The charging market in Belgium is built on middlemen. An end customer charges via their e-MSP app (Plugsurfing, Mobiflow, Charge&Go, …), that app negotiates in real time with the CPO network of the charger, and somewhere along that chain each link keeps its margin.
As a charge point operator, you sit at the end of that chain. What you keep per kWh is significantly lower than the rate your customer pays.
What the e-MSP chain looks like in practice
A customer charges 20 kWh via a roaming network. Their e-MSP charges them €0.65/kWh — that's €13 in total. Of that amount, typically:
- €1.50–€2.50 goes to the e-MSP as a service margin
- €0.50–€1.00 goes to clearing/roaming costs (Hubject, Gireve)
- €10–€11 remains as CPO revenue — but your backoffice cost still comes off that
On a charging session of €13 you keep maybe €8 to €9 net. And your customer pays €13, while in principle they'd be willing to pay €10 if that were a fair rate.
What QR payments do differently
With Proxilink QR, the customer charges via a QR code that goes directly to your own payment page. There is no e-MSP, no roaming, no clearing. The customer pays your rate — say €0.48/kWh — and that full amount reaches you, minus the payment transaction fees (typically €0.25 + 1.4% via Mollie).
On that same 20 kWh you then get €9.30 net instead of €8–9 — but your customer pays only €9.60 instead of €13. Everyone wins: the customer pays less, you keep as much or more.
Why operators aren't doing this en masse yet
The honest answer: until recently it was technically complex. Setting up your own payment page, linking it to a backoffice, generating invoices, RFID management — that required custom development or an expensive CPO solution.
Proxilink tackles that with a ready-to-use solution. You generate QR codes per connector in the dashboard, print them (or have them put on a sticker), and your customers can charge right away. No app, no registration, no roaming subscription required on the customer side.
And the customers who do want an e-MSP card?
They can still charge via roaming — your charger simply stays open. The difference is that you now also offer a second channel that is more attractive for most casual passers-by: cheaper, simpler, no app. Anyone charging once at your charger will almost always choose the QR route if it's available.
The result: more sessions via your own channel, more margin per session, and customers pleasantly surprised by the lower rate. That's exactly the "discounter" principle Proxilink is built on.