Emobi and HeyCharge have announced a partnership to retrofit offline electric vehicle (EV) chargers and connect them into Emobi’s roaming and authentication ecosystem. The retrofit is intended to extend network interoperability to existing chargers in low-connectivity or high-connectivity-cost environments without requiring continuous internet connectivity at the charger site.
The solution combines HeyCharge’s hardware-based local communications layer with Emobi’s roaming hub, which provides unified access to more than 140,000 chargers across more than 26 networks in the US and Canada through a single API. After retrofit, chargers can be surfaced through participating automaker interfaces, fleet platforms, and consumer charging applications connected through the roaming layer.
Connectivity limitations remain a common failure mode for public and private charging, particularly in underground garages and dense urban buildings. In these environments, intermittent connectivity can drive charger downtime, session initiation failures, and inconsistent authentication outcomes.
The retrofit approach shifts critical session enablement and credential handling to a local communications path so the charger can continue to operate predictably when wide-area connectivity is unavailable or unstable.
Once retrofitted and connected to the roaming hub, chargers can support app-less authentication workflows and standardized session handling. This includes consistent authorization, session records, and settlement readiness at the platform layer, which can reduce fragmentation across networks and simplify integration for fleets and OEM experiences.
From an infrastructure standpoint, the retrofit is positioned as an alternative to full charger replacement, providing a pathway to upgrade legacy deployments while reducing site-level networking requirements and associated installation complexity. For operators and property managers, the goal is improved uptime and reduced operating variability in locations where connectivity and commissioning are common cost and reliability drivers.
For drivers, the retrofit is intended to reduce authentication failures while enabling more consistent session tracking, energy-based billing, and network-level availability reporting where supported by the host systems. For fleets, the integration targets more uniform access across sites and networks through a single interface layer rather than site-by-site credential and app management.
The partnership focuses on improving charger reliability and interoperability in mixed deployments that include legacy and modern hardware, with an emphasis on low-connectivity site performance and platform-level integration.
Filed Under: Charging, Technology News