Johan Trip· Co-founder~4 min readRoad does it right: your charging data stays yours
More and more charging platforms lock your data in. Road does the opposite: their own help documentation states you may send your charging data to the ERE service provider of your choice. That is exactly how we think it should work • your kWh, your data, your call.
Good to know
Your charging data is yours, not the property of whichever platform your charging stations happen to run on. Many platforms prefer to keep that data inside. Road takes the other path: their own help documentation states in black and white that you may send your charging data to the ERE service provider of your choice. We applaud that. Open platforms and free choice are precisely what a fair ERE market runs on.
There is a quiet battle going on over your charging data. Since 2026, every kWh you charge at home or at work is worth something: an Emission Reduction Unit, ERE for short. And wherever something gains value, the temptation grows to hold on to it. Some charging platforms deliberately make it hard to get your own sessions out, or steer you towards one fixed party.
Road does it differently. And that deserves a compliment.
What Road promises
Road is a large, open platform for charging station management and charging data. In their own help centre they explain that you may have your charging data registered by, in their words, "any other Inboekdienstverlener of your choice" (Road, help centre). No small print, no mandatory house partner: you decide who converts your kWh into EREs.
That sounds obvious, but it is not. It is a choice. Road could, like others, have locked the data in or routed it to one fixed registration party. Instead, they keep the door open.
Why that matters
Your charging data is the foundation under your ERE income. Whoever controls that data controls your freedom of choice. A platform that locks you in can later push a rate or a party on you that you cannot get around.
An open platform turns that around:
- You are not stuck. Not happy with your ERE service provider? You switch. Your data travels with you.
- The market stays fair. Competition on rates and service only works when customers can genuinely choose.
- Your data stays yours. That is not a favour, that is the starting point.
Good to know
This is about a principle, not a product integration. Road decides for itself which integrations it offers and when. What we praise here is the openness: that as an operator you keep the freedom to pick your own ERE service provider.
Where Joulo stands
We are an ERE service provider ourselves. Joulo B.V. has been on the official NEa list of registration service providers since 2 February 2026 and is built on the RED III framework. So you might think: surely you benefit when platforms chain their customers to a single provider?
No, the opposite. A market where platforms lock customers in is a market where nobody has to perform. We would rather build the reverse: automatic registration, real-time insight in your dashboard and quarterly payouts, so you stay a customer because it works, not because you must. That freedom of choice starts with platforms that do not lock up your data.
Openness like Road's is the precondition. That is why we call it out.
What to look for
If your charging platform respects your free choice, the rest is engineering. Pay attention to two things in particular:
- A certified MID meter. Only sessions measured with a certified MID meter count for EREs. Without certified metering data there is no ERE • that is a hard boundary in the regulation.
- Complete session data. A photo of a meter reading is not a valid measurement source. Registration requires the complete session data from the backend.
Read more
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Who owns my charging data?
You do. The sessions charged on your connection belong to you. A good platform makes it easy to use that data with the ERE service provider you choose, instead of locking you in.
Am I tied to one ERE service provider?
That is not how it should be. On an open platform you choose who registers your charging data, and you can switch later. Ask about it explicitly before you bring your charging stations anywhere.
Which sessions count for EREs?
Sessions measured with a certified MID meter. Without certified metering data there is no valid registration route, however neatly everything else is arranged.
Can I register retroactively?
Yes. Charging sessions from 1 January 2026 onwards may be registered. If you pick an ERE service provider later, your accumulated sessions can still come along.
// About the author
Co-founder of Joulo. Previously EV infrastructure at KPN and ServiceHouse. Writes about ERE, energy and regulation.
// About Joulo
Joulo is an ERE booking service provider for residential charging sessions.
5,450 chargers connected
The ERE backend for CPOs and energy companies, under their own brand.
White-labelJoulo B.V. • NEa-registered • in line with RED III
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