Recargo, the company behind the popular EV charging station locator app known as PlugShare, just announced that it has now expanded the app to include not just the ability to locate charging stations but also to pay for your charging via the app. The new payment solution — dubbed “Pay With PlugShare” — will give users the option of paying via the station locator app at over 300 SemaConnect charging stations through the US and Canada.
According to Recargo, the new Pay With PlugShare program solves a lot of the “problems” that accompany other systems — proprietary payment, fees, and members-only charging. Instead, all that you need to pay for is the charging.
“Since the payment method only needs a smartphone and doesn’t require membership costs and prepaid subscriptions, and RFID tokens or phone calls, this process is more reliable and cost effective for drivers to charge,” Recargo notes.
Image Credit: Screen Capture
“We heard from drivers and charging networks who want to make paying for charging as easy as we’ve made finding a place to charge. We thought if it’s possible to pay for a parking meter with a credit card, why not the same for a charging station?” stated Brian Kariger, CEO of Recargo Inc. “We are pleased to launch Pay With PlugShare with SemaConnect and finally give drivers a simple solution to charging payment. Ultimately, we want the industry to thrive and our service to encourage EV adoption by providing the smoothest plug-‐in experience for all.”
The payment platform is now available for iOS and will be available for Android before then end of the year.
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