Ekoenergetyka, Europe’s leading provider of high-powered charging stations, has announced the implementation of its “Plug&Charge” technology.
This technology is set to “revolutionize” the electric vehicle charging process, offering users seamless and secure transactions.
It eliminates the need for multiple apps, RFID cards, or credit card payments, making charging as simple as plug and drive.
This is even more crucial for the European market with the introduction of the AFIR regulation, an EU regulation replacing the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Development Directive.
For the market, this is a significant signal as the new regulations will come into effect as early as April 2024, and Poland has less and less time to implement the necessary legal changes, including the availability of charging infrastructure and direct payments.
How did Ekoenergetyka’s Plug&Charge come about?
Ekoenergetyka has implemented Plug&Charge software solutions based on the ISO15118 standard, and the availability of this feature in Ekoenergetyka’s products is the result of years of work and testing.
Work on this technology began in 2020, in collaboration with the global organization CharIN.
Just a year later, they confirmed the first tests with car manufacturers during the CharIN Testival, which were completed in 2022.
In that year, experts from Ekoenergetyka conducted tests and communications with the eActros truck from Daimler Truck AG.
In 2022, they also launched the first fully Plug&Charge-operated charging station for IONITY, one of the most important charging network operators in Europe.
How does Plug&Charge work?
After years of announcements, car manufacturers and CPOs are implementing Plug&Charge technology.
All charges will be initiated automatically, and billing will be added to the charging service provider’s invoice.
Michal Malecki, Head of Software R&D at Ekoenergetyka, points out: “Plug&Charge is the kind of technology that resembles magic. The process is technologically quite complicated but hidden from the customer.”
“Everything happens automatically, making the use of chargers extremely intuitive and simple,” he adds.
An important element that requires special emphasis is the provision of comprehensive cybersecurity for the entire process and the protection of customers’ sensitive data.
Plug&Charge Project in Poland
In Poland, Plug&Charge will soon be available for use at Ekoen’s ultra-fast hubs.
This solution is also applicable to closed infrastructures, such as bus depots.
Currently, there are no such solutions behind depots, and in the future, with the scaling up of zero-emission fleets, it could revolutionize the approach to daily operations.
“Ekoen is the first Polish operator to enable plug-and-charging of electric vehicles at its multi-station ultra-fast charging hubs. By the end of this year, it plans to launch a total of 7 hubs with a total capacity of nearly 10 MW,” says Tomasz Siedlecki, Director of EKOEN.
Plug&Charge is established by an ecosystem that brings together charging network operators, software developers, and certification bodies such as Hubject.
Hubject simplifies the EV charging process through its eRoaming platform, called intercharge, which connects CPOs and eMobility service providers (EMPs), enabling unified, network-independent access to charging infrastructure.
“One of the key elements of the services Hubject offers is Plug&Charge. This means that each EV is assigned a unique certificate, which is used to ensure secure communication in the EV Ecosystem,” explaines Steffen Rhinow, Director of Plug&Charge at Hubject.
“When a vehicle owner wants to charge their EV, they can use this certificate to identify themselves in the system and do a charging session,” he adds.
It’s worth noting that Hubject has also had a significant impact on the growth of EV acceptance in the market, contributing to the development of charging infrastructure and streamlining the process of EV use.
In this way, the company has played an important role in accelerating the transition to more sustainable and environmentally friendly forms of transportation.
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