compethe
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E-mobility charging infrastructure
SEVA member
E-mobility advisory

Strategic E-Mobility Advisory

for e-mobility and charging infrastructure

Market insight. Pricing. Growth. Execution.

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Company

Advisory from market strategy to execution

compethe, s.r.o. is an active member of SEVA (Slovak Electric Vehicle Association) and provides strategic and project advisory in e-mobility.

Advisory for CPOs and EMPs

  • e-mobility market entry and expansion
  • pricing and service monetization
  • utilization and site performance improvement
  • product, segment management and strategy
  • business development and partnerships

Solutions for companies and municipalities

  • fleet electrification
  • residential and semi-public solutions
  • strategy for developers and municipalities
  • comprehensive end-to-end e-mobility solution design

Private charging infrastructure

  • project design and engineering
  • coordination of suppliers and partners
  • support during implementation and commissioning

Founder & Managing Director

I help companies navigate and scale in e-mobility.

Between 2017 and 2026, I led business development in a company that became the dominant e-mobility service provider in Slovakia during my tenure. From a market challenger entering second, we built the leader in public charging (CPO & EMP) and an innovation hub for private solutions, both in Slovakia and within the E.ON group.

Today I work with companies across the e-mobility ecosystem - from charging infrastructure operators, energy companies and technology partners to municipalities and corporate fleet customers.

charging network development and the business models behind them

pricing and monetization in highly competitive markets

private B2B solutions and partnerships

turning strategic plans into execution

I mainly collaborate through advisory and project work. I engage where I see high added value and long-term strategic impact for the customer.

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News

E-mobility market notes

The CEE charging paradox: more EVs, but not necessarily a more sustainable CPO business.

Public charging infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe is expanding rapidly. So is the BEV fleet. But are these two trends developing at the right pace to create a financially sustainable charging market? Let’s look at Slovakia. According to compethe estimates, average charging consumption per BEV across Slovakia’s public charging infrastructure is around 1.4 MWh per year. At an average retail price of around €0.50/kWh for DC/UFC charging, a current baseload electricity commodity price of approximately €150/MWh, and variable distribution charges, this translates into roughly €300 annual gross margin per BEV. Slovakia currently has only 19.4 BEVs per public DC charging point. That means approximately: 19.4 BEVs × €300 = €5,800 – 6,000 gross margin per DC charging point per year. And then come the fixed costs. For a typical modern charging hub connected to the medium-voltage (MV) grid, even a relatively conservative allocation of 75 kW of reserved grid capacity per charging point, together with a commercial parking-space lease of around €100/month and basic service and preventive maintenance, brings direct fixed costs to approximately €7,100 per DC point per year. A low-voltage connection is considerably cheaper, at around €2,600 per point. Assuming an estimated 2:1 mix of MV versus LV connections, the weighted direct fixed cost is approximately €5,600 per DC point per year. And we have deliberately simplified the calculation. Public AC charging would reduce the available DC/UFC margin by roughly another 10-15%. The conclusion is uncomfortable: at today’s market density, an average Slovak public DC charging point can roughly cover its direct operating costs - but leaves little or nothing for indirect costs, let alone a reasonable return on the infrastructure investment. Even if part of that investment was supported by public funding. This is where mature EV markets provide an interesting benchmark. Slovakia has around 19 BEVs per public DC point, while markets such as Germany - and particularly Norway - operate with substantially more BEVs per DC point. In Norway, the ratio is around 85:1, more than four times the Slovak level. That utilisation density changes the economics fundamentally. Slovakia’s BEV fleet is now growing rapidly. But charging infrastructure investment is not slowing down either: established CPOs continue to expand and new players are announcing market entry. So the key question for Slovakia - and probably for several CEE markets - is no longer whether enough charging infrastructure will be built. It is: When will BEV demand finally catch up with infrastructure supply enough to make the public charging business sustainably profitable?

Who will win the race for CPO and EMP leadership?

