Brisbane-based DC charger company Tritium has enabled its “Plug and Charge” technology worldwide on also its RT50 50kW chargers, allowing electric vehicle drivers to drive up, plug in and pay automatically without the need for special cards.
Tritium’s Plug and Charge functionality – which echoes that of Tesla’s Superchargers – allows drivers to ditch network provider RFIDs and credit cards because the charger software recognises the vehicle and automatically takes payment via the vehicle owner’s account.
Tritium announced this week that the technology has now been rolled out globally.
“This technology makes EV charging as easy as plugging in a phone,” said Tritium CTO and co-founder James Kennedy in a statement, adding the latest software update improves customer experience thanks to the seamless and secure payment options.
Tritium’s 50kW fast chargers also feature at Chargefox fast-charging sites. Chargefox has confirmed that the network would require setting up first as well as the technology to make it work installed in cars.
The introduction of the technology – the first of its kind on a charging network available to all modern electric vehicles – could have broader implications also.
Other applications have also been touted by Tritium, from using the car itself as a sort of “mobile credit card” to pay for grocery pickups or other services that could even be ordered through the vehicle’s digital interface.
With the electric vehicle industry on the cusp of steep adoption, it is technology like this that will potentially raise the experience of owning an electric vehicle above that of now increasingly outdated combustion engine technology.
“With the world looking to adopt more renewable technologies, the e-mobility industry will grow substantially within the next few years,” said Tritium’s chief revenue officer David Toomey in a statement.
“Tritium is creating an environment where EV charging is beating the gas station experience by removing an entire payment step.
“Not only do drivers not need to concern themselves with finding a charger that is compatible with their vehicle, but now they also do not need to worry about how they are going to pay.”
Update: Networks require setting up first as well as the technology installed in cars to make “plug and charge” work.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.