In September 2025, electric vehicle (EV) adoption in North America continued its steady march forward, albeit with signs of moderating growth. According to forecasts from J.D. Power, EVs were expected to capture around 12.2% of new-vehicle retail sales in the U.S. in September, up roughly 2.6 percentage points year over year.
Meanwhile, more comprehensive data suggests EV sales across North America have grown only about 6% year-to-date, trailing the global average of 25%, and reflecting tightening incentives and shifting consumer dynamics.
The phase-out of federal tax credits in the U.S. has spurred a near-term rush in EV purchases, amplifying demand in the third quarter but injecting uncertainty into late-2025 trends.
The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. A little over a decade ago, there were fewer than 20,000 public charging points in America. Now, that number has soared past 190,000, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
Charging data analytics firm Paren said in its US EV Fast Charging — Q2 2025 report that “Deployment of new fast charging ports and stations is on a record pace in 2025, and we are forecasting 16,700 ports will open in 2025—which would be 2.4 times as many ports opened three years earlier in 2022.”
Between 2022 and 2024 alone, the U.S. added an impressive 80,000 chargers, reflecting both public and private sector efforts to scale up infrastructure quickly. Looking ahead, projections point to 550,000 public EV chargers in place by 2030.
A Practical Checklist for EV Charger Manufacturers and Charge Point Operators (CPOs) to Help Understand Why Patent Licensing Matters
As the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem matures, the line between an “energy device” and a “connected device” is increasingly blurred. Modern EV chargers are no longer simple power outlets. They’re sophisticated, networked systems that communicate with drivers, operators, and the grid. Recognizing this complexity, Avanci has introduced a practical checklist for EV charger manufacturers and charge point operators (CPOs), designed to help executives and engineers understand why patent licensing matters and how it fits alongside other compliance considerations.
The checklist starts by defining what counts as a connected charger, which is any device capable of connecting to the internet, whether via cellular, Wi-Fi, or, in limited cases, wired power line connections. For most use cases, this means cellular connectivity, typically using 4G technology.
This connectivity enables a wide range of valuable functions. For manufacturers and operators, it allows remote monitoring, diagnostics, and over-the-air updates, ensuring performance and uptime. For users, it can provide real-time charger availability through apps, Wi-Fi hotspots, or even infotainment-like features such as advertising and local information displayed on the charging screen. Most critically, connectivity now plays a major role in data security, ensuring personal and payment information is transmitted safely.
However, with this digital sophistication comes the responsibility to comply with intellectual property (IP) obligations related to cellular technology. Avanci’s checklist helps companies integrate patent licensing into their broader compliance framework, alongside safety, cybersecurity, and data privacy, giving EV charger makers and CPOs a clear, structured path to operate confidently and legally in a connected world.
Why Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) Matter
Cellular technologies, such as 3G, 4G, and 5G, were not developed by a single company, but through open standardization, a collaborative process that involves thousands of inventors, engineers, and researchers from companies and institutions around the world. These contributors offer their patented innovations for inclusion in global standards with the understanding that, in return, they will receive fair and reasonable licensing fees from those who use the technology.
This system has been fundamental to the success and global adoption of smartphones, connected vehicles, and now, connected energy devices like EV chargers. Without standardization, these products would operate in isolated silos, unable to communicate seamlessly across networks and borders.
Today, dozens of companies own patents that are essential to cellular standards, whether developed through their own R&D or acquired as part of intellectual property portfolios. Each of these companies commits to licensing their standard essential patents (SEPs) to others on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.
Many maintain dedicated licensing teams who work directly with manufacturers to secure these agreements. For product makers, such as EV charger manufacturers or IoT device developers, identifying the relevant patent owners can require extensive research, often with the help of third-party databases and reports.
For instance, LexisNexis recently published an analysis highlighting the top 30 owners of cellular IoT patents, providing valuable insight into the complex and global nature of SEP ownership. Understanding and managing SEP licensing isn’t just a legal necessity, it’s a critical step in ensuring compliance, even if there are no certification requirements in relation to having necessary licenses to patents in this connected technology ecosystem.
