Visa has launched a call to standardize the systems for seamless, interoperable payments in electric vehicle (EV) charging points across Europe. The company believes that the European EV charging industry should commit to providing consumers with the freedom to pay with their chosen method – primarily by adopting open-loop and interoperable payments.

At present, there is no widespread industry standard for payment acceptance at EV charging points. This leads to a system where consumers across Europe often do not have a choice of payment method and are forced into a single option (for example, signing up to an app or provider program) or even face not being able to charge their vehicle because they aren’t registered with the required subscription service. Only a small number of European countries, such as Germany, have legislated for a standardized approach.

To assist with making progress for consumers on this issue, Visa is launching a consultation with EV charging point manufacturers and other industry leaders to identify barriers and solutions to the widespread acceptance of interoperable contactless and digital payments.

Visa has also announced it will become the first company from the financial services and payments industries to join the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) as a full member. CharIN is dedicated to promoting global charging-related standards by bringing together participants from across the e-mobility value chain to develop a global infrastructure, a secure charging and payment protocol, and new technologies to ease the transition to EV and encourage more adoption, faster. Through its CharIN membership, Visa aims to use its payments expertise to support these objectives.