Place to Plug enables ad-hoc charging for electric cars

There is no doubt about the electric vehicle being here to stay and to build a new era where electric mobility plays a key role in the transport decarbonisation, both in public and private sectors.

To this end, it is essential to deploy a larger charging infrastructure to consolidate a sufficiently powerful charging network for the imminent growth of the electric car fleet.

After all, the transport electrification is a key and fundamental element in achieving the stringent emission targets set by Europe and enshrined in the European Climate Law.

In this sense, at Place to Plug we have activated a new function to provide users (EV drivers) easier access to electric car charging: ad-hoc charging; thus complying with European legislation regarding the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive (Directive 2014/94/EU), already implemented by:

• Germany through an amendment regulation dated 1 June 2017

• Spain through Royal Decree 639/2016

Therefore, ad-hoc access becomes an obligation for the charge point operator (CPO) and a (necessary) service for the electric car driver. Above-mentioned legislation takes this on board in Article 4 “Electricity supply for transport” which states that:

As an EV driver, how can I benefit from ad-hoc charging?

As an electric car driver, you may face three different situations:

1. PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD

In this situation, which is one of the most demanded by users, we find a charging station that has integrated POS payment.

Here, as an electric car driver, the way to proceed is as simple as arriving at the charging station, paying with a credit card, charging our electric vehicle and going on with our trip. In other words, it is the equivalent of refuelling a combustion vehicle.

2. AD-HOC CHARGING

In this situation, the steps to follow in order to carry out an ad-hoc charge at a Place to Plug charging station are as follows:

• Scan the QR sticker with our mobile camera located on the charging station itself, which will take us to Place to Plug where we can choose 3 options:

  • Download our EV driver’s app for free
  • Keep going as a registered user through our website
  • Keep going as a guest user through our website

• In this case, we select the 3rd option and complete the last steps

• We add an email where we will receive a link to stop the charge once it is started

• We add the payment method and start charging our electric car

• We stop the charge at any time and continue our trip

So, thanks to this option, the EV driver has the possibility of performing a completely ad-hoc charge without the need to enter into a data transfer contract with either the charge point operator or with Place to Plug as an e-mobility service provider (eMSP).

3. REGISTER WITH APP

Today, the reality for electric car drivers is that they must download multiple apps, have several RFID cards and be members of different platforms depending on the operator of each charging point, with the consequent acceptance of terms and conditions and data transfer that this entails.

Right now, this is the majority option, but it does not comply with the law under European legislation to be able to charge spontaneously.

Therefore, at Place to Plug, and in compliance with these decrees, we offer the possibility for charge point operators to offer their users the option of ad-hoc charging, thus guaranteeing easy and quick access to electric car charging for all EV drivers.

In addition, we also offer the possibility for all these EV drivers to register on our platform and download our app for free to enjoy a complete electric driving experience, as well as a better charging experience:

• Thousands of charging stations worldwide available and visible on our map and list of locations

• Access to public and private charging points and real-time statuses

• Advanced filters according to power, plug and connector types…

• Favourites section, history and details of charging sessions

• Reviews, issues, images and specific addresses of charging stations

• Start charging by simply scanning a QR code

• Bookings of charging stations allowed

And if you also have your own charging point, you can easily share your plug with our community of EV drivers and manage its use and reservations through our collaborative platform.

As a charge point operator, how can I offer ad-hoc charging to EV drivers?

As a charge point owner or operator, after having integrated your socket (integration that will take a matter of minutes if the point has already implemented the OCPP protocol) with our EV management software, you will be able to choose between two options (both complying with the previously mentioned legislation):

1. POS INTEGRATION

This function, combined with the multiple Connect platform functionalities, would allow:

• Dynamic price calculation

• Creation and modification of customisable tariffs

• Invoicing and payment management

• Real-time assistance

• Generation of graphs and reports adapted to your needs, such as electricity consumed, time of recharges, income, etc

And more than 100 features that allow you to remotely manage your charging station and obtain maximum performance.

On the other hand, it is the option most demanded by users, as it allow electric car drivers to charge in the same way as they do so many other operations with their credit card.

2. AD-HOC CHARGING PROCESS

In case you do not want to integrate POS payment option at your charging station, you only need to place a sticker with the corresponding scannable QR code (provided by Place to Plug) at your charging point so that the EV driver has the possibility to perform an ad-hoc charge.

Contact us to request your QR code to thus allow ad-hoc charging to all EV drivers!

Ad-hoc charging FAQs

I have not received the link to stop the charge, what do I do?

If you have not received the link in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If no link is found there either, please contact the charge point operator (whose contact details can be found at the charging point itself) to report and fix the problem.

Is my credit card information safe at Place to Plug?

Of course, as the charge payment will be made directly from the bank’s website and at Place to Plug we never save the user’s card details.

How will my email address be used?

In compliance with data protection law, your email address will only be used to send you the link that will allow you to stop the charge you have started and to send you a final email with the charging session details.

What about if there is no QR code placed on the charging station?

In this case, it is most likely that the charge point operator does not allow ad-hoc charging. However, we recommend contacting the operator to make sure whether or not you can actually perform an ad-hoc charge.

If the charging station is located in an area with a poor Internet connection, what should I do?

Don’t worry, you should just scan the QR code, move to a better-connected corner, refresh the page and follow the steps described above.

Can I get an invoice for the charging session?

At the moment, obtaining an invoice through ad-hoc charging is not possible. In case you need an invoice, we recommend registering on our platform to manage all your charging sessions, get invoices, check for statuses from public and private charging stations in real-time…

Is there any extra fee for ad-hoc charging?

On the one hand, a pre-authorisation of a certain amount of euros or dollars (to be defined by the charge point operator) will be made to the card user to ensure it is valid. When the charging session is completed, the amount withheld from the pre-authorisation will be returned and the amount of the charge will be debited.

On the other hand, it will be up to the charge point operator whether to fee and extra percentage to the charging session, since the process of ad-hoc charging is somewhat complex than that of a registered user.