It Is the Responsibility of Product Makers and Their Charge Point Network Operator Customers to Ensure That They Are Licensed to the Patents
It should also be noted that the responsibility to secure patent licenses lies with the product makers and their charge point operator (CPO) customers. As EVinfo.net has reported, many of the current concerns about EV charger licensing stem from misunderstandings and misconceptions, particularly regarding claims by some component suppliers that their products come with full indemnities covering all patent licensing risks.
In reality, such assurances often do not extend to every layer of connectivity technology used within a charger, meaning that manufacturers and network operators must conduct their own due diligence to ensure compliance with patent licensing obligations.
Just as companies must follow national and international regulations and certify compliance with safety, data, and cybersecurity standards, they should treat patent licensing as a core compliance responsibility.
This obligation parallels the European Union’s expanding regulatory framework for connected devices, including the updated Radio Equipment Directive (RED) Delegated Regulation (2022/30), effective August 1, 2025, and the forthcoming Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
These frameworks impose stringent cybersecurity and lifecycle compliance requirements for EV chargers, covering both hardware and software.
For example, under RED, manufacturers must meet standards such as EN 18031 to ensure privacy and data security for devices sold in the EU. In the same way, compliance with standard essential patent (SEP) licensing should be viewed as integral to responsible product design and market readiness. Some charger manufacturers already publish regulatory compliance statements on their websites, and in the future, similar transparency about intellectual property licensing status may become a recognized part of product compliance disclosure.
What Are the Risks of Not Being Licensed?
Failing to secure the appropriate patent licenses carries significant reputational, legal, and commercial risks. From a reputational standpoint, companies that are perceived as using patented technologies without proper authorization risk being seen as disregarding the intellectual property (IP) rights of others.
This is a stance that can damage trust among partners, investors, and customers. In an industry built on collaboration and standardization, such perceptions can be particularly harmful. Beyond image, the business risks are substantial. Patent holders are fully entitled to enforce their rights, and companies found to be using standard essential technologies without licenses may face costly litigation, settlement demands, or even injunctions that could restrict product sales or market access.
While it is possible to engage with each patent owner individually and negotiate separate licenses, this process can be time-consuming and administratively complex, especially given the large number of companies holding standard essential patents (SEPs). A more streamlined approach is to work through Avanci, which offers the option of a transparent, one-stop licensing solution.
Avanci’s agreements cover the essential cellular patents of most major SEP holders worldwide, offering manufacturers and charge point operators a predictable, efficient, and cost-effective way to ensure compliance. With fixed and published rates, Avanci simplifies the process, allowing companies to focus on innovation and deployment rather than complex legal negotiations, while maintaining full respect for the intellectual property that underpins the global connected ecosystem.
Avanci EV Charger Licensing Program
Avanci launched its licensing program in 2023 for cellular-connected smart electric vehicle (EV) chargers, with initial licensees including Easee, Eaton, and GARO. The program now covers 4G, 3G, and 2G cellular patents from 49 licensors (and continues to grow), providing manufacturers with a simplified licensing option that spans various types of connected EV chargers. From the initial 3 licensees in 2023, the program has continued to grow, and now includes 13 EV charger makers, whose logos can be found on the program’s website.
The licensing fees are set at fair, published rates, paid once for the lifetime of each charger. The program is designed to support the growing market of connected EV chargers, which is expected to expand by 40% CAGR, reaching over 80 million units by 2030.
Avanci’s CEO, Kasim Alfalahi, emphasized the company’s efficiency in simplifying technology sharing, while Easee’s CEO, Erik Færevaag, noted that the program has streamlined the company’s licensing.
Færevaag said: “Avanci streamlines our licensing for connected chargers, freeing us to enhance value for our customers.”
GARO’s CEO, Niklas Rönnäng, added that the program makes license management more efficient, freeing up resources for innovation.
Rönnäng added: “The partnership with Avanci allows us to efficiently manage the licenses for our connected chargers, which is positive for both our customers and GARO E-mobility. This means that we can continue to focus our efforts on delivering innovative solutions for charging electric vehicles to the market.”
Avanci’s program not only leverages Avanci’s experience in connected vehicle licensing but also helps pave the way for future growth in the smart EV charger market, with additional licensors expected to join. EVinfo.net is proud to recommend the company. Contact Avanci for more information.
