Bypassing the payment terminal with 49.9 kW: TMH sells HYC49 from Alpitronic

Even before the AFIR (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation) came into force on 13 April 2024, it had already sparked numerous discussions within the industry. In particular, the requirement that all newly installed charging stations with a charging capacity of 50 kW or more must have a payment terminal caused considerable controversy.

The relevant regulation states: “At publicly accessible charging points installed on or after 13 April 2024, it must be possible to charge using a payment instrument that is widely used in the Union. To this end, operators of charging points shall accept electronic payments at these points via terminals and devices used for payment services […].”

The Mobility House now offers the HYC49, a fast charger that, with a maximum of 49.9 kW, falls below the AFIR’s 50 kW limit and therefore no longer needs to be equipped with a credit card terminal. However, this is not a completely new charging station: The HYC49 is actually a HYC50, but with 100 watts less charging power ex works. According to The Mobility House, the HYC49 is technically based on the HYC50 and is simply configured to 49.9 kW at the factory. “This is done on the software side via the load profile and is permanently effective,” says the company.

Despite the absence of a payment terminal, interested parties still have access to “all familiar payment options: ad hoc payment (QR code) or traditional charging cards, as well as apps via backend providers (eRoaming),” according to the company. Plug&Charge is also supported. A payment terminal can still be retrofitted on request. However, according to The Mobility House, this will incur costs of around 2,500 euros.

The Mobility House is asking a gross price of around 22,260 euros for the HYC49 Hypercharger model itself. The delivery time is three to four months. It is currently unclear whether the HYC49 can also be ordered directly from Alpitronic. The charging infrastructure manufacturer does not yet list the model on its website. The editorial team has already made an enquiry about this. We will provide the answer as soon as we receive it.

Incidentally, the company is also asking the same price for the HYC50 – without a payment terminal. The delivery time is also three to four months. New and existing HYC50 models can be throttled to 49.9 kW with a software intervention. However, this does not comply with AFIR guidelines, as the product is factory-designed for 50 kW and is technically capable of delivering this. A payment terminal is therefore still required for this variant.

mobilityhouse.com (in German)

This article was first published by Daniel Bönnighausen for electrive’s German edition.