opconnect 

OpConnect, a US-based provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging station technology, has introduced a smartphone payment service for its network of EV charging stations.

With the help of the new OpConnect iPhone app and other smartphone scanners, EV drivers can make payments at stations for a charging session and access free stations.

Payment through mobile phones is one of several payment options available to members and non-members of the OpConnect network.

Unlike rival networks that limit the access of charging stations to members, OpConnect stations can be accessed by any EV driver through smartphone, email address, a credit card, an OpConnect Network card and the Wright Express Fleet card.

OpConnect CEO Dexter Turner said that a usual complaint among EV drivers is that they need to carry a RFID device or a card to access certain stations, but OpConnect allows any driver to access its stations without the requirement of a pre-registration or making a call over a phone.

"Now we’re making it even easier for drivers to use OpConnect network stations with their smartphones," Turner added.

"Payment through mobile phones is one of several payment options available to members and non-members of the OpConnect network."

The company claims that its strength lies in its software and systems integration capability, including mobile technologies, and this is an example of how it is catering to the market requirement and innovating to give EV drivers what they want.

As well as the mobile payment option, OpConnect network stations also offer Wireless Valet features such as OpConnect’s social media integration.

OpConnect is a subsidiary of Optimization Technologies, a provider of electric vehicle charging systems.

The company’s OpConnect Electric Vehicle Charging System is an end-to-end service that includes charging stations, a secure wireless communications network, billing and charging station management and mobile phone applications.

Image: OpConnect’s new smartphone payment service allows electric vehicle drivers to access free stations and make payments at stations for a charging session. Photo: courtesy of PRNewsFoto/OpConnect, LLC.