Paythru proposes EV payments charter

EV payment specialist calls for cross-industry collaboration to address customer pain points

EV payment specialist Paythru has published a proposed set of guiding principles, designed to achieve greater collaboration among the payments sector, public charge point operators (CPOs), and charge point management systems (CPMSs), to address current problems with the charging payment process.

The charter is shaped by Paythru’s research and conversations with the industry about what drivers want and sis supported by the REA, the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology.

Paythru proposes the following set of guiding principles for all EV chargepoints:

1. No more confusion over charging costs
2. Standardised and reliable payment methods
3. Minimise payment failures
4. Clarity and transparency in pre-authorisation
5. Simplified transaction and notification processes.

Methods for addressing each are proposed in the charter, which can be viewed here.

Keith Brown, Paythru’s managing director, said: “As EV charging has become more mainstream, it has become increasingly apparent that current payment solutions are contributing to a poor user experience. Some issues are due to a lack of common standards and interoperability, while others are caused by variations between chargers, which are fine individually, but confusing as a whole.

“The industry needs to work together to solve these problems and provide a robust and universal charging experience. This will help users trust that wherever they charge their EVs, they can pay in the way they want, ultimately leading to an increase in EV drivers and happier customers.”

Paythru sees the charter as the starting point to achieving this. It now hopes to form a working group with other industry players to refine the charter and present it back to the wider industry as a set of shared principles that all parties believe everyone should sign up to.

According to Brown: “We can help in many cases, but we can’t do it alone. Collaboration and leadership are at the heart of the solution. To create a coherent solution, we all need to work together to agree on the best way to do things for everyone.

“Our hope is that all chargepoint operators and chargepoint management system providers will sign up to this charter, to provide a frictionless and consistent charging experience for EV drivers, no matter where they charge.”

The charter is backed by the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) as part of its ongoing mission to accelerate the UK’s transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

Matt Adams, transport policy manager at the REA, said: “We are pleased to see our member Paythru take a pro-active approach in designing this charter which will improve the consumer experience and make paying for charging as easy as paying for a cup of coffee. Overall, we are assured that our members are willing and ready to support Paythru with this charter. We look forward to working with Paythru in the future to make this charter a reality across the UK and inspire other countries too.”

To view the full charter and sign up to help shape it and advocate for its widespread adoption click here