Driving Global Growth in EV Charging Infrastructure

Electric vehicles (EVs) are moving into the mainstream, creating enormous opportunities for manufacturers of EV charging station infrastructure. To make the most of this market potential, OEMs like AUTEL need user authentication and access control solutions that work globally.

Access Solutions for EV Charging Infrastructure

EV charging stations require user authentication and access control to protect valuable assets and track user behavior. An access control system for EV charging:

• Prevents unauthorized people from using EV charging infrastructure, and
• Identifies users so they can be matched to back-end systems for payment processing, behavioral analysis and loyalty programs.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers can be integrated into EV charging infrastructure for user authentication and access control. These convenient, user-friendly systems work well for both public and private EV charging stations, with benefits for both station managers and users. Instead of entering a password or pulling out a credit card, users can simply pass an ID card or smartphone over the charger to identify themselves and unlock access. And the systems are easy to administer and operate for station owners.

An integrated authentication and access control solution that is simple to administer and works with locally adopted transponder technologies is a competitive advantage for equipment manufacturers like AUTEL, a leading provider of high-end DC and AC charging stations. But with more than 60 RFID transponder technologies in use worldwide, plus smartphone-based credentialing systems using Near-field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE), meeting the needs of users in all markets is a challenge.

AUTEL: Thinking Global While Meeting Local Requirements

AUTEL is a fast-growing EV charging supplier based in China. They are now bringing their EV charging solutions into the North American, European and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets. They needed an RFID solution that would meet the needs of all customers for their new 60kW-240kW DC charging product lines.

Previously, they had worked with different reader manufacturers to create products tailored to each market. This was necessary because most RFID readers can only be configured to read a few transponder technologies. However, stocking different versions of their EV charging products created a number of challenges for inventory management and after-sales support.

For their new lines, they wanted a reader that could serve their entire customer base—and open up new market opportunities around the globe. The perfect reader solution would:

• Support all common transponder technologies in use globally—including both high- and low-frequency RFID and smartphone credentialing systems using NFC or BLE.
• Be pre-certified for use in all of the countries in which they wanted to do business.
• Meet their customers’ requirements for device security and functionality.
• Be easy to update in the field as customer needs change.

A universal reader is a significant competitive advantage for companies seeking to globalize, allowing companies to think globally while meeting the requirements of each local market. This simplifies inventory management and helps companies control costs for training and customer support. At the same time, it helps companies prepare for the future. Since they are already capable of supporting smartphone credentialing systems, companies will be well prepared to meet evolving needs and user expectations in this area as well.