Powering Payment Solutions in EV Charging: Trends, Opportunities, and Growth
Strategic Insights on the EV Charging Industry Shaping Up
Choosing the right payment partner isn’t just about keeping EV drivers happy at the charger—it’s about protecting your business, maximizing uptime, and ensuring every transaction is seamless. For operators, the stakes are high: proper activation and operation, ongoing PCI compliance, and iron-clad security can make or break customer trust. Beyond the basics, the right provider helps you reduce downtime with redundant connectivity, simplify reporting across all your sites, and secure the best possible processing rates. That’s why leaders in the space, including one of the largest fast-charging networks in North America, already trust Apriva. With over 15 years of self-service expertise, $1B+ in transactions processed annually, and proven reliability in rugged, high-volume environments, Apriva empowers operators to scale faster, cut costs, and deliver the consistent experiences EV drivers expect.
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   Highlights:
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EV adoption is accelerating globally, but payment systems and public charging infrastructure are struggling to keep up, especially in the U.S.
Drivers need a consistent and simple payment experience across different charging networks to reduce confusion and improve usability.
Charging station operators face technical challenges like unreliable network connectivity, hardware compatibility, and vandalism, which can disrupt transactions and customer satisfaction.
Modern contactless payment solutions offer durability, security, and flexibility, making them ideal for outdoor and unattended EV services.
Rapid advancements in electric vehicle (EV) technology have flooded the market with choices, speeding up customer adoption. As EV ownership grows, so do the challenges and opportunities surrounding charging infrastructure, particularly in how drivers pay for charging services.
One key issue is the lack of standardization. Today’s EV drivers must contend with fragmented charging networks, varying vehicle compatibility, and inconsistent pricing models. While home charging remains the most popular way to charge, many EV owners depend on public charging stations. For these customers, a user-friendly and consistent payment system makes all the difference—not just for convenience, but for encouraging broader EV adoption.
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Growing Global EV Sales
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EV sales in the U.S. reached 1.6 million units in 2024, and growth shows no signs of slowing. Yet, public charging stations build-out has struggled to keep pace. The number of light-duty electric vehicles per public charging point continues to rise, only highlighting the strain on the current system and need for clear payment solutions across networks. Â
And globally, the contrast is striking. The U.S. continues to lag behind other regions in rolling out public charging networks. EV sales surged by over 60% year-over-year in 2024 across Asia, Latin America, and Africa—far outpacing the U.S. growth rate of just 10%. This gap shines a light on both the urgency and the opportunity to modernize payment and infrastructure solutions to meet rising demand.Â
Obstacles for Operators
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Operators of EV charging stations and other vehicle services face a variety of challenges that can impact both operational efficiency and the customer experience. Unreliable network connectivity being a primary concern. Poor connections between card readers and payment gateways can disrupt transactions, especially underground or places with patchy signals.
When network connection is spotty, not only do payment terminals struggle to process transactions, but customers also face issues accessing their payment methods whether they’re through an app, SMS, NFC, or mobile wallet.
To mitigate these problems, establishing a healthy network connection during the initial build-out and ongoing maintenance is critical. SIM card redundancy, backup ethernet connection, and data plans are some ways operators can minimize downtime.
Hardware compatibility is another issue. Integrating credit card readers with the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) can be complex. Aligning hardware and software with existing infrastructure requires careful planning, thorough testing, and a long deployment timeline. With multiple players involved, it’s easy for steps to be overlooked. Choosing the right provider with experience integrating payments with EV charging stations can ensure proactive monitoring, proper activation and operation, and ongoing compliance with security and PCI standards.
Why Leverage Contactless and Self-Service Payments for EV Charging?
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Across the U.S. and Canada, only 0.1% of EV charging ports accept cash payments – making it clear that cashless is the future.
The perk of using modern payment devices is the built-in features designed to address common issues that arise once the devices are deployed and in use. Resistance to weather and outdoor elements being one. Devices exposed to the elements must withstand harsh high and low temperatures, rain, snow, dirt, dust, ice, and direct sunlight. Today’s durable devices protect against these, while still supporting a wider range of accepted payment methods.
Vandalism is another challenge, especially in remote locations where EV chargers are critical for long-haul drivers. Surveillance systems, tamper-resistant enclosures, and reinforced card readers help reduce the risk of theft or damage to the hardware and any sensitive data accessible from it.
Just like gas stations and convenience stores, it’s valuable to modernize payment options for all EV related services. This includes often neglected amenities like car washes, vacuum stations, and air pumps, many of which still rely on outdated coin-operated machines. Plus, you serve to target non-EV vehicle drivers. Enabling frictionless payments for all unattended vehicle services increases their convenience and encourages customers to take advantage of them. See how we support unattended services today.
