While many countries across the globe have set targets to eventually remove petrol cars from the streets and replace them with electric vehicles, a vast number of pain points still exist in this space that have to be solved before these targets become a genuine possibility.
In an effort to help charge point operators (CPOs) provide more user-friendly payment solutions for their customers, payment giant Mastercard is joining forces with Last Mile Solutions, an electric vehicle (EV) charging and smart energy management platform provider.
Through the partnership, Mastercard will introduce a new solution that enables CPOs to integrate existing EV charging stations with a variety of payment terminal brands, without requiring extensive integration efforts. Mastercard hopes the payment gateway solution will unify the user experience and simplify payment terminal integration, onboarding and transaction processing.
George Simon, executive vice president of market development Europe at Mastercard: “The transition to the mass adoption of electric mobility is key to building a more sustainable world. Achieving this requires partnerships like these to make the transition as seamless as possible, not only for consumers but also for infrastructure operators.”
Through this collaboration, Mastercard and Last Mile Solutions are also fostering the uptake of electric vehicles throughout Europe by eliminating existing barriers and simplifying the charging process for drivers with interoperable and universal payment solutions.
The solution will be rolled out across Europe starting in early 2024 to enable CPOs to comply with the EU AFIR regulation that will come into force in April 2024.
Eric van Voorden, chief executive officer at Last Mile Solutions, also added: “In the dynamic world of payment systems and electric vehicle charging, this strategic partnership between Mastercard and Last Mile Solutions will accelerate a seamless electric vehicle adoption.
“Our leadership in the market is anchored by providing an effortless payment terminal solution for charging stations for retrofit and newly built charging stations. This collaboration is designed to support CPOs to seamlessly facilitate integration and comply with AFIR.”
