8mo ago

No more EV app folders: Universal plug-and-charge is due to launch in 2025

arstechnica.com

9 comments

Am I the only one who hates this? I mean, it's fine as an option, but just let me swipe my debit card or pre-pay in cash for a certain number of KW/h.
- Cards are required for federal funding:
  The new standards will require that all stations receiving federal funding allow payment by credit card.
  Requiring allowing cash would also be nice, but given the current state of charging infrastructure, it would be somewhat hard to do. Sometimes there's no clear way to get a hold of anyone in-person if something is wrong with the charger. Though maybe charging stations should be pushed towards that anyways.
  
  Requiring allowing cash would also be nice
  What fraction of the population still use cash? Most people I know don't even bother carrying it anymore.
- I saw a very good argument about supporting physical cards. Among other reasons:
  You’re renting an EV and don’t want your credit card associated with the car just to be able to charge.
  You’re traveling a distance with others and want to pay to “fuel up” once during the trip.
  You use different credit cards at different times based on rewards, interest rate, etc.
  Plug-and-charge certainly can be convenient, but it can also be incredibly inconvenient in some non-zero number of situations.
I feel like this could end in the relevant xkcd way. (Yes its Standards)
- My first thought too, though I'm hopeful there's nothing too established yet so a new standard can gain dominance.
Members include Chargepoint, EA, Tesla, Rivian, Ford, and flo, among others. Seems like a good list.
Surprised to see Shell on there, I guess they're serious about getting into charging.

9 comments