What happened to Etrel and Ocean
Etrel is the Slovenian maker of the INCH chargers and of Ocean, its charge point management platform. Landis+Gyr bought it in 2021. In February 2025 Landis+Gyr announced it was winding down its EV charging business in EMEA, and for a few weeks operators did not know what would happen to the hardware support or to the software their stations depended on. In March 2025 KD Group, a Slovenian investment company, bought Etrel, which ended the liquidation; Etrel said service operations would continue, and later carved Ocean out as a separate company. Today Ocean presents itself as an independent, hardware-agnostic, OCPP-compliant platform.
So this is not a story of a platform that went dark. It is a story of a vendor that changed hands twice in four years, and of operators who learned how much depends on it. If Ocean works for you and your support terms are clear, staying is a reasonable choice.
People search for an alternative when:
- 2025 was a scare and they want their chargers on a platform they could leave just as easily.
- The price isn't visible. Ocean doesn't publish prices; you get a proposal.
- They have INCH chargers but no longer want the vendor's software, or want one platform for INCH units and other brands.
The good news if you have INCH chargers
INCH chargers speak standard OCPP 1.6 and the server address is set on the charger's own web page, over Ethernet: Connectivity → OCPP → Central system endpoint URL. No manufacturer is needed to move them. Step by step: how to change the OCPP server URL on an Etrel charger.
Five alternatives
1. AMPECO — if you want an enterprise white-label platform
Hardware-agnostic, OCPP 1.6 and 2.0.1, OCPI, smart charging and a large integration ecosystem. Best if: you run hundreds of points and have developers. Trade-off: no published prices and an implementation project. AMPECO alternatives.
2. Virta — if roaming across many countries is the point
Finnish, Virta Hub plus managed roaming, payments and VAT handling, turnkey or modular. Trade-off: no published prices, sales-led. Virta alternatives.
3. Monta — if you want self-service and an established driver app
Danish, public pricing (Starter €300 for the first year plus 5% on paid charges; Advanced from €500/month plus per-socket fees plus 2%). Trade-off: the percentage on every paid charge and the Monta app in front of your drivers. Monta in detail.
4. ELVO — if you have a handful of chargers
€3.99 per station per month, published. Trade-off: the price grows with every station; from about nine stations a flat fee is cheaper. ELVO vs askacharge.com.
5. askacharge.com — if you want a flat price, your brand and no lock-in
Ours. €20/month with unlimited chargers ($20 in the US and Mexico), no per-point fee, no setup fee, no minimum term; driver payments 2% + €0.25 per charge with card processing (Stripe) already inside that figure. Sign up online, connect any OCPP 1.6J or 2.0.1 charger by changing its server URL, OCPI 2.2 roaming, a roaming hub between members at 1% per session, QR payment without an app or account, white label with your own domain, an API and an MCP server so an AI agent can run the network, and automatic Verifactu/TicketBAI invoicing in Spain. 30-day free trial.
The honest trade-offs: we are a small company and support is by email from Spain, with no call centre; there is no native driver app (it's a web app drivers can install); our roaming hub has no external partner connected yet; and a few secondary screens of the dashboard (help, webhooks) are still only in Spanish. If you need an enterprise SLA and an implementation team, one of the platforms above is the better fit. Full price list.
What 2025 taught Etrel customers is the reason we publish our price and keep chargers on standard OCPP: you can bring them here by changing one URL, and take them away the same way.
Side by side
| Platform | Published price | Self-service | Takes INCH chargers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean | No (quote) | No | Yes | staying with Etrel's own platform |
| AMPECO | No (quote) | No | Yes (OCPP) | large networks with developers |
| Virta | No (quote) | No | Yes (OCPP) | multi-country roaming, turnkey |
| Monta | Yes | Yes | Yes (OCPP) | app-first operators |
| ELVO | Yes (€3.99/station) | Yes | Yes (OCPP) | fewer than about nine stations |
| askacharge.com | Yes (€20/month, unlimited) | Yes | Yes (OCPP 1.6J and 2.0.1) | small or mid-size network, own brand, flat price |
Before you switch: three checks
- Can your chargers change server? Standard OCPP chargers let you edit the central system URL (manufacturer's app, the charger's web page, or an OCPP
ChangeConfigurationfrom the current platform). If it is locked, get it unlocked in writing before you cancel anything. How to change the OCPP server URL, by brand. - Export what you own while you still have access: RFID cards, tariffs, customers and session history.
- Move one charger first. Do a full cycle on the new platform — start, charge, pay, invoice — and only then move the rest. Cancel the old subscription last.
Sources
- electrive, 11 Feb 2025: Landis+Gyr withdraws from charging infrastructure business
- electrive, 14 Mar 2025: Landis+Gyr sells charging division to Slovenian investor
- ChargedEVs: KD Group acquires Etrel
- Etrel news: carve-out of Ocean
- AMPECO plans and tariffs (no published prices)
- Monta pricing (monta.com/en/pricing)