The EV (electric vehicle) industry is on the rise, especially since the peaking of the price of petrol & gasoline, and people's rising concern over our environment. This has also led to a stark rise in the installation of public charging stations. Nowadays, most charging businesses has also integrated RFID with their systems to give them better optimization.
So, let’s discuss, RFID Smart Card for EV Charging.
What are EV Charging Stations?
Unlike traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, you cannot refill an Electric Vehicle's travel capacity at normal petrol pumps/gas stations. These devices require specialized infrastructure, designed to store vehicles for a couple of hours.
These stations contain booths that can attach to your vehicles via cable and provide power to your vehicle’s batteries to charge them. There are many ways to charge your electric vehicles; most companies provide a home charger with their vehicles. However, to ensure good distance coverage and for long routes, the government allows companies to build charging stations.
Problems Faced by EV Charging Stations
Like any piece of technology, EV tech and infrastructure are not perfect. It is under constant development, in order to improve its range, efficiency, safety, etc. The biggest issue with charging an electric vehicle is the time it takes to fill the battery. Generally, it takes a vehicle couple of hours to charge to a significant level. Meaning, that an EV charging station cannot accommodate a lot of vehicles per day, reducing their efficacy.
Couple this with other issues that a normal petrol station faces, and you will have an infrastructure that is unbelievably time-consuming for customers. One such problem can be conducting the transaction at a station. Depending on the remaining charge in your battery, your final amount may require you to carry some change. Plus, physical transactions can be tiresome and prone to errors.
How to Integrate RFID Technology in EV Charging Stations
The best method of integrating RF technology into charging solutions is using it in a smart card, as a means for conducting transactions. There are several EV charge solutions companies that are providing their own membership/RFID card to allow drivers to charge their vehicles easily.
For example; Ecopass is a venture started by the Ecogears company where they are offering their customers RFID smart cards to make it easier for them to their charging stations. Some other companies that offer similar products are Tata Power with its EZ Charge, and Shell Global’s Shell Power systems, etc.
Benefits of Using RFID for These Operations
There are many benefits of integrating these infrastructures with technologies like RFID which can optimize operations & even reduce the cost for those operations.
(A). Efficiency
The most sought-after benefit of RFID is its use for conducting quick and effective transactions. Optimizing the operation of the charging station, it saves these businesses a lot of time. This allows more vehicles to utilize the services of the station.
(B). Accuracy
Ultimately, all RFID systems are first & foremost a class of AIDC (Automatic Identification & Data Collection). The readers can quickly identify your vehicle when you enter the station. Data collection helps businesses create analysis and create new and better marketing decisions, etc.
(C). Security
The information inside an RFID tag is encoded mostly. The encoded data can be decoded and read by only authorized readers. This provides the whole system even more of a safety net.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do you charge RFID?
RFID tags do not need to be charged, most tags that are used are passive and don’t even require any internal power source. And active tags don’t use rechargeable batteries to operate.
Q2. What is RFID in EV charging?
The use of RFID technology in EV charging solutions is to help conduct the transaction to conclude the charging process.
Q3. Can I charge my EV without a card?
Yes, some charging stations allow users to avail of their services and pay using their debit/credit card. However, it is far better to just download the app and apply for an EV charging smart card.
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