Last week Parkopedia held a popular ‘EV Charging Unplugged’ webinar on World EV Day, featuring alongside attendees from digital cybersecurity experts Irdeto, eMobility service provider Plugsurfing and EV software solutions provider ChargeHub. In this webinar, we discussed the demands of the next generation of EV drivers, perceived barriers to EV adoption and what can be done to address these. Read on for our EV charging team’s responses to the most popular questions from the webinar.
The Parkopedia ‘EV Charging Unplugged’ webinar explored what today’s EV drivers really want, the perceived barriers to adoption and changes in the charging industry and the associated technology. We also discussed the differences driving EV adoption in the fleet market and what drivers and fleet operators can expect from their vehicles and service providers in the future.
The webinar brought engaging conversations between the panellists, sharing broad alignment between the experts in attendance on the majority of topics, plus a few disparities seen between those focused on European and US markets, with these markets showcasing some significant contrasts.
Below, from Parkopedia’s perspective, we cover the answers to the most popular and ‘highest-voted’ questions asked by the audience, delving into differences between EV markets, what is being done to support charging price transparency, the feasibility of universal contactless card payments for charging plus the scope for Plug & Charge with reservations and availability functionality.
Why is it more difficult to have an EV roaming network in the US than in Europe?
Europe has an established roaming network that developed as a response to the significant amount of fragmentation that occurred early on in the original development of EV charging infrastructure. This can be seen across the continent where governments and regulators have worked closely with private companies to ensure roaming became a reality.
In the US there is much less fragmentation with a large proportion of charging being delivered by a relatively small number of CPOs in comparison. This is coupled with much of the regulation until the last few years happening at a state level, rather than a federal level.
What is being done for better price transparency, especially through mapping providers?
Pricing transparency is something we are passionate about at Parkopedia, as this is vital for ensuring a positive EV charging experience and more easily transitioning from ICE vehicles to an EV. This is something we are actively working towards, though a full solution is currently not available yet due to fragmentation between various eMSP/CPO providers and limited regulations supporting this currently.
It is currently very difficult for drivers to know what the cheapest charging option is, since different providers can charge different amounts - even on the same physical charger. Additionally, even if drivers have downloaded all the potential eMSP/CPO apps for a particular charging location, comparing prices can be a time-consuming and stressful experience for drivers, as they have to consider different providers’ initial activation charges, minimum costs and per kWh costs which can also be displayed in a variety of ways to the driver.
The industry is working to improve the situation with more consistent pricing, though it will take time. In some countries, you can already only be charged by the kWh for the amount of energy your car draws, with by-the-minute pricing being banned. As the market develops, the number of charging cost formats will be streamlined, making it easier for drivers to compare the cost of different charging locations/providers which will also be integrated into vehicle navigation systems to closely estimate the total cost of journeys, comparative to ICE vehicles.
What would it take to have chargers operate like gas pumps, so you could just tap a credit card and fill up?
EV charging presents the opportunity to reimagine the 'fuelling experience’ and whilst the easy answer would be for us to emulate what fuelling stations do and ensure all EV chargers have payment terminals, that doesn't necessarily provide the best experience possible.
In many countries, all new DC and some AC chargers must already have payment terminals on them. However, we should also consider how clear costs and the pricing structure are, and with multiple tariff options, tapping a card although convenient, might not always be the cheapest option.
In the long term, Plug & Charge functionality should provide an improved experience over card payments at a fuel pump, as drivers will simply be able to plug in and recharge with the vehicle acting as the digital wallet and communicating successfully with the eMSP to handle the transaction and payment routing.
Plug & Charge with reservations or availability; is this on the horizon?
There are a few limited examples where this is already happening; if you own a Mercedes and are close to a Mercedes DCFC charger, you can do exactly this already. However, given that the prevalence of Plug & Charge is limited and that reservation functionality is also extremely limited at present, it will likely be a while before we see the widespread adoption of both.
Whilst it seems clear that Plug & Charge will be the default format used in the long term, it's still not clear whether that’s the case for reservations, as this is not a situation encountered when filling an ICE car, so it may not be an expectation for the majority of drivers. However, it is clear there is a demand for this type of service currently so we are working with our global CPO partners to implement in-car EV charging reservation services for those customers and will announce market coverage and partners shortly.
Watch the full ‘EV Charging Unplugged: Addressing the needs of Global EV Drivers’ webinar, follow the discussion and also hear how our expert panellists answered these questions and more.