By James O’Neill, CEO, Paythru

James O’Neill, CEO, Paythru

Many large fleet operators are making big investments in electrification. Meanwhile, the case for private professional drivers to switch to EVs is strong, thanks to savings on petrol and maintenance. Fleet electrification is the clear direction of travel. Range is no longer a problem, with modern EVs easily handling a day or two of solid driving.

But despite this optimism, many professional drivers are still sceptical of EVs.

Part of the reason is that we still need more chargers, but this is well known and being addressed. Far less discussed is the second reason people dislike EVs: they find the charging experience too cumbersome.

If we are to support fleet drivers (and the wider population) to transition to EVs, user experience needs to be improved.

The problems of user experience

First, let’s consider the problem.

Paythru’s recent research, amongst 2,000 potential future EV drivers, found 60-80% citing multiple concerns about the EV charging experience, which they said would or might put them off getting an EV.

These included: ‘not being able to easily find an electric vehicle charging point’; ‘having to download different apps’; ‘understanding and comparing different payment tariffs and additional fees’; and ‘not having someone available if there is a problem with the charging point’ (more detail in Fleet World news story here).

These are all relevant to fleet drivers, who use much of the same infrastructure. To add to this, our industry conversations highlighted a fleet-specific challenge: getting a receipt. Often that is handled by the company app or card, but drivers sometimes need a receipt to bill a charge to their employer, or for a tax return. Sometimes the card, or card reader, is not working and they need to pay themselves. No charge point issues a receipt, and getting one is often a hassle.

How do you solve a problem like user experience?

Most solutions are in the hands of charge point operators themselves. To support the fleet transition they need to heed these concerns.

For example, they should set clear transparent tariffs which combine all fees (e.g. charging and parking) into one simple transaction. And they should offer interoperability between schemes, so fleets can enable their users to pay for everything with one card or app (some such schemes exist but there is still room to expand and simplify).

They should ensure card readers – essential for fleet card schemes as well as impromptu payments – are everywhere. Many legacy charge points will need readers retrofitting. Where this is difficult, there are some creative solutions available, such as connecting charge points to nearby parking payment terminals. At the very least they should offer a simple QR code that links to a payment page as an alternative to an app.

And of course, getting a receipt should be made easy, either issued at the terminal or emailed automatically to the driver (again a QR code can take you to a site that handles this if the charge point cannot).

What can fleet operators do about this?

Even if fleet operators are not making these decisions, they can make their voices heard. Many are in conversations with charge point operators, as they shape electrification plans and design payment schemes. They can use these to make clear the challenges their drivers face on the ground.

And in some cases, fleet operators do have control over charge point decisions. Many are deploying chargers in depots, or making deals with landowners and car parks to provide fleet charging. They should use these projects to set the standard for good user experience.

Fleet operators cannot do everything. But their large user base should give them outsized influence on the design of charging infrastructure. They should use this to demand not just availability, but also good user experience for their drivers.

Who are Paythru and why do we care?

Paythru does not have all the answers to the problems discussed in this article, but we recognise their importance and want to collaborate on the solutions. We are working with EV charging companies, landowners and fleet managers to help move payments to the cloud where complexity can be handled well away from the user. We conducted the research discussed in this article in the hope of highlighting the user experience challenge, and spurring useful conversations on the solutions.

To download Paythru’s ‘Taming the EV Charging Wild West’ white paper, please click here.