How Epic Migrated 3,000 JuiceBox EV Chargers in the Wake of The Enel X Shutdown
When companies like automotive dealer Honda of Oakland and Dallas-based multifamily CPO Humm Energy learned their Enel X Way-provided JuiceBox EV chargers would soon be inoperable, they needed a solution fast. Epic answered the call by overseeing a mass migration of their JuiceBoxes to a new CSMS with no break in service, saving them from having to buy thousands of dollars worth of new equipment. We are now the only US-based EV charging software provider that has demonstrated the ability to migrate and support JuiceBoxes at scale.
What Happened with Enel X and JuiceBox?
On October 2nd, 2024, Italian energy company Enel Group spontaneously announced the shutdown of its North American charging business, Enel X Way – giving users just nine days’ notice before its commercial charging station management system (CSMS) was to go offline and stranding countless EV owners who relied on its 25,000 JuiceBox EV chargers located at various shopping centers, parking garages and multifamily properties. Moreover, about 100,000 residential JuiceBox EV chargers were set to lose customer control capabilities, essential turning them from “smart” chargers into “dumb” ones.
So why was this a big deal? The main problem was that Enel X Way’s CSMS didn’t use firmware compliant with an open charge point protocol (OCPP), which defines how EV charging software communicates with the hardware. This led to a combination of JuiceBox owners and non-profit groups sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission demanding an investigation. Whether that comes to fruition remains an open question.
Why It Matters for the EV Industry
This is important for several reasons. Climate concerns are dominating conservations about the environment, and EVs have been touted as a viable part of addressing those concerns. However, stories like the Enel X shutdown stoke an already reluctant public’s fears about unreliability in the sector (often rightly so), further hindering the mass adoption of electric mobility. It also leads to frustration among current EV drivers, who might otherwise serve as the industry’s most ardent brand ambassadors. To boot, it represents a large waste of resources, from labor to materials to energy, which itself results in a negative environmental impact and creates a financial burden for stakeholders who invested in the installation, management and maintenance of those EV chargers.
How Epic Charging Responded
Understanding the long-lasting ramifications of the Enel X shutdown, we stepped in quickly to investigate and devise a solution (including seeking input directly from the stakeholders who were left with inoperable hardware). We invested time, money and resources in determining how to rapidly migrate Enel X Way’s proprietary CSMS in those JuiceBox EV chargers to a new OCPP-compliant system in order to reestablish interoperability, including the hiring of former Enel X Way employees who best understood some of the system’s inner workings and could help reverse-engineer a new OCPP.
The end result was the successful migration of more than 3,000 chargers through the creation of a protocol translator that helped simplify the CSMS transition process to the new OCPP and eliminate dependency on Enel X Way’s servers. We also addressed safety concerns by fixing power management issues, repaired RFID functionality, and developed an application that minimized on-site technician hours needed for migration of future EV chargers.
Our Four Core Pillars
As a solution-based company, meeting the JuiceBox migration challenge for us meant putting control back in the hands of the customer. And we believe true industry disruption involves not only increasing customer control, but simplifying what that control looks like. This core mantra is supported by four intertwining pillars, all of which were employed in addressing the Enel X shutdown dilemma:
1) Reliability through technical excellence. We’re investing in research and development by hiring high-caliber personnel to create friendlier UI and UX, troubleshoot problems and facilitate better customer controls.
2) Dedicated customer support. Quickly and specifically responding to the needs of EV charging station owners and their users is the key to customer empowerment. Their total satisfaction is critical, as they’re the lifeblood of our industry.
3) Scalable solutions. Targeting an ever-expanding customer base is crucial as we seek to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation.
4) Improving value. Customers should not only get what they pay for, but get what they don’t pay for, meaning we’re doing all of the above while reducing pricing models that serve as a barrier to entry, which ultimately increases profitability.
Looking Ahead: Epic’s Role in the EV Revolution
We believe issues like (and unlike) the JuiceBox migration problem we solved will continue to arise, especially as the industry evolves. But alas, we see this as an opportunity. Events like this allow us to showcase our unique ability to save the day by being nimble, thoughtful, efficient and solution-oriented, with the needs of the customer always first and foremost. As such, we’ll continue our investment in resources that foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation and reliability. In other words, we’re not going anywhere.
Want to learn more about our EV charging software? Schedule a demo and meet our experts by clicking here.
For a more detailed background on the Enel X shutdown, read here.
For more information on how Epic is solving problems with a focus on technical expertise, read here.