POS Terminal Integration with No Charger Modification
As a charge point operator, you are well aware that a lots of processes in the field of EV charging are regulated by AFIR (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation). The last one also applies to payment systems that must be integrated with charging stations. The reason is simple – each EV owner seeks fast and seamless service. The EU, in turn, supports this through legislative regulations.
Our article will focus on this point. Furthermore, Electriqua already has a ready solution that will significantly streamline all your processes.
What Is the Value of a Non-Modification Payment Solution?
When choosing cashless payment methods, QR code scanning and POS terminals are worth mentioning. Our material is dedicated to the latter. This approach enables you to integrate payment functions without requiring extensive modifications to the current charge station infrastructure. By using POS terminals, you can provide convenient payment options for customers, enhancing the accessibility and usability of your charging stations.
POS terminals help update older stations or integrate charging facilities into existing locations without major construction. They support interoperability and improve the overall customer experience in the evolving landscape of electric vehicle infrastructure.
The Principles of Work
You know that at a charging station with a payment terminal, all the drivers must present their card to the terminal, which initiates the payment process, and the charging session begins.
Here are the key steps in a typical cashless EV charging payment transaction with a payment:
- The driver selects a charging station.
- Next, the driver plugs in the connector into the vehicle.
- At the terminal, they enter the amount they want to charge.
- Driver makes the payment through the terminal or a card.
- On the terminal, they can check the progress of the charging session.
- The charging ends either after the specified amount of money is used up or after reaching 100% charge.
- That’s it. Driver unplugs the connector and drives away.
Point to Consider While Choosing the Payment Terminal
- Solution cost: The terminal can service one or multiple stations, so it is worth considering the cost of each option.
- Processing fee for the terminal.
- Terminal UI/UX.
- User-Friendly Interface: Opt for intuitive interfaces for a positive customer experience.
- Reliable Connectivity: Ensure terminals have reliable connectivity for real-time communication.
- Support for Multiple Payment Options: Choose terminals that support various payment methods to accommodate diverse user preferences.
Payter as POS Terminal Solution for EVCS
Have you heard about Payter? Through a strategic partnership, Payter has expanded into the EV charging market, allowing EV drivers to conveniently initiate and manage charging sessions using contactless EMV cards, mobile phones, or wearable devices.
This collaboration aims to enhance the payment experience, partnering with Visa to make electric vehicle charging more accessible and user-friendly. Integrating Payter’s POS terminals ensures quick and secure payments, meeting the expectations of flexible payment options and transparent cost visibility in the EV market.
Electriqua Implements Payter Payment Terminals
Well, now, this is why we brought up this topic. Electriqua decided to integrate with Payter Apollo terminal. It, despite providing payment options common for all terminals, also provides the ability to set a variety of UI screens to notify drivers about charging session updates and allow drivers to select station, connector, and payment amount for charging.
Integration with Payter
Payter has its cloud API with all the above options available, and Electriqua uses this API to make working with terminals even more convenient for drivers and similar to the experience they receive while using EV charging mobile applications. For this purpose, a separate service was developed which communicates with Payter cloud API to integrate with terminals and with other Electriqua services to collect necessary data from the system such as charging session or connector statuses.
Terminal Setup
Tenant needs to add the terminal via Electriqua dashboard, connect one or multiple stations to it, perform a test to verify that the terminal is set up correctly, and then the terminal is ready for usage in the system.
Terminal Operation
Payter service receives terminal state updates and sets the start UI screen once the terminal sends IDLE status. Start screen allows the driver to choose language and, starting with this point, Payter service saves all the choices which driver makes on the terminal screen into the user session object.
Then Payter service tells Payter Cloud API to show a station selection screen if there are multiple stations connected to the terminal or connector selection screen if there’s only one station connected. Connector selection screen provides info about connector type, number, maximum power, and price per kWh. After those choices are made by the driver, if the connector’s plugged in and there’s no active charging session, Payter service sets the payment amount selection screen which defines the amount charged from the card before starting the charging session.
Once the driver’s ready with the choice, Payter service tells Payter Cloud API to set the terminal into card reading mode and the driver needs to provide their card for the authorization. Once the card’s read, the previously selected payment amount is held at the card holder’s account by calling the corresponding Payter cloud API endpoint and the charging session gets initiated. Once charging starts, the driver could also see a screen notification.
Charging Status and Termination
After some time when the driver wants to know the status of their charging, they need to select the same connector at the screen and, as there’s an active charging session on the connector, Payter service retrieves the data about charging session including consumed kWh and charging time and shows it at the UI screen. If the driver wants to stop the charging session, they need to use the stop charging button at the bottom of the charging info screen.
After clicking at this button, they need to provide the payment card once again to make sure that they initiated this charging session and after this validation the charging session stops. The finalization of payment also happens at this moment by calling the corresponding Payter cloud API endpoint, and only this amount which was used for charging is charged from the card.
Refunds and Error Handling
That’s it, using a terminal for EV charging has never been so simple. It’s also important to mention that the charged amount is only held at the card holder’s account and if the driver stops the charging session before using all the money, the unused amount is returned to the card.
In case something goes wrong with the charging session or payment, the driver could see the error screen with their terminal session id and contact Electriqua support in case they need more information. Operators could use the Electriqua dashboard and find terminal sessions by the session id provided by the driver. There they could find out the reason why the session couldn’t start.
Multi-Driver Usage
Also it’s important to mention that the Payter terminal could be used by several drivers and all of them could select the necessary connector and start charging or check charging information. In case there’s no activity at any selection UI screen, Payter service sets user presence check UI screen and if there’s no yes button at this screen selected after 30 seconds, terminal goes back to default start screen not to block other drivers from using the terminal.
Key Benefits
- Integration Flexibility: Connect Payter Terminals seamlessly to the Electriqua system via API or backend alignment with the team.
- Centralized Management: Manage pricing and transaction flows directly from the Electriqua portal, ensuring consistency across all payment terminals.
- Enhanced Cost Efficiency: Link a single payment terminal to multiple charge points to optimize operational costs and streamline financial management.
Will You Benefit?
This integration can benefit you significantly, especially while managing DC chargers in high-traffic locations. By offering direct credit card payment options to visitors, including tourists who may need access to local apps, Electriqua supports operators in meeting regulatory standards while enhancing user convenience. It is worth noting that such a non-modification solution significantly reduces costs for the business.
With Electriqua, you can now seamlessly set up payment processes at your charging station. This solution simplifies this task for both you and your customers. The world is increasingly moving away from cash in favour of alternative payment methods.