Tritium Jumps Into “Plug & Charge” At 350 kW

We have delved into the intricacies of super convenient “Plug & Charge” technology a handful of times recently. On the user end, the important thing is that it’s extremely simple — you plug your electric car into a charging station and it starts charging. No apps, no cards, no keys, no widgets. If you’ve experienced Tesla Supercharging, it’s basically that. Well, you could say its basically like simple home charging, except the charging operator can automatically identify your car and take money out of your virtual wallet.

Tritium, an EV fast charging company based out of Australia, has now jumped into Plug & Charge. In fact, Tritium says it’s “first to market” with this new solution, offering 350 kW ultrafast chargers (aka high-power chargers) right now with Plug & Charge capability. If you’re a charge point operator (or want to be a charge point operator), you can buy one (or 10) right now. (Though, I don’t see the option on the website, so it may need to be a special order.)

“The technology, leveraging the ISO15118 standard, enables an electric vehicle and charger to communicate seamlessly and authorize payments directly from the driver’s account, without the need for a card or RFID tag. …

“Drivers will be able to approach a charger, regardless of the charging network operator, and their charge session will be automatically and securely billed from the moment the charger plug connects to the vehicle.”

If you want to get a little more technical on the security side of things Tritium CTO and cofounder James Kennedy provides more info: “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 and Charge technology.”

This may seem like a minor thing, but if the last 100 years of business have shown us anything, it’s that humans are obsessive about convenience. We want everything done easier and faster. Electric vehicles, despite the media obsession with supposed “range anxiety,” have had a convenience edge over gasoline or diesel vehicles for a long time since many owners can charge them at home or work, often just by plugging in (plugging & automagically charging). However, mental habits are hard to break and it seems every conversation about electric vehicles with a “normal person” quickly comes around to charging — how long it takes to charge, in particular. For those charging needs away from home, pulling out a card or app to unlock the plug and then plugging the car in is not hard, but it’s a barrier and can be scary to non-owners or new owners. Also, if you have to get a few (or more) cards for different networks in your area, that can feel annoying. It’s still cleaner and more enjoyable than going to a gas station, but it’s less familiar at first and many won’t cross over if they feel it’s confusing or “challenging.”

Plug & Charge solutions make charging an EV very definitively more convenient than going to a gas station. First of all, you don’t have to stand next to the vehicle while it fuels up (and pollutes your lungs and brain in the meantime). You can go shopping, work or play on your phone, go for a walk, or rest your eyes for a few minutes while the car charges. Additionally, you don’t have to pull out your credit card, cash, or even your phone to pay. The charging station recognizes your car automagically and takes the appropriate amount of money. This solidly beats using a gas pump.

Tritium has gotten a fair amount of virtual ink on CleanTechnica over the years, but here’s a short synopsis from the company in case you’re not familiar with this firm (or don’t know all of the following details) and want to know how it is that a company from Down Under is the first to implement 350 kW Plug & Charge ultrafast chargers: “Tritium is currently the majority supplier to the IONITY network and the largest supplier of 350kW DC HPCs in Europe. Tritium’s award-winning RT50/50kW DCFC has been installed in many private and public networks across the globe for customers including Fortum, Grønn Kontakt, IONITY, Circle-K, EDF, Enel-X, NKM Mobiliti, Virta, Stromnetz, Nissan, NRMA, Evie Networks, Chargefox, Charge.net.nz and Drive Energi, Nissan, Chargefox, Charge.net.nz, Harley Davidson and Shell/Greenlots.”

All images courtesy Tritium