Which permits and contracts does a site need?
The developer's project folder has grown to five sections, each with its own counterpart.
None of the agreements can wait for the others: the lease, the grid connection and the permit all take time.
The questionWhich agreements does one charging hub need, and with whom?
Names and details differ by country; the five roles exist almost everywhere.
The order matters
Most steps depend on each other. Without a , no grid operator reserves capacity; without capacity, no permit makes sense; without a permit, nothing is built. Developers therefore start the slowest steps first, usually the grid connection, and secure the land early.
Contracts the driver never sees
The agreements decide which cards and apps work at the hub. Every public charge point must allow charging without a contract, and those deployed since 13 April 2024 must accept electronic payment, at 50 kW and more by card reader or contactless card, so a driver can always pay there. How cards and roaming work is the subject of EV charging fundamentals, stop 03.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
Which agreement sets how much power the hub can draw at most?
The connection agreement defines capacity, voltage and the point of connection. The supply contract defines the price of the energy.
Why do developers usually start with the grid connection?
A new connection can take a long time. Starting early keeps it from delaying everything else.
What does a driver without any contract need at a public fast charger deployed today?
AFIR requires ad hoc payment with a widely used payment instrument; at points of 50 kW and more deployed since April 2024, by card reader or contactless card.
- Roaming Charging in another company's network with your own card or app. EV charging fundamentals, stop 03 Glossary
- Ad hoc Charging without a contract, paid directly at the charger, for example by card or QR code. EV charging fundamentals, stop 05 Glossary
- Lease The contract that lets an operator use a site's parking bays and space for its chargers for a fixed term, often ten years or more, in return for rent or a revenue share. Business models, stop 04 Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 3, 5 and 20 and recital 38. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.