The proverbial velvet rope may do wonders for trendy nightclubs, but it's apparently hurting the plug-in vehicle industry. While the lack of available public charging stations is largely viewed as a hurdle to broader EV adoption, research firm Frost & Sullivan says membership-based payment systems a big hindrance.
While the membership model, in which drivers are required to "join" a network to use a particular type of charging station, is great for the folks who build and deploy the stations, it's inconvenient for people who simply want to pull in and "fill up" just as they do at gas stations.
One solution is the broadened use of so-called near field communication (NFC), which would allow drivers to simply use their smartphones to get their payment sources authenticated. Frost & Sullivan calls NFC a "game changer" for plug-in adoption.
While not ditching the membership model altogether, ECOtality, maker of Blink charging systems, and ChargePoint (formerly Coulomb Technologies) in March formed a joint-venture called Collaboratev LLC that allowed a cross-membership of sorts, giving the two sets of "members" access to both types of charging stations.
Read Frost & Sullivan's press release below.
While the membership model, in which drivers are required to "join" a network to use a particular type of charging station, is great for the folks who build and deploy the stations, it's inconvenient for people who simply want to pull in and "fill up" just as they do at gas stations.
One solution is the broadened use of so-called near field communication (NFC), which would allow drivers to simply use their smartphones to get their payment sources authenticated. Frost & Sullivan calls NFC a "game changer" for plug-in adoption.
While not ditching the membership model altogether, ECOtality, maker of Blink charging systems, and ChargePoint (formerly Coulomb Technologies) in March formed a joint-venture called Collaboratev LLC that allowed a cross-membership of sorts, giving the two sets of "members" access to both types of charging stations.
Read Frost & Sullivan's press release below.
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