At Tridens, we continuously strive towards making EV charging more convenient for all those involved, from Charge Point Operators (CPO), e-Mobility Service Providers (EMP) to EV drivers.
What Do Plug and Charge Mean?
The term “Plug and Go” refers to an EV charging management system which enables EV drivers to pull up alongside an EV charging station, which uses Tridens’ EV charging software, and go off to do something else while their vehicle gets charged. There is no requirement for an RFID card, phone, or any other hassle.
The opinion here at Tridens is that the current charging experience available to EV owners is sub-optimal. EV drivers are required to sign-up for charging plans, download apps, reload RFID cards, or undergo some other inconvenience to get their vehicles charged. The current situation is not good enough.
To help persuade everyone to switch to EVs, Tridens has developed a charging software that makes charging an EV as simple as charging a phone.
How Plug & Charge Works
Basically, it is all to do with communication. Effective communication is a two-way process, and so it needs to be between the EV and the charger—Plug & Charge facilities communication in both directions.
Currently, Tesla is the only other company providing such a service for its customers, and this is provided only at chargers branded by Tesla. The reason is to do with every vehicle being linked to the identity of its owner. When an EV gets plugged in to charge, Tesla uses the vehicle’s connectivity and intelligence to associate the user to the charging session.
Plug & Go utilizes the Smartcar API to access a vehicle’s VIN number. In doing so, it accomplishes the same as Tesla, but for any vehicle connected to a charger. Our Tridens EV Charge software allows Tridens charging management system to combine numerous data points, associate the driver with their location, and start a charging session.
The combination of smart charging management and vehicle information enables tens of thousands of EV drivers to enjoy app-less charging functionality when they couldn’t previously.
How To Sign Up For Plug & Go?
Sign-up for Plug & Go is available on the Tridens EV Charge mobile application, and it can be completed with just a few mouse clicks. Once they’ve signed up, whenever a driver plugs their EV into a charging station, Tridens EV Charge software will verify the identity from retrieved vehicle identity information. On successful identification, the charging session gets initiated by Tridens EV Charge. The system also continues to monitor the charging session’s status until the battery reaches its specified charging threshold. When using the Plug and Charge system, charging hosts may allocate a specific driving range (number of miles) or set another specific battery threshold for the EV.
As previously mentioned, drivers of Tesla vehicles are only able to use Tesla-branded chargers. This situation makes it challenging for private or public parking facilities to install Tesla charges as no other vehicles can use them. With Plug & Go, everyone, including Tesla drivers, can enjoy the same app-less charging experience at stations managed by Tridens EV Charge.
We intend to expand into covering major EV brands, including Audi, Mercedes, Nissan, Renault, and Volkswagen. We look forward to a world where charging EVs is convenient and straightforward, improving drivers’ experience anytime and anywhere.
