EO Charging ceases replacement units for Genius 1 and Hub 1

EO Charging ceased offering replacement units for its EO Genius 1 and EO Hub 1 chargers on 1 October 2024, ending an extension it had been granted to keep supplying them¹. The company said the decision follows UK Smart Charging Regulations, which it states prevent it from selling or replacing Genius 1 chargers¹.

The charger maker said the change stems from the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations introduced in July 2022, which require charge points sold in Great Britain to have smart functionality, including the ability to charge when grid demand is low or renewable generation is high¹. EO Charging said it had been granted an extension to offer replacement units for Genius 1 chargers, and that this period has now ended¹.

"Effective as of today, 01 October 2024, EO Charging will cease offering replacement units for EO Genius 1 and EO Hub 1 units."

Existing Genius 1 chargers will continue to work as "plug and play" devices, so vehicles can still be charged, according to the company¹. The EO Hub 1, where operational, will still manage load if it has been set up, to protect the electrical supply, but EO Charging states this capability is "not guaranteed nor permanent"¹.

Two further dates affect the same hardware and its software:

During the transition, EO Charging states that users will need to explore alternative payment methods through its partner network, and that it will assist customers with this¹. Existing EO Cloud 1 customers will be given what the company calls a personalised upgrade path to Cloud 2¹. EO Charging also cites the Public Charge Point Regulations introduced on 24 November 2023, which cover locating charge points, payment across public charge points, maintenance and price comparison, and require the total cost of a session including connection fees to be displayed in pence per kilowatt-hour¹.

Why it matters for households

For a home with a Genius 1 charger, the immediate effect is limited: the unit keeps charging, and the company says it will continue to operate as a plug and play device¹. The longer term position is less certain. No replacement unit will be supplied if the charger fails, and the load management function of an EO Hub 1 is described as neither guaranteed nor permanent¹. Load management matters where a charger shares a supply with the rest of a home, because it limits the current the charger draws.

The January 2025 changes touch functions some owners may rely on. Losing payment and RFID authentication through the EO App affects those who used the charger to bill others or to control access, rather than simply to charge their own vehicle¹. The retirement of EO Cloud 1 moves users onto a different platform, EO Cloud 2, which the company describes as an OCPP platform¹. OCPP is an open protocol for communication between charge points and management software, so the change affects how the charger is controlled and monitored rather than how much power it delivers.

For household energy independence, the practical question is control: whether a charger can still be scheduled to run in off-peak periods or when solar generation is available, and whether that scheduling depends on a cloud service that is being withdrawn. The company states that all EO Cloud 1, Genius 1 and payment app users, along with its partner installers, have been contacted with an upgrade pathway¹. Costs for any upgrade have not been reported¹.

What happens next

Payment functionality and RFID authentication via the EO App for Genius 1 devices end on 10 January 2025, and EO Cloud 1 is phased out on the same date¹. EO Charging states it will have further updates on payment services in 2025¹. The company has published end-of-life notifications for the products, the payment and authentication service and Cloud 1, along with a set of FAQs¹.

Sources1 cited

1. Embracing the Next Generation: End of Life for Genius 1 System and App Payment Services, eocharging.com