NFC tags for charging stations / charging columns

With the increasing spread of electromobility in the form of an ever-growing range of plug-in hybrids or purely electric vehicles, the need for charging stations is also growing. Numerous companies have recognized this need, so that both numerous providers of private wallboxes are offering their services and more and more new charging options are being created in public spaces. Especially in the latter case, however, this also leads to the fact that access to the charging station (use and billing) can often be provider-dependent and thus solved differently - a problem that veterans of e-mobility in particular have already had to go through with competing standards for charging plugs. Accordingly, in this article we would like to show how NFC is used at charging stations and can bring additional benefits beyond payment.

Payment at e-charging stations with NFC

Payment at a charging station in a public area, provided the offer is not a free additional service, is probably one of the most common use cases. VW provides a good overview of the charging topic on its own info page on the topic. Overall, several providers are currently competing with each other, some of which are limited to a geographical area, such as the regional municipal utilities, or are striving to establish a Germany-wide charging network, such as IONITY or Ladenetz. What they all have in common is that payment is typically made by customer card or ad hoc by smartphone.

Payment with NFC customer card or NFC smartphone.

When paying with an NFC customer card, the charging station has an NFC reader which releases the charge by scanning the customer card. Typically, secure NFC chips of the Mifare-Desfire type are used in the customer card. These do not necessarily have to be cards - our range shows that, for example, key fobs in a standard version or as an individualized variant are a good alternative that can also be carried on a key ring for everyday use.

NFC readers in charging stations can of course also rely on smartphone payment - either as a provider-specific app or using existing NFC payment apps (e.g. Apple Pay, Android Pay, etc. read more in the article on NFC payment methods). To do this, the smartphone must be held up to the column's NFC reader to make the payment. Under certain circumstances, the user may not yet have installed the provider's appropriate app when using it for the first time - this is where NFC can provide additional relief, as shown below.

Support at e-charging station with NFC.

In addition to payment, NFC can play an additional supporting role at the charging station - assisting the user in its use. Due to the rapid growth of electromobility, there will be a steady stream of first-time users in the coming years. These users in particular can benefit from easily retrievable additional information with application notes to help them use the charging station with as few hurdles as possible.

NFC tags for explaining and retrieving apps

The use of NFC tags to retrieve additional information via scan is an established mechanism: simply hold the smartphone up to the NFC tag and a website is loaded to display appropriate content - no awkward typing or scanning of a QR code is required (which, however, is often combined to reach all users).

An attractively positioned NFC button / NFC sticker on the charging pole can be used, for example, to call up a website with supporting operating instructions or videos on how to use the charging pole. The automated installation of an app is also conceivable - suitable for the respective smartphone operating system. The actual NFC sticker or NFC button for the charging pole should be attractively designed and withstand common weather conditions. We would be happy to help with any questions about coding or choosing the right material.

Conclusion

Electromobility is on the rise and the associated network of charging stations is growing more and more. With ISO 15118-1:2013, there is also a standard for the design of a uniform charging network, but this has yet to become widespread. In order to make the user experience as optimal as possible from the start, NFC takes on an important role in both payment mechanisms and supporting measures.