Long-term success in e-mobility is not determined by charging infrastructure alone. For Charge Point Operators (CPOs), the key metric is asset utilisation. For E-Mobility Providers (EMPs), it is capturing additional margin. The companies best positioned to achieve both typically share two strategic advantages: ✅ a large customer base ✅ deep vertical integration beyond charging itself Today, four distinct ecosystems are competing for leadership: 1. OEM companies and JVs (Tesla, Elli, Mercedes me Charge, Mobilize, IONITY,...) OEMs begin the customer journey when the vehicle is sold. They benefit from direct customer relationships, vehicle integration and Plug & Charge. Their limitation is scale beyond their own brands, particularly in corporate fleets where customers increasingly prefer a single charging solution across multiple vehicle manufacturers. 2. Utility companies (EnBW, Enel X Way, Iberdrola, ENGIE, EDF, ČEZ…) Utilities already serve millions of customers. More importantly, charging is only one part of a much broader energy ecosystem that includes home and workplace charging, photovoltaics, battery storage, energy management, flexibility and energy communities. Every additional service strengthens customer loyalty while creating new revenue streams. 3. Fuel companies (Shell Recharge, BP, OMV eMotion, ORLEN Charge…) Fuel retailers own premium roadside locations and strong fleet card businesses, giving them a natural advantage in transit charging. But transit charging represents only a relatively small share of total EV charging demand (see the chart). 4. Independent CPO players (Fastned, Electra, Allego, Atlante…) These companies excel at building and operating high-quality charging networks but usually lack the customer base and vertical integration of the other three groups. Their long-term competitiveness will increasingly depend on expanding beyond public charging into flexibility, smart charging and energy management, where much of the future value will be created. The chart below highlights an important reality (numbers for SK): Most EV charging does not happen at locations comparable to traditional fuel stations. Our conclusion? 👉 Energy companies appear to have the strongest long-term strategic position. Not because they operate charging networks today, but because they already own the two assets that matter most: customers and the ability to integrate charging into the broader energy value chain. The next competitive frontier will extend far beyond electricity sales. It will increasingly include flexibility, smart energy management, virtual batteries, energy communities and other value-added energy services. The companies that successfully combine these capabilities with charging infrastructure are likely to become the long-term winners of Europe's charging market.

Why Electric Trucks Could Become the Most Profitable Segment of Public Charging?

The number of battery-electric commercial vehicles in Slovakia continues to accelerate. According to data from SEVA – Slovak Electric Vehicle Association based on the Ministry of Interior vehicle register, registrations of electric commercial vehicles increased significantly (05/2025 – 05/2026): N1 +79,8% N2 +78,6% N3 +70,0% Heavy-duty transport is responsible for approximately 40% of road transport CO₂ emissions, despite representing only a fraction of all registered vehicles. The reason is simple: 👉 significantly higher annual mileage 👉 substantially higher energy consumption Our current market outlook assumes approximately 150,000 battery-electric passenger cars in Slovakia by 2030. This represents roughly around 5% of the passenger vehicle fleet (but approximately 7% of passenger car mileage). Based on compethe modelling, this fleet would generate approximately 150 GWh of annual public charging demand. We cannot predict exactly when battery-electric trucks will reach 5% of the Slovak N2/N3 fleet. However, once this milestone is achieved, the resulting public charging demand is expected to reach approximately 90 GWh annually. In other words: Only 5% electrification of heavy trucks could increase Slovakia's public charging market by additional 60% of charging volume. Even more interesting than total energy demand is where this energy will be consumed. At the end of last year Slovakia already had approximately 1,200 public charging locations. However, HDV charging is completely different. Truck charging requires locations offering: 👉 dedicated truck access 👉 large parking areas 👉 drive-through layouts 👉 sufficient turning radius 👉 driver facilities 👉 very high grid capacity Suitable locations are therefore naturally limited. Today, approximately 18 public HDV charging sites are either available or under development. Even in the longer term, Slovakia is unlikely to require more than 50–100 strategic truck charging locations. If passenger charging reaches 150 GWh in 2030, average utilisation would amount to roughly 125 MWh per location annually (Assuming approximately today's network size. In case of further CPO expansion, the number will be even lower). For heavy-duty transport: 90 GWh on 50 charging locations results in approximately 1.8 GWh annually per location. Heavy-duty charging is therefore likely to become a fundamentally different business from passenger charging. For CPOs, utilities and infrastructure investors, timing may prove to be the single most valuable competitive advantage.

