An entrepreneurial spirit, experience in the eMobility sector, and first-hand use of electric vehicles—these are the elements Eduardo Medina combined to found Chargia alongside Martín Fimia Casalilla.
“We want to be the ChatGPT of electric vehicles,” says the entrepreneur. “So that simply by messaging on WhatsApp, you have everything you need.”
The initiative addresses the challenges users face during charging, the increasing demands on operators, and the potential to reduce support costs by up to 80%.
In his previous role at Activacar, Medina identified this as a recurring issue.
The system enables users, via a chatbot, to manage incidents, plan routes, locate stations and, soon, make payments—all from a single WhatsApp conversation.
The model tackles the main pain points of the charging experience for both drivers and Charge Point Operators (CPOs).
Operational savings and scalability for operators
During his tenure as CEO and co-founder of Activacar, Medina noted that customer support represented one of the most expensive areas for operators.
Chargia proposes a reduction of up to 80% in support costs compared to traditional models.
These savings translate directly into improved operating margins, particularly in a context where many stations have yet to reach optimal profitability levels.
“The CPO model depends on electric vehicle sales and on point occupancy. If with one proposal we improve the margin, everyone says: let’s give it a try,” adds Medina.
Additionally, the system allows for service scaling without the need to expand infrastructure, which is key given the projected growth of the electric fleet.
Chargia Pay: payment integration within the same conversation
One of the innovations in development is Chargia Pay, a feature that will allow users to make payments directly from the messaging app.
“The aim is for all communication in the electric vehicle experience to happen within WhatsApp,” Medina explains, thus eliminating the need to rely on external applications.
This includes everything from searching for charging points to session activation and payment processing.
The proposal seeks to resolve one of the sector’s frequent issues: the multiplicity of apps and platforms required to access basic services such as charging a vehicle or checking availability.
The development was implemented on the WhatsApp platform, despite its technical complexities, due to its high penetration and daily use.
Chargia highlights that this decision significantly simplifies the end-user experience: “It’s very easy once you explain that just by saving a contact, you’ll be able to message our assistant,” says the CEO.
In that vein, the assistant is designed to operate 24/7 and in multiple languages, automatically adapting to the user’s language.
Through integration with operator databases, the system can perform actions such as restarting chargers, unlocking sockets, or issuing support tickets—all within the same conversation.
The solution emerges at a time of expanding eMobility, but also growing scrutiny over the economic viability of the CPO business model.
In a market like Spain, which has recorded an 83% year-on-year increase in electric vehicle registrations, Medina warns: “User support via phone will not be sustainable with the increase in charging we are going to see.”
Against this backdrop, Chargia presents itself as a technological tool that is adaptable and capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly digitalised environment.
Business model and application verticals
Chargia operates across two verticals. The first—charging experience—focuses on everything that happens during vehicle charging. In this case, the operator is the direct client, benefiting from automated support.
The second—journey experience—is aimed at the end user, who can interact with the assistant to access information on station availability, route planning, and journey conditions.
The system offers recommendations based on the car model, battery capacity, charger power, and even terrain elevation.
“We are including variables such as how downhill or uphill segments affect battery consumption,” notes the founder. Furthermore, the results include links to navigation platforms, allowing the route to be started directly from the vehicle.
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