Connecting Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers and Travel Center POS Systems May Take Time
Article created for the January digital issue聽of聽聽
As the number of electric vehicles on the road increases, more and more truck stops and travel centers are adding or planning to add electric vehicle (EV) chargers.聽However, there are still several unknowns in terms of how chargers will ultimately connect to a location鈥檚 point-of-sale system.
鈥淚t is sort of the wild, wild west,鈥� said for . 鈥淲e鈥檙e at the precipice right now, and there is a lot of different charging equipment and there are no standards that I鈥檝e seen to say how I interface from a charger to a POS.鈥�
Type of Integration Needed Depends
The type of integration needed depends on the location鈥檚 situation. 鈥淚f an operator leases their lot to a provider, they won鈥檛 realize revenue from charging session sales, making point-of-sale integration unnecessary,鈥� of said. 鈥淐hargePoint typically works with operators who want to own their stations, so we manage their transactions and remit payment to them monthly.鈥�
Hughes said there are other options for further integration to operators鈥� existing point-of-sale through APIs. 鈥淐hargePoint partners work with us on extensive API integrations, while others allow us to process and remit payments to them monthly,鈥� he said.
Monica deLaGarza, vice president of marketing and communications for , said the plus side is that operators have flexibility in using a variety of chargers rather than being locked into simply one brand because it interacts with an existing system.
鈥淭here are a variety of EV charging POS systems that operate as open-source code and can be used a variety of hardware that work with open-source software,鈥� deLaGarza said, adding that some chargers have card readers, accept RFID cards, have payment through apps or can be paid for in cash in store. 鈥淓V charging platforms are striving to work with a variety of payment types.鈥�
Payment Options
, , said the basic way to activate a charger is a credit card. 鈥淭he difficult piece is the storefronts want additional information. They want to be able to add loyalty programs on top of it, which is difficult if people swipe their credit card and leave,鈥� he said.
Bass said the next phase will be RFID payments with companies distributing RFID cards. 鈥淵ou can either bill the customer, or some companies are toying with the idea of charging customers once a month,鈥� he said.
McGuinness said it takes a lot of momentum to get a standard when it comes to the point of sale, and the challenge with EVs is 鈥渢he cart has already left the barn.鈥� However, he does equate the addition of EV chargers to when propane sales grew. 鈥淚t started as a separate pump, and you turned it on and off. The next thing you know, the electronics catch up to where you can have interfaces and, better yet, it can be the same interface as other dispensers,鈥� he said.
Many of the major fueling dispenser companies today have EV subsidiaries. 鈥淚 think that is where you鈥檒l start to see the convergence,鈥� McGuinness said. 鈥淔rom our perspective as a point-of-sale provider, we have a POS that can interface with any types of gas pumps or tanks in the ground. Here is a new one but there isn鈥檛 an interface yet but there is a reason.鈥�
Part of the current challenge is that there are a variety of pricing models, and they can fluctuate based on grid demand, time of day, tariffs, connection fees and idling fees, deLaGarza said.
Bass said requirements often vary based on state requirements. 鈥淪ome states require you to do per minute. Others let you charge per kilowatt hour,鈥� he said.
// This article was created for , the magazine of the 黑料社区Foundation. The is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The 黑料社区Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the traveling public’s needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit for more information. ()
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