For the first time, a charging and billing solution has been implemented that complies with the German calibration law and also meets the requirements of the upcoming German charging station ordinance.

This has been realized by Hectronic, a German-based family company that is specialized in smart payment solutions, at the world’s largest charging park next to the Merklingen ICE train station; 259 charging points for electric cars have there been put into operation.

The planners developed a forward-looking overall concept: a solar carport generates around 990,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year for the 259 charging points and feeds the surplus into the grid. There are already plans to retrofit the remaining 171 regular parking spaces at the station with charging points and to integrate a battery storage system as soon as demand increases.

The operators strived to realize a forward-thinking and user-friendly payment concept designed to not only meet present but also future regulatory demands. Measuring and billing the electricity consumed in accordance with the German calibration law was therefore a must: each charging process is shown exactly in kilowatt hours – for maximum transparency for consumers. They can authorize their charging conveniently and completely independently via the central Hectronic payment terminals.

In Merklingen, it not only possible to pay with the usual roaming cards or apps, with which users can conclude individual charging tariffs with e-mobility providers. Other payment methods that consumers are accustomed to using in retail stores are also offered, including the girocard, debit and credit cards or digital options such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet. These so-called open payment systems are widely available and easy to use without registration or additional applications. According to current legislation, however, their integration is not yet mandatory – all new public charging stations will only have to support card payments from the summer of 2024. In Merklingen, Hectronic is anticipating this in the interest of consumers.