Navigating the Crossroads of EV Charging: Insights from Refuel Forum Marbella 2025

Last week at the ReFuel Forum Marbella, I had the privilege of joining a community of industry leaders, forward-thinking retailers, and infrastructure innovators to confront the challenges—and embrace the opportunities—shaping the future of mobility.

As EV adoption continues to climb, so do the complexities facing the market. Here are my key takeaways:

A Market at a Turning Point

It's evident that rollouts have slowed down across the industry. Unlike in previous years, deployments are no longer driven by KPIs such as the number of plugs or subsidized infrastructure targets. Instead, they’re now driven by commercial logic—they must demonstrate clear potential for profitability and return on investment. This shift places greater pressure on every charging point to be more than just a source of energy—it needs to be a source of value.

At the same time, The EV charging landscape is growing more saturated and competitive, with many retailers voicing a shared concern: how to differentiate in a market where power delivery is no longer enough. As commoditization sets in, it’s clear that value-added functionalities—especially around user experience, payment integration, and in-shop engagement—are the new battlegrounds for a competitive edge.

Retailers Are Becoming CPOs — Out of Necessity

An undeniable trend: retailers are stepping into the Charge Point Operator (CPO) role themselves. Why? Because traditional CPOs focus solely on energy provision, failing to align with the business models of retail fuel operators. As foot traffic shifts toward EV-only drivers, retailers face lower in-store conversion rates, hurting their margins.

They’re seeking fully integrated charging ecosystems that restore the connection between charging and shopping.

Charging Power and Vehicle Segments Are Evolving

Several players announced plans for deploying higher-powered chargers in upcoming rollouts—a direct response to the growing expectations of drivers and the technical demands of next-gen EVs. Moreover, electric trucks and heavy-duty fleets are no longer an afterthought. They are becoming central to infrastructure planning, and require scalable, high-output solutions that don’t compromise uptime.

Uptime and Support Are Finally Getting the Attention They Deserve

Until recently, reliability was underappreciated. That has changed. Discussions at the forum emphasized how technical support provided by the manufacturer and operational uptime are now critical KPIs for charging infrastructure. The industry is learning the hard way that even the fastest charger is useless if it’s unavailable.

The WILLBERT Perspective

At WILLBERT by EUROLOOP, we’ve always championed a vision beyond the plug. Our Amber II S-Hub isn’t just a charger—it’s a business platform. Through our HAWKe software suite, retailers can:

• Accept direct payments with PayBERT
• Boost in-store sales with BuyBERT
• Monetize screen real estate via AdBERT
• Ensure top-level uptime and reliability with TechBERT

The charging station is not just hardware—it's a service touchpoint. Our 99%+ uptime, modular scalability, and embedded backend platform (HAWKe) aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re business enablers.

These tools aren’t future features—they’re in the field now, solving the problems that were so vividly discussed in Marbella.

Looking Ahead

I’m grateful to have taken part in such deep, candid discussions about the industry’s trajectory. Forums like Refuel help us align our innovations with the real-world needs of our customers.

WILLBERT is committed to helping retailers transform EV hubs into high-margin, customer-centric destinations—not just power stops.

The transition to electric mobility must be reliable, profitable, and human. And we’re here to make that possible.

What better place to talk about energy than the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella ? In a market that’s evolving fast and demanding even faster, smarter solutions, the energy of the setting matched the urgency of the topics. As we wrap up an inspiring few days of collaboration, we’re leaving Marbella with the Ramones’ words stuck in our heads: “Ay-oh, let’s go!”—a fitting anthem for the momentum we’re bringing back to the industry.

Let’s keep the conversation going. If you're a retailer looking to future-proof your forecourts, I’d love to connect.

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