In a move aimed at simplifying the electric vehicle charging experience, Circle K has rolled out Autocharge and automatic payment services in Norway.
As of this week, hundreds of thousands of EVs owners in Norway can seamlessly plug, charge, and go, with Circle K being the first to introduce Autocharge widely across Scandinavia.
Anders Kleve Svela, head of the E-Mobility unit at Circle K Norway, stated, “Our motivation is to make driving EVs as simple and seamless as possible.”
“Some find charging to be cumbersome and complicated. With Autocharge, everything happens automatically,” he added.
With nearly 700,000 electric vehicles currently on Norwegian roads, according to figures from the Norwegian EV Association, Kleve Svela notes that Autocharge is compatible with three out of four EV models.
“We are now offering Autocharge at 80 stations from Tromsø in the north to Kristiansand in the south. Approximately 90% of Circle K Norway’s fast and rapid chargers support Autocharge, and the remaining chargers will be replaced continuously,” he said.
Autocharge eliminates the need for an app or card when charging your vehicle.
“The first time, you select Autocharge in the charging app, enter the car’s make and model, and after that, registration, charging, and payment will happen automatically,” explained Kleve Svela.
He mentioned that around 12% of charging customers use Vipps for payment.
Successful Testing and Future Prospects
Kleve Svela expressed confidence that Autocharge will be a significant success nationwide.
A beta version has already undergone testing in Sweden, yielding excellent results.
“The test demonstrated that the solution works excellently, providing customers with a seamless and efficient charging experience,” said Kleve Svela.
“Early testers rated Autocharge between 9.2 and 9.8 on a scale from 1 to 10. This is exceptionally good, and I am confident that customers in this country will also appreciate the offering,” he added.
More About Autocharge
Autocharge is an automatic payment solution that activates as soon as you plug in the charging cable, provided that the vehicle is registered in the Circle K Charge app.
Autocharge-enabled chargers are identified with an “A” in the app.
Currently available at 80 Circle K stations in Norway and numerous stations across the rest of Scandinavia and Estonia.
