Hubject and Electrify America have penned a new strategic agreement which will spread the use of ‘Plug&Charge’ services to the US market, enabling automatic, contactless charging that’s easier to use “than a gas pump”.
European charging infrastructure network Hubject will provide expertise to Electrify America, a wholly owned subsidiary of car giant Volkswagen, to support them in the implementation of the ISO 15118 standard, a necessary requirement for Plug&Charge technology capabilities.
Those capabilities will allow the network to trial and implement technology which will allow vehicles to automatically authenticate and authorise a charging session without the need for membership RFID cards, mobile apps or other methods of payment.
This means drivers with Plug&Charge-enabled vehicles need only to connect their car to a charger and the session begins automatically, settling payment when the charge is complete or the vehicle disconnected.
Electrify America is to become the first DC fast charging network in the US to provide the capability at its charging stations, with a number of car manufacturers beginning to introduce the tech to its vehicles.
Paul Glenney, North American chief exec at Hubject, said the technology stood to make charging an EV easier than using a conventional petrol pump.
“Our highest priority is to enable a premium EV customer experience to our partners and as the industry leader in Plug&Charge technology it is a natural fit that we would work together,” he said.