By prioritizing a strong infrastructure, you ensure customers get the experience they expect. Paired that with payment technologies designed with these needs in mind, you can offer more flexibility and protection. That means strong and extra network connections, reliable data plans, and devices built for durability and security on the back end, and ubiquitous transaction flows on the customer facing end.
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The Benefit of Consistent Payment Flow for Customers
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Simple and familiar transaction flows are a part of the best practices for providing smooth, secure EV charging and payment experiences. With newer devices allowing customizable interfaces, below are the standard prompts recommended by the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, regardless of location:
- Clearly display accepted payment methods so drivers know their options before starting.
- Disclose any hold amounts based on the selected payment method
- Provide consistent transaction flow with easy-to-follow on-screen instructions.
- Design terminals for customer clarity so prompts guide drivers step by step.
- Acknowledgement when the transaction is initiated.
- Notification when the payment is authorized.
- Indication when the transaction is complete and whether it was approved or declined.
How Apriva Supports EV Charging Payment Solutions
Payment Partner
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Apriva’s payment gateway can seamlessly and securely process transactions on rugged all-weather payment devices, with sales data going to the same back-end Merchant Studio as any other sales on the premise. This means all your POS devices and charging endpoints, wherever they may be placed, can be accessed from one consolidated reporting dashboard. Plus, every transaction runs through our secure payment gateway with 99.999% uptime and reliability, and a diversified infrastructure and appropriate safety redundancies built in.
Plus, you can use Apriva to break away from high-prices and inflexible payment options your current vendor has you locked into. As an agnostic payment provider, you can integrate with any device, bank, and processor combination you want to use. Get a variety of options and freedom to choose what works for your business’s unique needs and growth goals.
The Best Possible Payment Processing Rates
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Our payment processing solution sets us apart. Enjoy the convenience of receiving 100% of your revenue upfront while we handle the complexities of fees, compliance, and reporting. Benefit from our relationship with J.P. Morgan Chase for top-notch security, and customized processing rates that guarantee the best possible deal for you. We’re dedicated to your success, offering transparent pricing with no hidden transaction fees. Our commitment to scaling your business means a comprehensive and flexible solution to meet your payment processing needs.
EMV-Certified Devices
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Apriva’s extensive selection of EMV certifications means your business is equipped with the latest payment technology to run secure and compliant transactions. Our variety of unattended devices makes it easy, increasing user experience and acceptance. Browse our current list and find the one that fits your requirements best. We continue to connect with our partners, all major acquiring banks, and processors in North America so you have the freedom to mix, match, and change solutions to meet your needs. And, if we don’t already support the processor or device you want to use, we can certify it.
Security Leadership Expert
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Being in the payments industry, we recognize our inherent responsibility to deliver the most secure products to our customers. Apriva holds the highest possible level of payment data security with our P2PE (Point-to-Point Encryption) and PCI DSS certified gateway. We are certified by the PCI DSS council every 2 years, on top of our annual internal audit. This means that consumer data is encrypted at the max level at every moment. And we are a PCI SCC provider independently validated by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and the PCI Security Standards Council.
Apriva Processing customers enjoy the convenience of receiving 100% of their revenue upfront while we handle fees, compliance, and reporting, all backed by the trusted security of J.P. Morgan Chase.
You can learn more about our security and compliance practices in this blog post: Is Your Payment Data Secure? Why PCI DSS Matters.
Expanded Payment Options
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Closed-loop payments are transactions that take place within a confined network. This includes pre-paid gift cards, store credit, transportation passes, campus ID cards, corporate ID cards, and healthcare ID cards. The benefits of accepting these cards are abundant, especially if you operate on or near large campuses. Gain competitive advantage, tap into a new market, win repeat business, and never miss a sale from those populations again. When customers see how much of a breeze it was to use your charging station, they’ll make sure to return.
We are also actively working to integrate modern payment solutions, soon enabling businesses to accept fleet cards for fuel, EV charging, car washes, and more. Contact us to learn more about fleet card services coming soon!
Future Forward Payments with Apriva
The demand for advanced payment solutions in EV charging stations is at a high, and Apriva is ready to be your trusted partner in helping you keep you ahead of it. With our comprehensive payment services, processing solutions, EMV certifications, and innovative partners, we are well-equipped to help you succeed.
Apriva has worked with self-service operators for over 15 years, and we process over $1B+ transactions annually. Meaning, we are market tested and trusted deeply by big names in the unattended space. Beyond credit cards, Apriva empowers you to accept a wide range of payment methods, including contactless payments, mobile wallets, and the newest emerging technologies. Offering you ultimate flexibility and choice, you’ll drive sales by accepting any way your customers want to pay. Ready to get in touch and learn more about our EV charging solutions?
Give us a call at 877-435-4141 or email pos@apriva.com —we’re happy to help.
