Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in South Africa are set to become more user-friendly as they will allow customers to pay with major credit cards.

This comes as EFT Corporation has introduced a cloud-based, open-loop payment system at Rubicon EV charging stations, in collaboration with Visa and Verifone.

The proof-of-concept phase already launched at a number of sites in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Prior to the new system, the closed-loop system in use meant that customers had to set up pre-funded wallets and use special cards to charge their EVs.

This created a series of additional steps in the payment process, while also limiting interoperability across different charging stations.

Additionally, there was a need for a more efficient, seamless payment process that did not require physical computers at each charging station – which created concerns around theft, power management and maintenance.

Through the integration of EFTCorp’s payment platform with Verifone’s UX700 unattended payment device, customers can now use all major credit cards on Rubicon charging stations, without having to set up pre-funded wallets.

Additionally, terminals can now be controlled remotely using cloud-based technology.

Here is how it works – and keep in mind that EV charging stations are unattended, and that the driver does not necessarily know what the transaction will cost.

The user connects their car to a Rubicon charging station.

Once plugged in, the Verifone UX700 payment device at the station prompts for payment.

The system then reserves a predefined amount on the user’s credit card before the charging starts.

Once the pre-authorisation is approved, the charging process begins.

If the user stops charging early, the final payment reflects only the electricity used, and the remaining reserved funds are released.

If the charging process continues beyond the initial reservation, the system incrementally increases the reservation amount, adding funds to the initial pre-authorisation as needed, and the final amount is settled when the car is unplugged.

“There is no substitute for the convenience of simply tapping a card to transact, instead of setting up an account and logging into a mobile app for each purchase," says Visa Sub-Saharan Africa digital solutions senior director Vahini Jaganath.

“With over 60% of transactions in South Africa now contactless, open-loop solutions allow drivers to charge their EVs at any public charging station without needing an account or membership, creating a seamless payment experience.

“Enabling contactless payments at all public charging stations is an important step in making EV ownership more accessible."

“The implementation of incremental pre-authorisation for dynamic, consumption-based billing is a first for South Africa”, says EFTCorp CTO Paul Carter-Brown.

“Unattended payments are revolutionising the way consumers interact with businesses, and it is our ongoing goal to upgrade these shopping touchpoints into powerful digital commerce hubs that streamline the experience for the end-user,” adds Verifone South Africa GM Craig Rankin.

The new solution can also be scaled to other regions and markets, and incremental pre-authorisation can be used for other services beyond vehicle charging.

South Africa’s new energy vehicle market is expanding rapidly, with sales reaching 7 746 units in 2024 – up 65.7% from the previous year.

South Africa now has nearly 400 public charging stations.