization—enabling scalable, reliable charging infrastructure.

Discover how open-source EV charging software like CitrineOS and TopazEV is transforming Charge Station Management Systems (CSMS). Learn why flexibility, transparency, and interoperability are key to scaling global EV infrastructure.

S44 Energy has launched TopazEV, the industry’s first Open-as-a-Service (OaaS) charge station management software (CSMS). Designed for charge point operators, fleets, retailers, and utilities, TopazEV eliminates vendor lock-in and per-session fees, providing operators with scalable, protocol-compliant control over their EV charging networks. Supporting OCPP 1.6, 2.0.1, OCPI, and ISO 15118, TopazEV offers real-time dashboards, intuitive UI, and seamless API integrations. Available via hosted subscription or business source license, TopazEV helps democratize access to reliable, open EV charging infrastructure.

Olga Haygood is the CEO of S44 Energy, a software company that solves the real-world problems behind EV charging infrastructure. Her team created a widely adopted open-source project, now hosted by the Linux Foundation, as well as the industry’s first Open-as-a-Service charge station management software. She is deeply engaged in advancing democratization and standardization across the industry. In this Q&A, Olga explains what’s holding the EV industry back and what it will take to future-proof public charging networks worldwide.

To help usher in this next era, we’re introducing a new platform purpose-built for charge point operators: TopazEV — a Charge Station Management System (CSMS) designed to unlock growth, flexibility, and long-term profitability.

S44 Energy announces Olga Haygood as CEO to accelerate the company’s leadership in EV charging software. With a focus on Open-as-a-Service (OaaS) innovation, Haygood will guide the launch of scalable, open-source-based solutions for Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and fleets seeking cost-effective, future-ready infrastructure.

CitrineOS, the open-source CSMS developed by S44 Energy and adopted by LF Energy, has released version 1.6.0 with expanded support for OCPP 1.6—enabling broader compatibility with legacy EV chargers. The update includes a redesigned operator UI, support for both OCPP 1.6 and 2.0.1, and key technical enhancements like GraphQL integration and S3-compatible storage. This milestone makes CitrineOS even more flexible and future-ready for EV charging networks. LFE and S44 Energy hosted a public webinar previewing the new features.

MAHWAH, NJ — JANUARY 28, 2024 – S44 Energy, the developer behind CitrineOS, an open-source Charge Station Management System (CSMS) and a Linux Foundation Energy project, proudly announces that CitrineOS has achieved OCPP 2.0.1 Core & Advanced Security certification from the Open Charge Alliance.

As 2024 comes to a close, S44 Energy reflects on an incredible year of growth, innovation, and milestones for CitrineOS, our open-source Charge Station Management System (CSMS). From expanding our capabilities to helping clients transition away from restrictive SaaS solutions, we’ve made significant strides in empowering the EV charging industry. In this blog, discover how CitrineOS is driving the future of EV charging, offering both open-source and custom solutions to build scalable, future-proof infrastructure for Charge Point Operators worldwide.

SAN FRANCISCO — JULY 16, 2024 — LF Energy, the open source foundation focused on harnessing the power of collaborative software and hardware technologies to accelerate the energy transition, announces the release of LF Energy CitrineOS 1.3.0. This new release marks a significant advancement in CitineOS’ implementation of an Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 2.0.1 compliant Charging Station Management System (CSMS). S44 Energy, a global leader in EV charging solutions, lead contributions to the latest version as part of an open source community developing CitrineOS. This underscores S44 Energy’s commitment to driving innovation and scalability within the electric vehicle charging industry.