AmpUp’s new Pricing Recommendation feature helps site hosts confidently set charging prices that are fair, competitive, and aligned with their electricity costs. This tool displays a simple color coded bar that shows how your selected price compares to both estimated utility costs and market pricing trends in your state.
Whether you operate chargers at a parking lot, apartment complex, hotel, or workplace, this feature makes it easier to set prices that attract drivers while covering your operating costs. This plan is only available to Pro customers as of now.
Why This Feature Matters
Site hosts often ask:
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“What should I charge drivers so I cover my electricity costs?”
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“How do I avoid overpricing or underpricing my chargers?”
Without guidance, it’s easy to set a rate that is too high (hurting utilization) or too low (hurting operational cost recovery e.g. electricity costs).
The Pricing Recommendation tool solves these challenges by giving you:
- A clear recommended range that can be selected on your operational goals.
- Takes into account typical EV public charging prices in your state
- The recommendation incorporates a location's estimated electricity costs, determined by historical charging data, covering both energy (kWh) based and demand (kW) charges.
How the Pricing Recommendation Bar Works
When entering a Energy Based Fee (per kWh) or Time Based Fee (per hour), you’ll see a color bar based on your selected price:
Color Guide
White
You are pricing close to $0 or at amenity-level pricing. Often used when charging is offered as a perk rather than for cost recovery.
Green Zone
Your price is close to your estimated utility cost and remains green within the recommended cost recovery range. This range is considered healthy for balancing cost recovery and driver value.
Yellow Zone
Indicates pricing above the recommended range. High prices may impact driver utilization or overall competitiveness in the market.
Red Zone
Indicates pricing that is significantly above typical market levels and may lead to poor driver experience or low utilization.
Note - If you enter a value higher than the tool’s max recommended range, it will display as “> $X” to signal that the price exceeds typical levels.
Setting Prices By Energy or By Time
The Price Settings page now includes simple toggles, allowing you to choose:
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By Energy (per kWh)
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By Time (per hour)
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Both (Energy + Time) - This option is shown with a caution message, as using both can make charging costs harder for drivers to predict. The Driver Facing Fee section gives you an insight into how your set pricing looks for drivers.
This update helps prevent accidental stacking of multiple fees and makes it easier for site hosts to choose the right approach.
Tiered Energy Rates Are Being Deprecated
Tiered energy pricing (different prices for different kWh thresholds) is being removed because it creates unpredictable costs for drivers and does not reflect how utilities structure electricity rates.
While tiered energy rates are going away, Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing is here to stay. TOU pricing lets you set different rates based on the utility’s peak and off-peak hours, helping you:
- Cover higher electricity costs during peak utility periods
- Encourage drivers to charge during lower-cost off-peak hours
- Keep session costs predictable and easier for drivers to understand
Note: If your location currently uses a tiered structure, you are requested to update your pricing to a single flat rate. If not updated by Nov 15 2025, your higher tier price will be automatically applied as a flat rate to ensure accurate billing.
Learn More or Get Help
Need help understanding how prices affect utilization?
Want guidance on what’s best for your property?
Email our team and we will get in touch with you: sales@ampup.io