As electric vehicle charging infrastructure increases and improves, usability is still a key issue, particularly when it comes to payment. To make things easier, one company has produced the first wall box charger with the ability to accept contactless credit card payment.
With many commercial charging stations, payment for topping up can be a confusing process, with many EV owners having to carry multiple pay cards for different providers. To help solve this issue, Juice Technology has launched its Juice Charger 2 wall box, with NFC and RFID technology. In addition to standard payment methods, the 22kW wall box offers the option of payment by credit card, ApplePay or GooglePay. The smart wall charging station makes identification, activation, control and payment easier.
The Juice Charger 2 works by holding the chosen payment method up to the wall box to start charging. Users will only be billed when they have charged their car. The exact amount will be billed automatically when the charging process comes to an end, without the need to reconfirm to end the transaction or enter a fixed charging amount, as required for other commercially available solutions.
“This wall box’s USP is definitely its credit card payment capability. E-car drivers really shouldn’t have to use a different app or charging card at every charging station. Nowadays, we all have our credit or debit cards, or our smartphone, to hand most of the time; for us, the obvious next step was to integrate this payment capability in the Juice Charger 2,” explains Christoph Erni, Juice Technology AG’s founder and CEO. “Design that doesn’t detract from functionality, security, usability and futureproofing – these are the key features we wanted to include.”
As for its design, it features a chrome steel housing that is weather-resistant, while the cable suspension system and plug holder also prevent induction loops and stop the charging plug getting dirty.
It is compatible with all existing and new electric cars on the market with a Type 1 or Type 2 connection. The high-resolution touchscreen display offers more intuitive use, complete with the RFID/NFC reader.
The wall charging station is available in three different basic models: as a classic fixed wall box (Fix), as a flexible option (Flex), where the integral by TÜV SÜD certified Juice Booster 2 (portable 22 kW charging station) can be removed, or as a Flat option if only the housing is required (if the customer already has a Juice Booster 2).
