Hubject, Gireve & Irdeto announce Plug & Charge partnership
Each company in the partnership currently operates its own Plug & Charge network of varying sizes. In practice, what this means is they work with charge point operators (CPOs) and eMobility Service Providers (EMPs) to integrate streamlined charging into their charging networks in line with the ISO 15118 standard. The end result: EV drivers can plug their vehicles in, start charging immediately, and get billed automatically when they’re done without needing a payment card or RFID key.
At first, the partnership will entail API integrations between the three companies’ Plug & Charge Networks globally. That means approximately 4 million Plug & Charge-capable EVs will suddenly have access to many thousands more chargers with this functionality, automatically streamlining the charging process in a way that’s agnostic of the brand they drive or the CPO they prefer to use.
That’s at least the result for the end user. What it means for the industry is that CPOs, EMPs and even vehicle OEMs can simply choose which Plug & Charge company they want to work with out of the three, and they’ll gain access to the other two Plug & Charge ecosystems as well.
In a press release, Hubject shared its rationale for the interoperability agreement: “If each operator were to build their own closed Plug & Charge system, the market risks fragmentation and poor user experience. This partnership represents a pivotal shift in industry dynamics, where leading companies traditionally operating in parallel markets are choosing collaboration to advance the broader eMobility ecosystem.”
The companies also outlined how they hope to see the partnership grow. There are initial API integrations, which will enable rapid deployment of users to the three Plug & Charge networks. However, the three firms hope to follow this up with alignment on further technical development in order to scale in future.
Christian Hahn, CEO of Hubject, said: “This partnership with Gireve and Irdeto demonstrates how we can work together to expand access to Plug & Charge while upholding the highest standards of security and interoperability.”
Eric Placquet, CEO of Gireve, added: “This partnership is a first step in our joint efforts towards interoperable systems. The Plug & Charge industry is about to develop further soon. It needs to be rooted in a fair, robust and open market to scale up efficiently.”
0 Comments