How do you pay for using EV charging station

It’s great that public EV charging is a widespread option. Some of them provide built-in cables. Others just have got a socket, so you need to buy EV charging cables of your own. And all of them fall into two categories – free and paid amenities.

In this post, we will discuss paid EV charging amenities to answer one of the most intriguing questions – “How do you pay for EV charging?”.

Fees to expect

When it comes to paid public EV charging, the costs are somewhat higher compared to these of home sessions. And there are at least two reasons to justify this. First, public EV charging rates include payment for electricity a driver uses to top up their electric car battery. Second, in addition, an EV charging business applies some extra fees:

• Access fees, which in fact is your payment for the EV charging infrastructure the business provides
• Parking fees, which covers a tiny part of the costs the business incurs to arrange the site (for example, to install asphalt pavement)
• Idle fees, which is your payment for the space you take while not using it appropriately

However, you can easily avoid the idle fees if you do not occupy the facilities in vain. In other words, as soon as your EV charging session is over, unplug your car and vacate the parking lot.

How to pay for your EV charging session

Basically, there are two ways to pay for public EV charging. First (but not commonly used), it is to pay directly with your card. To clarify, here, you enter the number of kWh at a payment terminal or via an app and the relevant funds are held and then debited from your card. For the latter case, a few-pound pre-authorisation charge is possible.

Second, it is to pay with your app balance. Here is about how to pay public EV charging with your app balance:

1. Top up your app balance to have sufficient funds. Note, there may be some top-up limits. For example, when charging through our AutoEco-factor app, you should transfer to your app balance no less than £10.
2. Start the session, and the app will debit a necessary sum from your account balance in real-time. Here, there are some details. First, for example, when charging via our AutoEco-factor app, you have a £5 charging threshold. Second, if your balance is exhausted, the session automatically stops.

And, yes, do not forget that public charging shouldn’t be your only option to top up your electric car battery. Instead, a home EV charger is better to take advantage of for everyday use. On our website, you can buy a home station. As well as buy an EV charging cable to be always prepared for any occasion.