EV Charging Tariff Retrieval for Card-Based Billing Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging station systems require prior registration and the use of specific charging cards, limiting flexibility and accessibility, especially for users who need to charge their electric vehicles in various locations within a large radius.
Innovation Solution
An operating method and charging arrangement that utilize a tariff server to store and provide current and archived tariffs, allowing users to charge their vehicles without prior registration and enabling the use of credit, debit, or giro cards, even with charging stations lacking an integrated payment card terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prior registration with charging station operator is required, then payment security and billing accuracy are improved, but user flexibility and accessibility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the payment authentication function from the charging station itself. The charging station only needs to provide charging service and basic metering, while the payment verification and billing are handled by external payment terminals and servers. This segmentation allows the charging station to remain simple and accessible while payment security is maintained through the separate payment infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
A payment terminal acts as an intermediary between the user and the charging station. The payment terminal reads payment information from the user's card, communicates with payment servers to verify credentials and calculate charges, then authorizes the charging station to provide service. This intermediary handles the complex payment security requirements without requiring the charging station to be overly complex or require user registration.
2Ease of operation
If charging stations are equipped with integrated payment card terminals, then payment processing capability is improved, but device complexity and installation cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The payment card terminal function is extracted from the charging station and implemented as a separate, portable device. The payment terminal can be moved between different charging stations, eliminating the need to install fixed payment processing equipment at each charging location. This reduces the complexity and cost of each individual charging station while maintaining full payment processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment terminal is designed as a universal device that can interface with multiple different charging stations. Rather than each charging station having its own dedicated payment terminal, a single payment terminal can serve multiple charging stations, making the payment processing capability universal across the charging network. This reduces overall system complexity and equipment costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple charging card systems are maintained, then compatibility with different charging stations is improved, but user time consumption and operational complexity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple charging card systems into a single unified payment interface. Instead of requiring users to carry and use different charging cards for different charging stations, the payment terminal accepts standard payment cards (credit cards, debit cards, giro cards) that work across all charging stations in the network. This consolidation eliminates the need for users to manage multiple charging-specific cards, reducing time consumption while maintaining compatibility with various charging stations.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an operating method for a charging arrangement for an electric vehicle, wherein the charging arrangement comprises at least one charging station (10) and an administration unit (30).The method comprises the following steps: - providing tariffs for a charging process at the at least one charging station (10); - storing and archiving the provided tariffs by a tariff server (40); - providing a public access option to retrieve the current and archived tariffs from the tariff server (40); - sending a first tariff request from the administration unit (30) to the tariff server (40) to retrieve a current tariff for the at least one charging station (10); - carrying out the charging process by the at least one charging station (10) and recording an amount of energy transferred during the charging process by an energy meter (12) of the at least one charging station (10); - creating a billing receipt by the administration unit (30) based on the previously retrieved tariff. The invention further relates to a charging arrangement having at least one charging station (10).The charging arrangement is characterized by a tariff server (40) which stores and archives a tariff applicable at the at least one charging station (10) and which is configured to provide current and archived tariffs upon request.