Daimler and Hubject piloting “Plug&Charge” system
Simplifying the electric charging process.
Auto maker Daimler, Hubject and ebee smart technologies have been pilot a new system, called Plug&Charge, which enables users to access charging stations by means of a digital certificate.
In a statement issued yesterday (17 April), Daimler said that drivers of electric vehicles previously needed to have the right charging card or smartphone app to gain access to public charging stations. In the Berlin-based pilot, the process was simplified by using Plug&Charge via the international standard ISO 15118.
According to Daimler: “ISO 15118 governs the automated, secure exchange of information between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure based on digital certificates. Once the connection between the vehicle and the charging station is established, the authorization data from the driver is transmitted and compared in encrypted form. After the check has been completed, the charging process starts automatically and the payment process is then carried out without any further action.”
The automaker added: “With the new smart EQ fortwo/forfour, Daimler now has the first electric vehicle in series production that supports Plug&Charge.”
Following the successful conclusion of the pilot, Daimler said that Plug&Charge is now “ready for series application as an innovative solution for the automated authorization and payment of the charging process”.
