Card payment for new rapid chargepoints by 2020

Future of Mobility Minister Michael Ellis has announced that the government wantsall newly installed rapid and higher powered chargepoints to provide debit or credit card payment by spring 2020.

With hopes to develop a roaming solution across the charging network, the move should allow electric vehicle drivers to use any public chargepoint through a single payment method without needing multiple smartphone apps or membership cards.

To increase confidence in the charging network and reduce range anxiety among drivers, the government is also working with industry to make chargepoint data freely available, helping drivers easily locate and access available chargepoints.

Ellis said: “The government’s vision is for the UK to have one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world, but we know the variety of payment methods at the moment is a source of frustration for drivers. It is crucial there are easy payment methods available to improve electric vehicle drivers’ experiences and give drivers choice. This will help even more people enjoy the benefits electric vehicles bring and speed up our journey to a zero-emission future.”

BP Chargemaster, the operator of the UK’s largest public charging network, has committed to introducing card payment on all new 50kW and 150kW chargers.

David Newton, CEO at BP Chargemaster, said: “As the operator of the UK’s largest public charging network, including the greatest number of rapid chargers, we support the government’s vision for all new rapid and ultra-fast chargers to support contactless bank card payment. We will be going one step further, not only by introducing this facility on all new 50kW and 150kW chargers from today, but also by committing to retrofit our existing UK-made rapid chargers with this technology over the next 12 months.”