Tritium, a Brisbane-based manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) direct current fast chargers, is equipping its RTM and PKM charger models with new software capability Autocharge to deliver a seamless end-to-end EV charging experience.
Autocharge allows EV drivers with compatible vehicles to start a charging session by simply plugging in their vehicles without the need to tap or insert a payment card.
This capability provides convenience to not only drivers but also network operators of busy sites with high utilisation as it removes one step of the charging process and simplifies technical complexity by removing the need for a credit card reader.
Autocharge intends to offer an alternative approach to vehicle authentication while maintaining the same level of security as RFID cards. These two technologies are aimed at expanding customer access to operating models that suit their specific needs and preferences.
“Integrating Autocharge into our software offerings is the latest example of how the company remains on the leading edge of rapidly evolving industry trends, to provide drivers with a simple and convenient charging experience. By enabling our chargers to offer drivers seamless payment options, we hope to encourage the adoption of more EVs worldwide,” said Glen Bethel, chief technology officer at Tritium.
Tritium has partnered with Lynkwell for the first implementation of the software to activate the technology on RTM models at several charging sites for enterprise fleet companies.
Lynkwell is an energy technology company providing a comprehensive platform of EV charging products and services designed to drive rapid deployment and adoption of clean energy.
“Introducing innovations with partners like Tritium presents an exciting opportunity to enhance the EV customer experience,” said Nick Bordeau, vice president of engineering at Lynkwell.
“Autocharge allows drivers of personal, commercial, or fleet vehicles to simply plug in and walk away. Benefits like increased ease and efficiency that also leverage telematics compound the value over large fleets and help drive large scale EV adoption.”
The software capability will be delivered as one of Tritium’s latest software updates, part of the Plug and Charge capabilities, which is a certificate-based system built on the ISO 15118 standard.
Plug and Charge is designed to allow customers to authenticate and charge their vehicles via the charging cable with a higher level of data security.
