Electric vehicle charging posts implements billing system
Electric vehicles will no doubt be more and more commonplace in the future, and you know what this means? More and more gas stations would have to learn to co-exist with these types of vehicles, resulting in each pump offering both electric charging as well as regular fuel. I do think that this isn’t such a good idea after all, since a slight spark in an electrical charging system could result in all that high octane fuel catching fire, blowing up in some Hollywood-style explosion. Well, that could just be my imagination getting the better of me, but what we have here is the first billing system in the world for electric vehicle charging posts.
This ground-breaking tool will be used for monitoring and invoicing electricity drawn from vehicle charging stations, and was recently unveiled at the Norwegian zero-emissions exhibition, EVS 24. Known as the EBConnect, the Elektromotive-developed station makes it a snap for electric vehicle owners to identify its energy consumption, where customers will be able to receive their bills accurately. This new system will see action in over 140 Elektrobay charging stations across the UK as a start.
The EBConnect software will be able to handle a two-way exchange of data via GSM and the Internet, capable of tracking electricity usage and invoice accordingly. While we don’t doubt the efficiency of such a system, there is always a possibility as with the case of technology to screw up along the way, so hopefully the customer service department is up to speed in handling calls and complaints of over-charging by accident. You need not rely on your credit card alone to pay, as this system even throws in a ‘pay-and-go’ service, where you must top up your personalised Elektrobay keyfob with credits before using. Of course, you can also add the costs automatically to your household utility bill if you prefer to consolidate everything into one piece of document.
Source: Gizmag
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Dan @ EnviroGadget.com Says: May 24, 2009 at 3:26 am
While being able to charge for electricity at these charging posts, I think that if we start charging for electricity too soon, there will be no incentive for people to use electric cars! These charging posts are currently free in the UK.
However, even with rising fossil fuel costs, there’s a hope that electric cars will still be cheaper to run.
Dan