What is EVgo and why did they need a technology partner?

EVgo is the largest public fast-charging network for electric vehicles in the United States. As EV adoption accelerated, EVgo needed to scale their software across multiple fronts simultaneously: improving the driver-facing mobile app, building internal operational tools, and creating a platform for partner integrations. Rather than managing multiple vendor relationships, they needed an embedded partner capable of operating across all these workstreams with consistent quality and speed.

What is EVgo eXtend and what did AE Studio build?

EVgo eXtend is a platform that enables EVgo's partners to integrate the charging network directly into their own products and services, allowing them to offer charging benefits to their customers. AE Studio led the architecture and rollout of eXtend, designing it to support rapid partner onboarding and the scaling demands of broad third-party adoption. The launch of eXtend drove a double-digit increase in EVgo's stock price.

How did AE Studio structure its work with EVgo?

AE deployed independent pods embedded directly within EVgo's product and engineering organization. Each pod operated with end-to-end ownership across design, development, and QA. This structure allowed multiple workstreams to run simultaneously without the coordination overhead of a traditional vendor relationship. Over time, AE team members became so integrated that EVgo employees consider them in-house.

EVgo Technology Partner: Mobile, eXtend Platform and Internal Tools

Q: What is EVgo Access?

EVgo Access is an internal tool AE built that gives EVgo's operations teams real-time visibility into network status and the ability to report on and take action during critical moments across the charging network. With thousands of stations nationwide, operational tooling like Access is essential for maintaining network reliability and responding quickly when issues arise.

Q: What is the Site Host Portal?

The Site Host Portal is a tool AE developed that enables EVgo to share information with the property owners and businesses that host their charging stations. It replaced manual communication with a structured, self-service interface giving site hosts visibility into station performance and usage data at their locations, while reducing the operational burden on EVgo's internal teams.

TL;DR

The solution is: Served as EVgo's embedded technology partner, delivering end-to-end software across mobile, internal tools, and third-party integration platforms for the largest public EV fast-charging network in the United States.
Led the architecture and rollout of EVgo eXtend, a partner integration platform that drove a double-digit increase in EVgo's stock price at launch.
Deployed independent AE pods across EVgo's organization handling design, development, and QA, becoming so embedded that EVgo employees consider the AE team in-house.

The Challenge

EVgo operates the largest public fast-charging network for electric vehicles in the United States. As EV adoption accelerated, so did the complexity of their software needs. A growing driver base demanded a more reliable and intuitive mobile experience. Internal teams needed better tools to manage operations at scale. And an expanding ecosystem of partners needed a way to integrate EVgo's charging infrastructure into their own products and services.

No single initiative could address all of this. EVgo needed a technology partner capable of operating across multiple product verticals simultaneously, maintaining quality and speed without the overhead of spinning up new vendor relationships for each workstream.

The stakes were high. EVgo's growth trajectory depended on software keeping pace with physical infrastructure expansion. Delays or quality issues in any of the product areas would directly impact driver experience, partner relationships, and the company's national expansion goals.

Key Results

Double-digit increase in EVgo stock price following eXtend launch
Multiple product verticals delivered simultaneously
EVgo eXtend platform enabling partner integrations at scale
Mobile, internal tools, and partner platforms all improved
AE teams considered in-house by EVgo employees

The Solution

Working as an Embedded Part of EVgo's Team

Rather than operating as an outside vendor, AE Studio placed small, independent teams directly inside EVgo's product and engineering organisation. Each team owned their work end to end, from design through development and quality assurance. EVgo employees came to think of the AE teams as part of their own organisation. Context was preserved, handoffs were minimal, and delivery stayed consistent across several workstreams running in parallel.

Improving the App Drivers Use Every Day

AE led mobile development work focused on making the EVgo app more reliable and easier to use. The app is the main point of contact between EVgo and its customers, so improvements here directly affect driver satisfaction and whether they come back. Work covered the core charging session flow, station search and filtering, and overall app stability.

Opening EVgo's Network to Partner Companies

One of the most significant pieces of work was designing and building EVgo eXtend, a platform that lets EVgo's partners integrate the charging network into their own products and offer charging benefits to their customers. AE built the architecture to support rapid onboarding of new partners and the scale demands that come with broad third-party adoption.

Giving EVgo's Operations Teams Real-Time Visibility

AE built EVgo Access, an internal tool that lets EVgo's teams monitor the charging network, view reports, and take action when something goes wrong. Running thousands of charging stations nationwide requires fast, reliable visibility. Access gave operations teams the data and controls they needed to respond quickly and keep the network running reliably.

A Self-Service Portal for Property Owners

Property owners and businesses that host EVgo charging stations need to see how their stations are performing. AE built the Site Host Portal so these partners can access station data, usage reports, and operational status on their own, without calling EVgo for updates. This freed EVgo's internal teams from handling routine information requests.

Internal Tools That Kept Pace With EVgo's Growth

As EVgo scaled nationally, internal workflows that worked at a smaller size became bottlenecks. AE identified these friction points and built tools to automate them. This allowed EVgo's teams to operate more efficiently without needing to hire proportionally as the company grew.