Why Tesla's Supercharger Network Is Utilized Far More Than Its Market Share Suggests

Tesla accounted for approximately 18% of newly registered battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in Slovakia during the first half of 2026, according to SEVA – Slovak Electric Vehicle Association. Despite this relatively modest market share, compethe's analysis indicates that Tesla's Supercharger network is utilized at roughly twice the level of the best-performing competing charge point operator (CPO) in Slovakia. At first glance, this appears counterintuitive. Tesla Superchargers have been opened to most other EV brands, meaning that, in theory, a much broader customer base can use the network. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of charging sessions continue to originate from Tesla vehicles. Charging Infrastructure Alone Does Not Explain the Difference Price certainly plays a role. Charging speed, network coverage and reliability are also important. However, none of these factors fully explain the consistently high utilization of the Supercharger network. Tesla's real competitive advantage lies elsewhere: vertical integration. Rather than optimizing individual products or services, Tesla has built an ecosystem in which nearly every element of the customer journey is tightly integrated. This includes: ▪ the vehicle itself, including battery thermal management, ▪ Plug & Charge functionality, ▪ in-car navigation and route planning, ▪ the Tesla mobile application, ▪ the Supercharger network, ▪ subscription and loyalty services, ▪ billing and payment. The result is a charging experience that requires very little effort from the driver. Route planning automatically incorporates charging stops, battery preconditioning prepares the vehicle before arrival, authentication is seamless, and payment is fully integrated into the ecosystem. Why Most CPOs Cannot Replicate This Experience Most CPOs understandably focus their investments on charging infrastructure: ▪ expanding network coverage, ▪ installing higher-power chargers, ▪ improving reliability, ▪ offering competitive pricing. These investments are necessary, but they address only part of the customer experience. Two of the most important elements remain largely outside the control of independent CPOs: ▪ vehicle integration, ▪ in-car navigation. Both depend on cooperation with vehicle manufacturers. Scale Becomes a Strategic Asset This is where market scale becomes increasingly important. The larger and more relevant a CPO or e-mobility service provider (EMP) becomes, the greater its ability to establish strategic partnerships with automotive OEMs. Such partnerships can enable: ▪ preferred route planning, ▪ battery preconditioning, ▪ Plug & Charge integration, ▪ deeper digital integration while ▪ preserving the EMP business model. This represents a strategic advantage that is difficult for smaller market participants to achieve independently. Market Consolidation May Become Inevitable From this perspective, market consolidation is not merely a financial or operational trend. It may become one of the key enablers for narrowing the user experience gap with Tesla. In the long term, competitive advantage will not be determined solely by the ownership of charging infrastructure. It will increasingly depend on who owns the customer relationship - and who is capable of delivering the most seamless end-to-end charging experience. Tesla has already demonstrated the value of this approach within its own ecosystem. The challenge for the rest of the industry is to achieve a comparable level of integration through collaboration rather than vertical ownership.

Slovakia Is Self-Sufficient in Electricity Generation, but Not in Flexibility

Slovakia is largely self-sufficient in electricity generation. However, the same cannot be said about the flexibility of its electricity system. Today, a significant portion of the flexibility required to balance generation and consumption must be sourced from abroad. Modern energy systems are not only about how many MWh are produced. They are increasingly about when energy is available, how quickly the system can respond to fluctuations in renewable generation and demand, and who can provide the flexibility needed to maintain system stability. This is where e-mobility creates a significant opportunity. Electric vehicle fleets managed through smart charging and aggregation represent a substantial source of flexibility, particularly in market-based flexibility services. In the near future, this may become an additional revenue stream for charging infrastructure owners, flexibility aggregators and e-mobility service providers. As a result, e-mobility is no longer solely a transportation topic. It is becoming part of the solution to one of the key challenges facing modern power systems. Another important development is the upcoming introduction of transport decarbonisation credits. Trading of these credits is expected to start soon through the Slovak market operator OKTE, creating an additional value pool for charging point operators (CPOs) and e-mobility service providers (EMPs). The question is no longer whether this potential will emerge. The real question is who will be able to monetise it first.

Contact

We do not study e-mobility.
We are creating it.

We combine strategic thinking with hands-on experience.

Let‘s discuss your challenge.

Rastislav Žembery Managing Partner
+421 903 709 263 zembery@compethe.sk compethe.sk
Office: Vajnorská 100/B, Bratislava
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