EV Charging - Lessons Learned from the Parking Industry

As EV charging infrastructure expands, operators face many of the same EV charging payment challenges that the parking industry has been solving for years. Both markets depend on unattended payment systems, and in EV charging those unattended EV payments must operate reliably outdoors, process secure transactions, integrate with management platforms, and scale across large networks of distributed locations.

At ID TECH, we bring decades of unattended payment experience to the EV charging market. Our payment solutions have been deployed by leading parking technology providers such as Orikan and T2 Systems, supporting parking operators around the world. Today, ID TECH powers more than 1 million payment products across global unattended payment deployments, helping organizations deliver secure, reliable, and convenient payment experiences. This proven track record enables us to help EV charging operators deploy an EV charger payment solution and a complete electric vehicle payment system that reduces deployment risk and accelerates time to market with confidence.

Built for Reliability in Outdoor Environments

For EV charging operators, the reliability of the EV charging payment terminal directly impacts charger uptime, revenue, and customer satisfaction.

ID TECH's expertise in harsh outdoor deployments has been proven through years of success in the parking industry. One example is our partnership with Orikan, a leading parking technology provider across Australia and New Zealand. In cities such as Brisbane, payment devices are exposed to intense heat, high humidity, frequent thunderstorms, and prolonged UV exposure. Through these deployments, ID TECH has demonstrated the durability and reliability required for mission-critical unattended applications.

Featured EV charging payment products

Kiosk V

VP7200

VP6825

AP6800

The same challenges exist in EV charging environments. Chargers are often installed in exposed outdoor locations and generate significant heat during operation, placing added demands on an embedded EV charging card reader or a standalone EV payment kiosk. To address these requirements, selected ID TECH products support extended operating temperature ranges from -40°C to 85°C (-40°F to 185°F), making them well suited for use as an outdoor payment terminal in demanding EV charging deployments.

Our commitment to reliability extends beyond temperature tolerance. ID TECH's IP65 testing protocol goes well beyond standard requirements, exposing products to up to 100 times more water exposure than typical IP65 certification testing. This rigorous validation helps ensure dependable performance in real-world conditions and gives operators confidence that their payment systems can withstand years of outdoor operation.

By leveraging technology proven in parking, transit, and other unattended environments worldwide, EV charging operators can reduce deployment risk, minimize maintenance requirements, and maximize charger uptime.

Secure, Contactless Payments for Unattended EV Charging

Payment security is a critical requirement for both parking and EV charging operators. Drivers expect fast, contactless EV charging with support for NFC EV payments, while operators must protect cardholder data and maintain compliance with industry standards.

ID TECH offers a comprehensive portfolio of EMV-certified payment devices designed for unattended environments. Our support for EMV EV charging, contactless, and mobile transactions means drivers can pay with a card, phone, or wearable. In addition, our Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) solutions help reduce security risks by encrypting payment data from the moment a card is presented. By combining certified hardware with proven security technologies, operators can confidently deploy payment systems that help protect both their business and their customers.

Simplifying EMV Certification and Accelerating Deployment

One of the biggest challenges in deploying new payment solutions is the time and complexity involved in integration and certification.

To help simplify deployment, ID TECH offers Payment Application Engine (PAE), a semi-integrated payment solution that reduces the complexity of EMV Level 3 certification and helps customers bring new solutions to market faster. By minimizing the development effort required to integrate payment functionality, PAE allows solution providers to focus on delivering value to their customers. In addition, the PAE solution is certified with multiple payment processors, increasing flexibility and further streamlining payment integration.

In addition, ID TECH's NEO 3 platform features a common EMV kernel architecture across the product family. Once a payment solution has been certified with one NEO 3 device, integrating additional NEO 3 products can often be accomplished without repeating the EMV L3 certification process. This flexibility helps OEMs, software providers, and system integrators expand their offerings more efficiently while reducing certification costs and deployment timelines.

Integrating with Parking and EV Charging Management Platforms

Successful unattended payment deployments require more than reliable hardware. They also require tight integration with the systems that manage day-to-day operations.

In the parking industry, ID TECH payment devices integrate with leading Parking Access and Revenue Control Systems (PARCS), enabling operators to connect payment acceptance directly into their parking management workflows.

Similarly, for EV charging applications, ID TECH provides software development kits (SDKs) that simplify integration with Charging Point Management Systems (CPMS). This allows charging operators, charger manufacturers, and software providers to incorporate secure payment acceptance into their existing charging infrastructure while maintaining flexibility and control over the user experience.

Scaling Operations While Reducing Costs

As networks grow from a handful of locations to hundreds or thousands of deployed devices, operational efficiency becomes increasingly important.

ID TECH helps organizations scale more effectively through remote device management capabilities that simplify device monitoring and maintenance. Firmware updates can be deployed remotely, reducing the need for costly onsite service visits and ensuring devices remain current with the latest features and security updates.

Additionally, remote key injection capabilities streamline device provisioning and lifecycle management, helping operators deploy new devices more quickly while reducing operational overhead. Together, these capabilities help organizations lower operating costs and efficiently manage large-scale unattended payment networks.

Bringing Proven Expertise to EV Charging

The EV charging industry is evolving rapidly, but many of the challenges surrounding payment acceptance have already been addressed in mature unattended markets such as parking and transit. By leveraging technology and expertise proven across thousands of real-world deployments, EV charging operators can reduce risk, accelerate implementation, and deliver a better experience for drivers.

Whether you're building a new charging network, integrating payment acceptance into charging infrastructure, or looking to simplify deployment and management, our EV charging payment solutions can help.

Contact our team today to learn how our proven unattended payment solutions can support your EV charging initiatives.

EV Charging Payment FAQs

Can ID TECH payment readers handle outdoor EV charging conditions? Selected ID TECH products support extended operating temperatures from -40°C to 85°C (-40°F to 185°F) and pass an IP65 test protocol with up to 100 times more water exposure than standard IP65 testing, so they hold up to heat, rain, and UV at exposed charging sites.

Does the Payment Application Engine reduce EMV certification time? Yes. PAE is a semi-integrated solution that lowers the complexity of EMV Level 3 certification and is certified with multiple payment processors, helping operators bring solutions to market faster.

How do ID TECH readers integrate with EV charging software? ID TECH provides SDKs that connect payment acceptance to Charging Point Management Systems (CPMS), giving charger manufacturers and software providers control over the driver experience.