Tritium adds Plug & Charge capability to its charging stations

Tritium

Tritium, an Australia-based manufacturer of DC fast charging stations, has incorporated Plug & Charge technology into its products. Tritium says Plug & Charge capability is available immediately for charge point operators to deploy on its PK350kW DC High Power Chargers.

Plug & Charge, based on the ISO 15118 standard, enables direct communication between an EV and a charger, eliminating the need for a card or RFID tag. Using Plug & Charge, a charging session will be automatically and securely billed from the moment the plug connects to the vehicle, regardless of the network operator.

“This firmly and irreversibly tips the convenience scales to the recharging experience over the refueling experience,” says Tritium co-founder and CTO James Kennedy. “There is no more need for a membership card or even to swipe a bank card at a terminal; this is the first and most secure iteration available to the market and, once deployed to critical mass, will render any former payment process archaic.”

Kennedy says Tritium’s Plug & Charge solution is more secure than existing card-swipe or RFID tag payment methods. “A third party such as Hubject, which provides an automated and secure data exchange enabled by ISO 15118-conforming Public Key Infrastructure, is responsible for cryptographic certifications between the vehicle and the charger, and our technology ensures we are securely storing cryptographic keys on the charger side in a way that other chargers can’t. You’re more likely to lose a card and have someone swipe it somewhere than by someone being able to access account details via our Plug & Charge technology.”

Vehicles will also need a way to secure the vehicle-side cryptographic key, which will become commonplace with emerging models. “The vehicles will need to have the storage technology built in, in much the same way as paying for something with your smartphone requires NFC technology,” said Kennedy. “Once that becomes the norm, as NFC has, you will see the incidents of Plug & Charge payments skyrocket.”

Tritium has tested its Plug & Charge technology in a live setting at a number of its PK350kW DC High Power Chargers in Germany. The solution has also been repeatedly tested at the Tritium E-Mobility Innovation Centre in Amsterdam, where automotive manufacturers have been able to test vehicles for interoperability with Tritium’s suite of DC chargers.

“We placed our innovation centre strategically in Amsterdam and at the epicentre of Europe’s automotive manufacturing sector,” said Kennedy. “That investment has paid off, and directly led to the rapid development of the technology. It’s a major reason why we’re first to the market with a secure and advanced charger technology.”

Source: Tritium

Comment
Create Account. Already Registered? Log In

Virtual Conference on EV Engineering: Free to Attend

Don't miss our next Virtual Conference on April 15-18, 2024. Register for the free webinar sessions below and reserve your spot to watch them live or on-demand.

LOAD MORE SESSIONS

Webinars & Whitepapers

EV Tech Explained