The financial services company Visa has called for the international standardisation of payment systems for public electric vehicle chargers.
At present, it says, there is no widespread industry standard for payment acceptance at EV charging points which leads to a situation where drivers needing to top-up are often forced to sign-up to an app or service provider; in some cases, such as when motorists aren't signed up to a specific subscription service, they may not even be able to charge their vehicle at all.
According to Visa's European CEO, Charlotte Hogg:
"We believe the widespread adoption of electric vehicles is key to helping Europe meet its net zero targets. Ensuring people can easily pay to charge their vehicles is essential if we want them to go electric. At the moment, this is not the case. We believe this must change so consumers have the choice they deserve."
Not only has the company called for increased payment options, but it has also announced that it will join the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIn), an organisation that advocates for a global standard for EV charging payments as well as standardised charging infrastructure.
Reacting to the announcement, CharIn's chairman, Claas Bracklo said:
"Since we are reaching a tipping point for electric vehicle adoption, the need for a global standard to connect infrastructure and to provide a seamless experience for electric vehicle drivers has become more important than ever."
"While CharIN has been working for many years now with OEMs, charger manufacturers, software and component suppliers, energy providers, utilities, and many other stakeholders of the EV charging value chain, we recognize that also the ease and consistency of applicable payment methods are critical to a smooth customer experience. Therefore, we are thrilled to have Visa on board of our alliance now willing to contribute with their wealth of experience to make sure that the customer payment experience will be easy, fast, and secure."
Visa and CharIn's urging for greater charging standardisation comes as Tesla announced that some of its Superchargers in France and Norway would open to other EV users.
Although the EU's 2014 Alternative Fuels Directive says that chargers "shall also provide for the possibility for electric vehicle users to recharge on an ad hoc basis without entering into a contract with the electricity supplier, or operator concerned," only a smaller number of European countries such as Germany have, as yet, created legislation in this area.