Image Credit: Jolt
Australian fast-charging network operator Jolt has announced the launch of a new automatic charging feature, enabling customers to simply plug in their vehicle and charge.
Jolt, a Sydney based company with operations in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the United Kingdom, operate EV charging networks which provide users with up to 7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of free charging each day.
Each fast charger can provide up to free 45 kilometres of charge in just 15 minutes, and all are powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. Jolt is able to provide its free charging of up to 7 kWh thanks to the digital advertising screens that house its fast chargers. Charging beyond the free 7 kWh is charged at the prevailing kWh rate.
Jolt is now rolling out AutoCharge, an automatic EV charging option that will allow Jolt Plus drivers to simply plug their EV into a Jolt charging station and immediately begin to charge – similar to the system rolled out years ago by Tesla.
Once AutoCharge is activated in the Jolt app, a driver’s vehicle is securely recognised by the network, meaning that every compatible Jolt charge will instantly recognise the vehicle and begin charging automatically when the vehicle is plugged in.
“AutoCharge is simplicity, engineered,” said Doug McNamee, Jolt CEO. “It’s about making the EV experience invisible, where drivers can just plug in and get on with their day.
“For most EV drivers, starting a charging session requires a series of manual steps — opening an app, selecting a charger and pressing ‘start’; AutoCharge removes all that friction for a true ‘plug and go’ charging experience. For our JOLT Plus customers, it’s another reason to love driving electric.”
AutoCharge is now available for Jolt Plus subscribers in both Australia and New Zealand. Jolt expects to continue rolling out the technology in other markets in the coming months, including the United Kingdom and Canada.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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Evie launched Autocharge in August last year. Same principle - it uses the MAC ID to identify the car.
This is why it won’t work with some makes of EVs - ones that dynamically change the MAC (theoretically for ‘security’ reasons).
Tesla has proprietary handshaking with its vehicles and uses the VIN to identify the vehicle, so is therefore unambiguous.
Autocharge is not the same as Plug-and-Charge, which uses ISO 15118 and OCPP.