Electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint manufacturer Tritium is launching a “game-changing” Plug and Charge solution.
Lauding it as a first of its kind in the global EV market, Tritium says the technology allows the vehicle and charger to communicate “seamlessly”, authorising payments to the driver’s account.
This addresses the problem of interoperability between different chargepoint operators, removing the need for payment cards. The charge session will be automatically billed from the moment the charger plug connects to the vehicle regardless of the chargepoint operator, Tritium said.
The solution is to be available immediately for chargepoint operators to deploy Tritium’s PK350kW DC high power chargers.
“This firmly and irreversibly tips the convenience scales to the recharging experience over the refuelling experience,” James Kennedy, chief technology officer and co-founder of Tritium, said.
He went on to praise the security of the system, stating: “A third party, such as Hubject – which provides an automated and secure data exchange enabled by ISO 15118-conforming Public Key Infrastructure – is responsible for cryptographic certifications between the vehicle and the charger, and our technology ensures we are securely storing cryptographic keys on the charger side in a way that other chargers can’t.”
Interoperability was also the focus of a new service launched last month by Octopus Energy, with the aim of making payments between chargepoint networks easier and consolidating billing. Current± spoke to Octopus Energy’s Zoisa Walton about why the service was launched and how it works earlier this week.
Kennedy lauded Tritium’s Plug and Charge solution as “a game changer for EV drivers in the future”, making charging “as simple and easy as it is for Android phones to charge with a USB-C adapter”.
The solution has been tested in a live setting in Germany, as well having undergone tests at the Tritium E-Mobility Innovation Centre in Amsterdam.
In the UK, Tritium has a preferred supplier agreement with Pod Point for the supply of the Veefil-RT 50kW DC rapid charger. This partnership was announced in March 2020.
