Charge Cards Explained

Table of Contents

Charge cards can be categorized based on their type, such as RFID or Virtual Token, or by their usage, such as Customer Card or Admin Card.

RFID Charge Cards

An RFID card is a contactless card that utilizes radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to communicate with the EV charger. A Charge Card enables the user to initiate the charging process and automatically charge their account.

Physical RFID cards or tokens (key fobs) have both an internal ID (uID) and an external ID:
– The internal ID must consist of 14 characters to ensure uniqueness.
– The external ID is generated automatically based on the provider ID.
When using an RFID card for charging, transactions are settled through an invoice.

Virtual Token (Remote App)

Virtual tokens, represented as app tokens, differ from physical RFID cards in that they do not possess an internal uID as they are entirely virtual in nature. Instead, each app token is assigned an automatically generated external card number.

When utilizing a virtual token for charging, transactions are settled through invoice. Direct payment methods, such as credit card, iDeal, and others can be done without a virtual token attached.

In EVC-net, we also classify cards based on whether they are:

Customer Cards

A Customer card is a type of card that is linked to a customer’s account and must undergo activation before it can be utilized at a charging station. These Customer cards can serve as both post-paid and pre-paid cards.

– Activation Required: Before a Customer card can be used, it must go through an activation process.
– Pre-Paid Use: Customers can load credit onto the card in advance, allowing for prepaid usage.
– Post-Paid Use: Alternatively, Customer cards can be employed for post-paid transactions, where the charges incurred are billed to the customer’s account on a monthly basis.

This flexibility makes Customer cards a versatile choice for various billing and payment preferences.

Admin Cards

Admin cards are intended exclusively for testing purposes, such as during production or by field mechanics. An Admin card will always be accepted at a charging station.

It’s important to note that a charge card designated for customer use cannot function as an Admin card.

Charge Card IDs

Charge cards have two types of IDs:

External Card ID – This is the number printed on the card itself (e.g., NL-LMS-0123456-X).

Internal Card ID – This is the number programmed within the card itself, serving to identify the card at charging stations.

Both IDs must be unique, and having identical IDs is not permissible within evc-net.com.

Charge Card Provisioning

In most cases, charge cards are provided by LMS to the provider to ensure accurate registration into evc-net.com. Subsequently, the provider can distribute them to end-users, either in an active or inactive state.

Charge Card Functionalities in EVC-net

When you access a particular charge card within EVC-net, you gain access to various functionalities and information related to that card:

Active

The card’s current status is displayed, which can be categorized as ‘Active,’ ‘Inactive,’ or ‘Deactivated.’ You have the option to activate or deactivate the card by simply clicking the ‘Activate’ or ‘Deactivate’ button.

When attaching a customer to a card, the card will automatically be activated.

Subscription

Within EVC-net, there are two subscription options available to enhance the service:

Monthly Recurring Fee (e.g., Subscription): This option involves a regular, periodic charge, on a monthly basis.

One-Time Fee (e.g., Activation Costs): This is a single, upfront charge.

The transaction costs associated with charging cannot be replaced by either of the mentioned subscriptions.

Wallet

The EVC-net platform offers a convenient feature known as the wallet, which allows users to add charging credit to their card. When activated, the customer’s account can only be used for charging with this charging credit, and it must be topped up when the balance is depleted.

Here’s how the wallet feature works:

Exclusive Charging Credit: Once the Wallet feature is enabled, the associated charge card can only be used with the charging credit deposited into the wallet. Other payment methods are not accepted.
Roaming Disabled: Once the Wallet feature is enabled, the roaming must be disabled. Roaming refers to using charging points on third-party networks. This is because real-time monitoring is unavailable for transactions on external networks, making it impossible to halt a transaction when the wallet runs out of credit.

Example:

Suppose €10 is loaded into the wallet. In that case, charging is possible until the balance reaches €10. Once the wallet is empty, new funds must be added before further charging can occur. Notably, the money in the wallet does not expire.

Prepaid transactions can only be initiated on charge points within the provider’s own network. Transactions outside the provider’s network are not allowed.

When the wallet balance is depleted during a charging session, the transaction will automatically be stopped.

Topping up the Wallet

The wallet can be topped up in two ways:

System Administrator: An administrator can add funds to a wallet via the back-office. The amount added will be included in the provider’s invoice after the first transaction using the wallet is completed.
End-User: End-users can independently top up their wallet using the white-label Laadpaal smartphone application. This can be done through the menu item ‘Activate or top up your card.’

Customer

Within EVC-net, charge cards can be associated with different customer roles, allowing for distinct responsibilities and billing arrangements. There are three primary customer roles that can be attached to a charge card:

Card Holder: This refers to the customer account that physically possesses the charge card. The card holder is the individual or entity that uses the card for charging.
Payer Subscription: The customer account designated as the payer for the charge card subscription. This role is responsible for receiving and settling invoices related to the charge card’s subscription fee.
Payer Charge Transactions: The customer account responsible for receiving and settling invoices related to the charging transactions made using the charge card.

It is possible to attach multiple cards to the same customer.

The first time a customer is attached to a charge card, it will be attached to all three roles. To change a role to another customer, repeat the process and a role selection menu will now be prompted.

When you attach an employee account to a charge card, the employee account will automatically be set as the ‘Card holder’ and the company account (employer) will be set as ‘Payer charge transactions’.

Card Data

In the “Card Data” subsection, you can access and modify all the properties and settings associated with a charge card as needed.

Roaming

One of the most important settings of a charge card is ‘Use for roaming’. When this box is checked, the charge card will be activated for roaming. This means that the charge card will be available to use on charging stations of other charge point operators (CPOs). When the card is used for roaming, the costs for a transaction will be invoiced to the customer.

It’s important to note that the activation for roaming may take some time to become fully processed by roaming partners. In some cases, it can take up to 48 hours for the charge card to be recognized and accepted by other charging networks.

Updated on September 11, 2024

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