Starting today, it will be easier than ever to charge at one of the 280 Ewiva stations, thanks to the innovative plug&charge system introduced in collaboration with Enel X Way as a technological enabler that allows the charging station to communicate directly with the car without the use of apps or cards. Moreover, just recently Ewiva extended the trial for direct payment by credit/debit card to 5 new Italian cities.
Milan, Sept. 20, 2023 – Ewiva is enhancing its efforts to make its electric vehicle charging service increasingly simple and open to all the e-drivers. After the recent expansion to 5 new Italian cities of the experimental project that allows people to pay for charging with their credit or debit card directly at the charging site, the joint venture of Enel X Way and Volkswagen Group has introduced Plug&Charge functionality on all its ultra-fast charging stations in Italy.
So from now on, at all HPC – High Power Charging – Ewiva charging stations, drivers of Plug&Charge-enabled electric cars will be able to recharge their vehicles without the use of apps or cards. In fact, thanks to the Plug&Charge feature, once they reach the HPC charging station, they have to simply unplug the connector from the column and plug it into the vehicle: the column automatically recognizes the car and the user profile connected to it, and in just a few seconds autonomously starts charging. To end the operation, on the other hand, simply press the stop button on the column, detach the connector from the car, put it back in its housing, and drive off again.
The Plug&Charge functionality, which complies with the ISO 15118 standard and has been introduced by Ewiva for the first time in a widespread manner on its network thanks to the technological enablement of Enel X Way, is already available on numerous electric vehicles spread across the market, allowing for fast, simple and reliable recharging and payment.
And to make the charging even easier, together with the introduction of Plug&Charge functionality, Ewiva is working on the expansion of the experimental project that allows people to pay for recharging with their credit or debit card, directly on its network. Launched in March 2023 at the HPC station in Ceprano (FR), the trial was extended in September to other charging stations selected for different use cases and types of tourist or general motorist traffic: Siena and Capalbio in Tuscany, Carini in Sicily, Lainate in Lombardy, and Mondovì in Piedmont. The service includes the possibility to pay directly at the station contactless through debit, credit or prepaid cards of the Mastercard, Visa, Vpay and Maestro circuits, or through Apple Pay and Google Pay.
With this innovation, Ewiva aims to enable electric vehicle charging even for occasional customers, such as tourists, those who have activated a short-term rental of an electric vehicle, or anyone who does not already have a subscription with a charging service provider (MSP). In addition, this card payment solution is also designed to offer an alternative to those who are oriented toward pay-as-you-go charging, including regular e-drivers who, in an emergency, may need different payment methods to take advantage of charging.
“Ewiva’s commitment to the development of electric mobility in Italy,” said Federico Caleno, CEO of Ewiva and Head of Country Italy of Enel X Way, “passes not only through the extension of the high-power charging infrastructure from the North to the South of the country, but also through the ability to offer new services to e-drivers that make the experience of traveling electrically increasingly simple and accessible to all. In fact, the Plug&Charge feature and the ability to pay for charging by card and enable the network to different payment circuits meet the multiple charging needs and broaden the accessibility of the service.”
These two initiatives confirm Ewiva’s desire to spread electric mobility in our country, a mission the company is fulfilling by focusing on ease, convenience and ubiquity. In fact, with its own charging network, Ewiva is now present all over the country, from North to South, including the Islands.