Price displays for EV charging hubs and fuel retailers come with a whole new set of challenges

IC Smart, by Bever Innovations offers the solutions.

Millions of electric vehicle (EV) drivers will benefit from easier and more reliable public charging thanks to new laws approved coming into force across Europe next year. Regulations will ensure that prices across charge-points are transparent and easy to compare and that a large proportion of new public charge points have contactless payment options.

In simple terms this means that whilst fuel prices on totem poles are a customary sight for customers arriving at a service station, currently drivers have not got a clue how much they will be charged until they plug in. Then there is the problem of charging at peak or off-peak times. The latter is far cheaper, but how do we know when these price variations kick in.

The bottom line, however, is that every EV hub in Europe, be it on a retail fuel station or a dedicated site, will soon have to get to grips with displaying prices. These must be clearly visible to arriving customers wishing to charge their EV vehicles, which for those already having a local POS system in place, will present a challenge.

Connectivity is key on a forecourt when it comes to linking all the elements together like the POS, the forecourt controller, the totem sign, the fuel dispensers and to the back-office system. By having a single solution, everything works in harmony alongside everything else. But it’s not quite as simple as that when EV charging is involved, due to the complexity of the pricing structures which will need to be provided.

The IC Smart is a cutting-edge interface converter that bridges the gap between petrol station POS data and online EV protocol standards. With minimal investment, fuel station owners can now effortlessly display EV kWh price information on their existing or new LED price signs, ensuring that customers have access to transparent and up-to-date pricing for both traditional fuel and electric charging.

For EVO Energy, operating Hyper Hubs in England, it was a very important to be able make remote price changes across all its sites simultaneously, as a local Council has standardised pricing across the region. Howell Griffiths, a Business Development Director with Bever Innovations, commented “We were able to connect all EVO Energy’s sites, and meet the council’s requirements, as well as offering its operators a very simple way to make their sites future ready."

In France, at a KarrGeen station in Moréac, various LED price displays have been installed, including a specific CNG display. This LED display is remotely managed via a standard POS connection, ensuring accurate CNG price information is displayed. Jean Michel Ludot, Sales Manager for Bever Innovations across France, added, “KarrGreen utilises Bever Smart Technology to establish an online connection to their back-office system, enabling real-time access to EV price information and the calculation of CO2 emission reduction. This data is also displayed on other LED price displays located within the same price sign."

Rutger van Dierendonck, Technical Director at Bever Innovations, puts things into more detail: "With our EV integration solution, IC Smart, we are making it simple and cost-efficient for fuel stations owners and stand-alone EV Hubs, to embrace the EV revolution whilst providing customers with transparent and accurate pricing information. Asset management is also made much easier for oil companies and major fuel retailers, and we are committed to a sustainable future by seamlessly integrating EV pricing and charger availability."

Talking about IC Smart to fuel dispensing solutions provider Gilbarco’s head of e-mobility for Europe, James Gale, at the recent EV show in London, he said the IC Smart is something which takes on board a very significant aspect of the EV charging market. Gilbarco was exhibiting its advancing eMobility solution, Driivz its leading end-to-end EV charging system.

For Bever Innovations, software and connectivity is where it all started 35 years ago, whilst working with Tango, the unmanned fuel retailing network in the Netherlands. Tango needed more information from its sites to allow for better remote management.

Bever provided the solution by passing data through power lines, a relatively new concept in those days, and developed a website to provide the client with a general overview. Roller blind displays connected to the POS followed shortly afterwards.

If your business embraces EV charging at any level, IC Smart offers a cost effective, fast and easy solution to integrate pricing and charger availability into your monolith sign.

For more details or to explore the diverse possibilities, visit our website or contact our sales team.