Case Study
Building an EV Installer Mobile App for Seamless Setup
What We Did:
Discovery + Strategy + Build + Enhance + Maintain
The Project
Indra’s goal for the project was to streamline their EV charger setup process by introducing an EV installer mobile app. To bridge the gap between mobile devices and embedded BeagleBone hardware. Enabling reliable Bluetooth communication where no off-the-shelf solution existed. Installers could provision chargers, pass Wi-Fi credentials, and run diagnostics directly from their phones. By simplifying configuration into a fast, user-friendly process, the app reduced installation times and boosted technician confidence.
The Client
What They Do
Indra supports cleaner transport by creating innovative charging solutions that make EV ownership smarter, simpler, and more sustainable. Their technology combines advanced hardware with intelligent software to deliver reliable, user-friendly chargers that support both residential and commercial use. By focusing on efficiency, connectivity, and integration, Indra accelerates EV adoption while supporting the UK’s sustainability and net-zero goals. Their chargers not only enable convenient home and workplace charging but also pave the way for future innovations in smart energy management and grid balancing.
Why They Approached Us
Indra partnered with AgileAppCo to develop the installer app as a natural extension of our existing work together. During a previous project, their team identified challenges with EV charger installation and the limits of current field tools. Our expertise with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) positioned us as the ideal partner to solve these issues. By demonstrating our ability to handle complex requirements and deliver reliable solutions, we became the clear choice for the EV installer app.
Client’s Name:
Indra Renewable Technologies Ltd.
Industry:
Renewable Energy
‘Alex and the Agile app co are one in a million. Extremely talented devs however have the user in mind and always think customer first which, as a UX researcher, I value highly. Not only do they blow my mind with some of the technical stuff they’re able to do, but they make it make sense.’
- Lauren Clark, UX Researcher - Indra
The Challenge
As the adoption of electric vehicles grew, our client needed a way for installers to set up and configure their BeagleBone-based EV chargers directly from a mobile device. On paper, this seemed straightforward: connect over Bluetooth, pass over configuration data, and provision the charger. In practice, it was far from simple.
At the time, no off-the-shelf solution could reliably connect an Indra charger using commercially available Bluetooth dongles. Existing drivers lacked the necessary support for advanced control commands, and documentation was sparse, incomplete, or outright incompatible with the system architecture.
Installers were left with a slow, error-prone process. The lack of reliable communication between the customer’s network and charger risked failed installations, frustrated customers, and costly delays in deployment.
The Solution
We set out to build an installer app capable of bridging the gap between mobile platforms (iOS and Android) and the charger hardware. To achieve this, we had to go beyond conventional software development approaches.
On the embedded side, we wrote custom Tcl scripting layers that interfaced directly with the Bluetooth subsystem on the BeagleBone, bypassing the limitations of standard drivers. These scripts allowed us to monitor connections in real time, recover gracefully from failures, and maintain persistent communication even during power fluctuations or reconnection cycles.
On the mobile side, we implemented custom pairing sequences, data transfer protocols, and retry mechanisms designed to handle the quirks of both iOS and Android Bluetooth APIs. We built a secure method for passing Wi-Fi credentials from phone to charger, complete with checksums, status codes, and fallback routines to guarantee data integrity.
Through months of hands-on testing — from lab simulations to real-world installation scenarios — we iteratively refined both sides of the system until installers could reliably connect, configure, and provision chargers using only their phones.
The Impact
The outcome was a robust installer app that delivered a level of reliability not previously available in the industry. By overcoming the constraints of off-the-shelf drivers and API limitations, we created a custom communication protocol that enabled:
• Seamless provisioning – Installers could pass Wi-Fi credentials and configure chargers in minutes.
• Real-time diagnostics – The app provided live feedback and troubleshooting data during installation.
• Cross-platform support – Both iOS and Android versions of the app handled edge cases gracefully, ensuring consistency across devices.
• Reduced installation times – Installers reported faster, smoother workflows, with fewer failures and callbacks.
An uncertain R&D challenge, with no documentation, guarantees, or existing solutions, became a technological breakthrough. By pushing the boundaries of Bluetooth integration, we enabled our client to roll out EV chargers with confidence, while giving installers the reliable tools they needed in the field.