Charging payment Study 2025

Paying at the charging station: open-loop systems and closed-loop systems from the user’s perspective

The study surveys the experiences and usage preferences of EV drivers with regard to various payment methods, as well as possible interactions between payment methods anThe options for authorisation and payment have grown significantly since the introduction of AFIR and have had a major impact on the market. The question of payment methods is of great importance to providers: whoever controls the flow of money has or controls access to customers.

The Charging Payment Study surveys who pays at public charging stations using which method and how EV drivers assess the advantages and disadvantages of the various payment methods.

Between July and September 2024, a total of 3,483 electric car drivers from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands who charge publicly were surveyed for the study.

The study shows providers who is open to which payment method and what arguments can be used to reach these customers.

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CONTENTS AND ADDED VALUE OF THE Charging Payment STUDY

Contents of the Charging Payment Study

Segmentation characteristics:

  • Vehicle (make, date of first registration, company car, employer contribution to charging costs)
  • Vehicle technology (AC/DC charging capacity, range)
  • Driving habits (mileage per year and per weekday)
  • Charging behaviour (charging locations, charging frequency, charging preferences)
  • Living situation (type of house, size of place of residence)
  • ‘Charging types’ derived from charging behaviour, living situation and driving habits (through statistical cluster analysis)
  • Demographics (age, gender, income)

Payment and authorisation/payment methods:

  • Currently used payment methods
  • Preferred payment methods
  • Preferences for ad hoc payment options (debit card/credit card + PIN, contactless debit card/credit card, smartphone wallet, QR code, via mobile phone bill)
  • Comparative evaluation of the 5 most important payment methods (plug & charge, charging card/RFID, charging app, Girocard/CC, smartphone wallet)
    • Drivers of use: Advantages + most important advantage per payment method
    • Barriers to use: Disadvantages + most important disadvantage per payment method
Target group of the survey

The study is aimed at business developers, product managers and marketing experts at charge point operators (CPOs), eMSP service providers, charging station operators and payment system providers.

Dashboard for analysis

Many exciting insights only become apparent when the results are evaluated separately for important customer groups. This allows providers to tailor their offerings to different user segments. Thanks to the large sample size, subscribers to the study can split the results as they wish in the interactive dashboard and analyse them in detail.

USCALE focus studies: User studies on electromobility

Since 2018, USCALE has been systematically surveying EV drivers about their expectations and experiences at all touchpoints of the e-mobile customer journey. You can find an overview of all USCALE focus studies HERE.

We show extracts from other studies in the LinkedIn articles by USCALE and Axel Sprenger, our company founder.

If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@uscale.digital.