United States
If you’re an ISV developing EV charging applications, you already know that from the driver’s perspective, the currently deployed networks leave a lot to be desired.
When it comes to charging on the go, American EV drivers still must contend with a whole host of challenges, ranging from app overload and pricing confusion to inconsistent charger availability to—surprise!—broken or poorly maintained chargers. It’s no wonder that range anxiety remains a very real problem, especially for longer and rural trips.
Yet EV sales continue to rise, now accounting for 7.5% of all new-vehicle purchases—despite the charging infrastructure gaps as well as supply-chain pressures and political headwinds.
This state of affairs creates an opportunity sweet spot for ISVs dedicated to creating better charging networks and better EV driver experiences. Here at Payroc, we couldn’t agree more. And as payment experts, we know that the current EV charging payments integrations contribute to driver frustration.
So let’s take a look at what EV drivers hate about payments-related charging network problems—and how Payroc can help you solve for them.
1. App Overload
The average American EV driver already has 3 to 6 regularly used charging apps on their phone and as many as a dozen installed, including aggregator apps like PlugShare and network-specific apps. Drivers are frustrated by this fragmentation and would prefer fewer, unified platforms.
As you know, NEVI rules require payment terminals on every new charger, in part to circumvent the app-overload problem. When pulling up to a random charger, many drivers would prefer to simply insert or tap a credit card than figure out a new app.
How Payroc can help: Payroc is precertified to a myriad of the best cloud-based terminals, including those for unattended environments, allowing you to integrate and deploy simply and quickly. For your app, we provide an industry-leading end-to-end integration, from a unified API and Level 1 PCI compliance to flexible merchant acquirer programs, simple onboarding, full payment method support, exceptional reporting, and more.
2. Confusing Pricing
EV drivers hate how opaque and confusing charge pricing is. Some networks charge per kWh, some per minute, some with a hybrid approach. Many chargers don’t display a price before the driver plugs in. Plus drivers might be charged differently if they have a subscription or membership—but how many memberships can one EV driver be expected to have? Then there are idle fees, session fees, and other surprise charges.
The bottom line is that from a consumer perspective, EV charge pricing is a mess—leaving ample room for you to create a more transparent pricing ecosystem within your application.
How Payroc can help: Payroc can help you strategize and support implementation of clearer, more consistent pricing workflows. While the ISV is responsible for generating and displaying pricing within the app and on the charger screen, Payroc enables dynamic pricing inputs via API (e.g., per kWh, per minute, idle fees), which can be used to support real-time rate updates across interfaces. We also support integration of preauthorization logic and cost-estimate displays, helping ensure pricing accuracy in the payment payload and improving transparency for drivers.
To avoid mismatches between session data and what gets billed, Payroc enables pricing logic to be included in the payment flow, ensuring rates and fees are calculated accurately in the transaction payload. This data can be itemized in receipts and shown in in-app previews—when supported by the ISV’s software.
In addition, Payroc provides the underlying data and APIs ISVs need to support receipt clarity—such as energy cost, session fees, and idle fees. ISVs can use this data to generate detailed receipts in their own format and preferred delivery methods (SMS, email, in-app). Payroc also provides tools like automated tax-rate APIs and merchant-configurable surcharge fields to support accurate and consistent tax and fee calculations across charging sessions.
3. Confusing or Time-Consuming Payments
Just like drivers of gasoline-powered vehicles, EV drivers want to be able to pull up to a charger, fill up, and go as quickly as possible. For the most part, gas-station payments are predictable and easy. You simply insert or tap your card and you’re ready to pump.
But at many EV chargers, the payment interface can be confusing. The lack of consistency among chargers means drivers have to figure it out anew each time. Do you need an app (and if so, which app?), or is there a terminal? What is the session start process? If there’s a terminal, does the interface screen clearly tell you when and how to pay? Poorly integrated hardware and software means that EV drivers often dread approaching an EV charger they haven’t already mastered.
How Payroc can help: Payroc is known industrywide for its focus on customized partner integrations. We will work closely with you to ensure that every aspect of your payment integration makes it simple and fast for EV drivers to grasp and use.
Contactless payments are key to solving for this driver pain point, but the terminal’s tap-to-pay technology must be reliable and consistent. Payroc has deep experience in unattended payments, and our terminal partners are the best in the business.
4. Lack of Connectivity
When an EV driver needs a charge, they need a charge. Sometimes driving around to find a different charger or a different charging location half an hour down the road isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a recipe for roadside assistance.
What if cell service is poor, nonexistent, or down, and they can’t use their app? What if cloud processing malfunctions temporarily and the payment terminal won’t recognize the attempted payment? EV drivers are tired of being asked to own this problem. They want you to own this problem.
How Payroc can help: Payroc provides both cloud processing and local SDK-based processing. If connectivity is a potential concern in your use case, SDK processing may be the better choice. Our consultative integration approach means that we’ll work closely with you to help you choose what’s right for you.
5. Failed Payments or Unresponsive Terminals
When an EV driver dips or taps a viable payment card and the payment doesn’t take, that’s incredibly frustrating. Card readers can freeze or go offline. Sessions can seem to begin but then fail to authorize. What happens when the card reader continues to say “Processing” for minutes on end before ultimately timing out? This leads to abandoned charging attempts—and sometimes getting stranded.
How Payroc can help: A good payment integration supports layered payment methods so that if one fails, others are available. Think QR code links, pay-by-text, and fallback to wallet on file. The integration layer should also include smart retry logic and real-time terminal monitoring. Session-state decoupling can also separate session start and payment authorization, allowing drivers to plug in and start charging immediately while attempting payment in parallel and providing post-session billing. This feature is especially pertinent and helpful for fleets.
Problem Solve with Payroc
Payroc brings experience in the EV-charging application space and is eager to help you make EV charging a better, more reliable experience for drivers. While we realize that payments are just one of the many problems you are solving for, we also understand that smart, understandable, reliable, and fast payments are essential to your software’s growth and success. It’s a responsibility we approach with commitment and full-team support.
Let’s talk EV-charging payment solutions today. Visit payroc.com to learn more.