EV charging roaming provider Emobi and software provider DIMO have collaborated to launch a device that enables electric vehicle fleets to implement Plug & Charge using Emobi’s ISO 15118-based JustPlug solution.
Plug & Charge is a system based on the ISO 15118 standard that handles user authentication and payment automatically, with no need for apps, RFID cards or other clumsy solutions. The system is already widely used in Europe, but as numerous players in the EV charging field have told Charged, technical hurdles are holding back wider adoption. Many EVs on the road today don’t support Plug & Charge.
Emobi and DIMO claim to have found a way to work around this limitation: “Unlike existing Plug & Charge implementations that rely on automaker-issued certificates, this solution enables ISO 15118 digital certificates that are provided directly to vehicles through DIMO’s physical or virtual device, allowing any fleet or driver, with any vehicle, to independently enable Plug & Charge.”
DIMO says its aftermarket device suite can serve as a “bridge” for Plug & Charge without requiring any changes to the vehicle. Emobi’s JustPlug technology can issue and manage an ISO 15118 digital certificate at the fleet level via DIMO’s device, eliminating the need for automaker involvement, firmware updates or charging hardware upgrades.
“Electric vehicles have been promised a seamless Plug & Charge experience for years, but have had to keep waiting as the industry struggled to deliver it at scale,” said Lin Sun Fa, CEO of Emobi. “Issuing ISO 15118 digital certificates directly to fleets through DIMO’s device puts control where it belongs, and unlocks Plug & Charge functionality for any car today.”
“Plug & Charge is just the beginning. Once a vehicle has a session identity through DIMO, you can layer on tolling, parking, insurance, and connected services that activate per trip and shut off at return,” said Yevgeny Khessin, co-founder of DIMO. “Emobi is the first partner to ship on this infrastructure, and charging is the perfect place to start.”
Source: Emobi
