How BGL Charge works
BGL Charge brings depot operators and fleets together. This enables depot operators with charging infrastructure that would otherwise remain unused to generate additional revenue, while fleets benefit from lower charging costs.
In this article, we will show you how the platform is structured and how a charging session takes place. BGL Charge is a white-label solution from Depotcharge, so all features are identical.
1.The two areas
BGL Charge is divided into two areas, and you can switch between them at any time using the sidebar at the top.
- Depot operator is for anyone who offers charging points.
Here you manage your Sites, Agreements, Tariffs and Reports.
- Fleet manager is for anyone who charges their vehicles.
Here you find Fleets & charging cards, the Map, Agreements and Reports.
An organisation can also use both areas, that is, open its own depot to others while charging at other depots on the road.
2.How a charging session comes about
- 1.First, the depot operator creates a site with charging points and sets a tariff for it.
- 2.The depot operator then publishes an agreement offer that specifies which fleets are permitted to charge and at what tariff.
- 3.The fleet accepts the offer or requests it.
Depending on the settings, the agreement then applies immediately, or the depot operator first reviews the request and accepts or rejects it.
- 4.This is how the offer becomes an active agreement, under which the fleet is permitted to charge at the site.
- 5.At the charging station, the vehicle authenticates with an RFID card or via Autocharge.
- 6.Finally, Depotcharge issues a monthly invoice to the fleet on behalf of the depot operator, and the depot operator also receives its payout monthly.
3.Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Your company on the platform, under which everything else is created. |
| Company | The company that invoices and pays. In most cases, one is sufficient. |
| Site | A charging location with an address and charging points. |
| Charging point | A single charging bay with a connector. |
| Fleet | Your vehicles and RFID cards. |
| RFID card | The card that a vehicle uses to log in at the charging station and that assigns the charging session to your fleet. |
| Autocharge | Authentication without an RFID card, whereby the vehicle authenticates itself when the connector is plugged in. To do this, you enter the vehicle's MAC address in BGL Charge, and both the vehicle and the charging station must support the function. |
| Tariff | The price set by a depot operator. Please select the correct country straight away, as it determines the currency and VAT. |
| Agreement offer | The depot operator's offer, which specifies which fleets are permitted to charge and at what tariff. |
| Agreement | The accepted offer that makes charging possible in the first place. |
The following diagram illustrates how these terms are related. At the very top is the organisation, which is created during the initial registration, and below it are any number of companies.
Each company has its own fleets, with their vehicles, and its own sites, with their charging points and tariffs, and both always belong to exactly one company.
4.The BGL Charge community
As a BGL member, you register with your membership number and thereby become part of the BGL Charge community. Depot operators can target their agreement offers specifically at all fleets in this community, offering them a community tariff, that is, a lower price than for fleets outside the community.
In addition, bilateral prices can be agreed with individual fleets. This enables BGL members to charge among themselves on better terms and to make better joint use of their charging infrastructure.
5.Note
You do not need any new hardware for BGL Charge, as your existing RFID cards, charging stations and your current backend will simply continue to work. The connection works with any common charging station that supports OCPP, the standard that charging stations use to communicate with a backend, and typically takes 1 to 2 weeks.
Your drivers do not need their own account; instead, they use the RFID card or the Driver Web App.