How to start an EV charging network in Armenia

The steps

1. Decide your model

   Do you own the sites, or place chargers on partners’ land (hotels, restaurants, shopping centres) and share revenue? Both work. Start with a handful of sites where cars already stop for an hour or more.

2. Choose AC or DC for each site

   AC chargers suit places where drivers stay for hours: homes, hotels, offices, tourist stops. DC fast chargers suit highways and short stops, but need much more grid power and cost much more. Mixed standards in Armenia mean you should see which connectors your drivers actually have; see connector types.

3. Secure the grid connection

   Ask the distribution company for connection conditions and a written quote for each site. Grid capacity is the usual limit for DC. We found no public data on commercial tariffs or connection fees, so this step needs a real quote.

4. Buy chargers that speak OCPP

   Insist on OCPP 1.6J, 2.0.1 or newer, and on remote firmware updates; see OCPP explained. We found no published Armenian price lists for hardware, so collect at least three quotes, and read charger cost and installation.

5. Settle company, tax and payments

   The 2025 amendment to the Law on Energy says EV charging is not licensed or regulated under energy law, with the effective date unconfirmed. Tax receipts (e-CRM), VAT and a prepaid wallet are open questions for your accountant and lawyer; see licence, tax and e-CRM.

6. Connect software

   You need a server that the chargers connect to, a way for drivers to find stations and pay, and a back office for tariffs, sessions and finance. You can build it, or use a ready platform. Idram, bank cards and Fastshift cover most local payment habits; see payments.

7. Set the price

   For reference, AC charging on the EV Armenia network is 100 AMD per kWh (catalog of 28 October 2026), and an undated listing shows 120 AMD per kWh at a DC station of another network. Household electricity is 44.98 AMD per kWh in the daytime (2026). Your price must cover electricity, payment fees, maintenance and the capital cost of the charger.

8. Launch, list and support

   List the stations on open maps such as Open Charge Map and PlugShare, publish them in your own app, test every charger with a real car and a real payment, and decide who answers the phone when a driver is stuck.

Where the money goes

Item	What to find out
Chargers and installation	Written quotes from several suppliers; the charger type and power
Grid connection and electricity	Connection fee, commercial tariff, any demand charge
Site	Rent or revenue share with the host
Software and payments	Licence or subscription, payment provider fees
Operations	Maintenance, support, insurance, mobile data for the charger
Income	Price per kWh times the energy you actually sell, which depends on utilisation

Utilisation, meaning the share of time chargers are in use, is the number that decides profitability, and most public chargers elsewhere run at low utilisation. We do not know Armenian figures, so do not copy foreign ones. Build a model with the payback calculator.

Scroll sideways to see the whole table

Common mistakes

• Buying DC hardware before the grid connection is confirmed.
• Choosing chargers without OCPP, or with a proprietary back end that locks you in.
• Placing chargers where cars do not stop.
• Skipping the test with a real card payment before opening.
• Counting on a sales forecast with no data from your own sites.

We provide the software part: OCPP server, payments, driver apps and a back office. We do not sell chargers or arrange grid connections. Write to us below to discuss your sites.