CSMS Guide for EV Charge Point Operators (Turkey 2026)

What Is a CSMS and Why Does It Matter?

A CSMS (Charging Station Management System) is the software with which an EV charging network operator centrally manages all the chargers it has installed in the field, its users, tariffs, revenue-share calculations, invoicing and operational reports. Running a charging network without a CSMS means tracking devices manually one by one, matching every payment by hand and handling customer requests over the phone.

1. OCPP Compliance Is a Must

When evaluating a CSMS, look for support for OCPP 1.6 and preferably 2.0.1. This is critical for independence from device manufacturers — if you buy brand A devices today and brand B devices tomorrow, you should be able to manage them through the same CSMS. Ask for the certification document.

2. EPDK Compliance — Specific to Turkey

After 2022, EPDK (Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority) introduced a licence requirement for EV charging operators. The CSMS must support data transmission to EPDK web services, licence number management and the required report formats. Foreign CSMS products usually provide this compliance late, or not at all.

3. White-Label Driver App

A mobile app (iOS + Android) that the operator can publish under its own brand identity is important. With SmartŞarj, the operator has the right to publish it on the App Store + Play Store with its own logo and its own domain. Drivers see "the operator's app", not "ELPO".

4. Revenue-Share and Tariff Engine

A charging network usually has more than one stakeholder: the operator, the site owner (shopping mall, hotel, fuel station) and the hardware supplier. The CSMS needs to calculate multi-stakeholder revenue shares automatically. Dynamic hourly or kWh-based tariffs, seasonal campaigns and free-minute definitions should also be handled at engine level.

5. Open Banking (ÖHVPS) Payments

With open banking regulated by BDDK (Turkey's Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency; the Turkish service is called ÖHVPS), the driver can pay directly from the CSMS app without opening the banking app. The commission is lower than with a classic POS, and the customer experience is a single tap. SmartŞarj is integrated with 7+ payment institutions.

6. Roaming and Cross-Network Charging

OCPI/OICP roaming support — a driver on your network can also charge at another network's stations, with invoicing handled automatically in the background. Critical for geographic expansion.

7-12. Other Criteria

• e-Fatura (Turkish e-invoice) integration — Automatic e-Arşiv invoice (Turkey's electronic archive invoice) at the end of each charging session
• Dynamic tariff — Pricing based on demand + time + location
• Logistics report — Which station sold how much energy at what time
• Device health monitoring — Fault alarm + remote reboot + parameter changes
• Turkish-language support + local engineers — Immediate on-site intervention
• Hardware + software from a single manufacturer — Responsibility is not split

SmartŞarj CSMS offers all of this in a single package — for a live test environment, you can access the CSMS demo in the live demo section.