Contactless payments have become increasingly popular in most of Europe and don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Various sectors have greatly benefited from contactless payments, especially unattended payment terminals, such as vending machines, coffee machines, car washes, and, of course, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
No app. Just tap.
Including contactless payments at your public EV chargers enhances the consumer experience by offering convenience, speed, and accessibility. Opening charging stations to accept more ways to pay for a charge can widen your customer pool, as drivers simply need to tap their card, phone, or smartwatch to pay instead of downloading proprietary apps.
However, contactless payment terminals provided at EV charging stations in the EU and UK are not only a user convenience but also a regulatory requirement. In an effort to bolster their Net Zero ambitions, both the EU and the UK established legislation in 2023 that mandated all new public EV chargers must have integrated contactless payment terminals.
Working together on improving the EV charging infrastructure
This level of payment standardisation will continue to promote interoperability across different EV charging networks within the EU and the UK. It has also been proven to facilitate partnerships with payment service providers and charging networks in compliance with the regulations.
Prior to these legislations, one of the top pain points of public EV charging was that paying for a charging session sometimes required the user to download an app and set up an account when all a driver wanted to do was initiate their charging session and carry on with their day.
With this pain point now essentially eliminated, the overall tone regarding EV charging will only continue to improve, which will encourage more to make the switch to electric. Improving the consumer experience at charge points with greater ease of use and accessibility was the ultimate goal of the legislation.
What can we expect going forward?
The future of contactless options at EV charging stations will likely extend beyond the charger and into unattended service stations, resulting in an even more enhanced user experience. Offering hospitality features at a charging station, such as vending machines, coffee machines, and other unattended services, can boost not only the driver’s overall experience but also the charge point operator’s revenue.
Contactless payments are certainly not going anywhere, and society is learning to adapt to this simplified payment system. As new technology and services become available, allowing the consumer full independence is going to be the next step forward. With the EU and UK’s strides toward Net Zero in the near future, contactless options in EV charging will only continue to develop in convenience.
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