Results

Key Metrics

Double-digit increase in EVgo stock price following eXtend launch
Multiple product verticals delivered simultaneously
EVgo eXtend platform enabling partner integrations at scale
Mobile, internal tools, and partner platforms all improved
AE teams considered in-house by EVgo employees

The Full Story

AE Studio's partnership with EVgo has spanned multiple years and product verticals, delivering consistent, high-quality software that has supported EVgo's growth as the leading U.S. public EV charging network.

The launch of EVgo eXtend, which AE architected and helped roll out, drove a double-digit increase in EVgo's stock price, reflecting market confidence in the platform's potential to expand EVgo's reach through partner integrations.

Across mobile, internal tools, and partner platforms, AE delivered end-to-end software that strengthened EVgo's digital infrastructure and improved the experience for drivers, partners, and internal teams alike.

The depth of AE's integration within EVgo's organization is reflected in the relationship itself: EVgo employees consider AE team members in-house, a testament to the continuity, quality, and trust established over years of collaboration.

Conclusion

In summary, AE Studio's partnership with EVgo demonstrates what a long-term embedded technology relationship can produce. As a result, by working across mobile, internal tools, and partner platforms simultaneously, AE helped EVgo build the digital infrastructure to match its physical network expansion. Furthermore, the launch of EVgo eXtend marked a turning point in EVgo's business model, and the consistent quality delivered across every product vertical has reinforced AE's position as a trusted, indispensable partner in EVgo's mission to power the future of electric mobility.

Key Insights

Embedded partnership models outperform traditional vendor relationships for complex, multi-workstream engagements. AE's pod structure gave EVgo in-house velocity without sacrificing flexibility.
Platform thinking creates compounding value. EVgo eXtend transformed EVgo from a charging operator into an infrastructure layer for the broader EV ecosystem, unlocking new revenue channels and partner relationships.
Operational tooling is as important as customer-facing products. Internal tools like EVgo Access and the Site Host Portal removed friction from network management, enabling EVgo to scale without proportional headcount growth.
Long-term partnerships build irreplaceable context. Years of embedded work meant AE teams understood EVgo's systems, culture, and goals deeply enough to deliver without the ramp-up costs of new vendor relationships.
Software quality directly impacts physical network reliability. For a company managing thousands of charging stations nationwide, software failures translate to real driver frustration and lost revenue.

Key Terms

EV Charging Network Software: EV charging network software is defined as a platform that manages the operation, monitoring, billing, and user experience of electric vehicle charging stations across a distributed network of hardware.
OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol): OCPP refers to an open communication standard between electric vehicle charging stations and a central management system, enabling interoperability across hardware vendors.

Implementation Details

Embedded AE Pods Across the Organization

Rather than operating as an outside vendor, AE Studio embedded independent pods directly within EVgo's product and engineering organization. Each pod operated with end-to-end ownership across design, development, and QA.

This structure gave EVgo the velocity of an in-house team with the flexibility of an external partner. AE teams worked alongside EVgo employees closely enough that EVgo staff came to consider them part of the internal team. Handoffs were minimal, context was preserved, and delivery remained consistent across multiple concurrent workstreams.

Mobile App Enhancements

AE led mobile development initiatives focused on improving reliability, user flow, and station discovery for EVgo drivers. The mobile app is the primary interface between EVgo and its customers, making quality and performance improvements here directly tied to driver satisfaction and retention.

Enhancements covered core charging session flows, station search and filtering, and overall app stability. The goal was to remove friction from the EV charging experience and give drivers confidence in EVgo's network.

EVgo eXtend: A Platform for Partner Integrations

One of AE's most significant contributions was leading the architecture and rollout of EVgo eXtend, a platform that enables EVgo's partners to integrate the charging network into their own ecosystems and offer charging benefits directly to their customers.

eXtend opened EVgo's infrastructure to third parties at scale, creating new revenue channels and deepening relationships across the EV ecosystem. AE designed the architecture to support rapid onboarding of new partners and the scaling demands that come with broad third-party adoption.

EVgo Access: Operational Visibility and Control

AE built EVgo Access, an internal tool giving EVgo teams the ability to monitor, report on, and take action during critical moments across the charging network. Real-time visibility into network status and operational events is essential for a company managing thousands of charging stations nationwide.

Access gave EVgo's operations teams the data and controls they needed to respond quickly and maintain network reliability, reducing the manual effort required to manage at scale.

Site Host Portal: Connecting Location Partners

AE developed the Site Host Portal, a tool enabling EVgo to communicate and exchange information with the property owners and businesses that host their charging stations. Site hosts need visibility into station performance, usage data, and operational status at their locations.

The portal streamlined this relationship, replacing manual communication with a structured, self-service interface that gave hosts the information they needed while reducing the operational burden on EVgo's internal teams.

Internal Tools for Operational Scale

Beyond the customer-facing products, AE delivered internal tooling that automated operational workflows and improved data management across the organization. As EVgo scaled nationally, the complexity of running the network grew. Internal tools that once worked at smaller scale became bottlenecks.

AE identified these friction points and built solutions that allowed EVgo's teams to operate more efficiently without proportionally growing headcount.

EVgo