Circle K uses Plugsurfing OCPI for EU roaming

Plugsurfing says its roaming network connects more than one million chargepoints across Europe, including networks operated by IONITY, Fastned and Allego.

Circle K is extending beyond its own charging estate

Circle K already operates more than 4,400 charging points across Europe, according to reporting around the partnership.

The Plugsurfing integration means the Circle K customer interface can also act as an e-mobility service provider layer for chargers that Circle K does not own or operate.

The announcement does not yet set out which countries will receive the expanded roaming access first or the detailed rollout timetable.

Roam OCPI sits between Circle K and multiple CPOs

The technical foundation is Plugsurfing’s Roam OCPI product, which uses the Open Charge Point Interface protocol for roaming connectivity.

Instead of Circle K building and maintaining a separate commercial and technical integration with every external charge point operator, Plugsurfing provides a managed roaming layer.

Plugsurfing says that layer can include CPO relationships, validation of charging data and consolidated billing as well as the OCPI connectivity itself.

This is a practical example of a CPO also becoming an eMSP

The arrangement illustrates a common charging-market split:

Circle K remains a CPO on its own charging estate, but its customer service can also function as an eMSP when a driver uses a charger operated by another network.

OCPI reduces integration work but does not remove commercial complexity

Using a managed OCPI service can reduce the technical burden of connecting to many CPOs, but it does not make every charger commercially identical.

Drivers may still encounter different tariffs, access rules and capabilities depending on the underlying operator and the commercial agreement exposed through the roaming platform.

For Circle K, the value is broader network coverage through a single customer-facing service without having to own every charging point that appears in it.