Ad-hoc charging must be made possible at publicly accessible charging points located at charging stations installed from 13 April 2024, using a widely available payment instrument (physical or mobile credit or debit card) anywhere in the EU. One payment terminal or device can serve a number of publicly accessible charging points within a charging pool.

50 kW or higher power output per charging point

Newly built publicly accessible charging points that are put into operation for the first time after 13 April 2024 must offer at least one of the following payment options at the charging stations:

• Payment card reader
• Devices with a contactless functionality that can read payment cards at a minimum

Since the EU Payment Services Directive II does not require payment cards to be physical, but allows also for such that can be accessed via a mobile device, there is no general obligation for a PIN pad at charging stations.

From 1 January 2027 operators of charging points shall ensure that all publicly accessible recharging points operated by
them, with a power output equal to or more than 50 kW deployed along the TEN-T road network or deployed on a safe and secure parking area, including charging points deployed before 13 April 2024 comply with the requirements set out above for payment transactions and, if necessary, be retrofitted accordingly.

Whether a PIN pad is required depends on the payment instrument used for the payment transaction and the requirements for secure customer authentication that apply to this payment instrument – not on the payment device/terminal used.

Below 50 kW power output per charging point

For publicly accessible recharging points deployed from 13 April 2024 with a power output below 50 kW, devices using an internet connection and allowing for secure payment transactions such as those generating a specific Quick Response code.

Operators of charging points have to ensure that when they offer automatic authentication at a publicly accessible charging point operated by them, end users always have the right to not make use of the automatic authentication (Art. 5 (2)) and instead can either recharge their battery-electric vehicle on an ad hoc basis, or to use another contract-based recharging solution offered at that charging point. Operators of charging points shall clearly show that option to end users and offer it to them in a convenient manner at each publicly accessible charging point operated by them, at which they offer automatic authentication.

Price structure for contract-based and ad hoc charging

• Operators of publicly accessible charging points may not discriminate at the B2C level between ad hoc payment and contract-based payment for an electromobility service provider (EMSP).
• However, a differentiation of the price level may take place, but only if the differentiation is transparent, proportionate and objectively justified, i.e. if it is based on non-discriminatory criteria and easily comparable.
• A justified price differentiation between the ad hoc price and the price charged to a mobility service provider could depend on the circumstances, e.g. through bank or credit card fees for prices charged to users and through administrative and transaction costs for prices charged to EMSPs.

Price structure between CPOs and EMSPs

• The operators of publicly accessible charging points may not discriminate between CPOs and different EMSPs through the prices charged at B2B level.
• A differentiation of the price level may take place, but only if the differentiation is transparent, proportionate and objectively justified, and thus based on non-discriminatory criteria.
• Justified price differences between different EMSPs may be due to differences in administrative and transaction costs, but also to commercial criteria such as the number of EMSP customers.

At publicly accessible charging points with a power output equal to or higher than 50 kW, the ad hoc price charged by the CPO has to be based on the price per kWh for the electricity delivered. In addition, the CPOs of those charging points can charge an occupancy fee as a price per minute to discourage long occupancy of the recharging point. This information should be known to the customer before initiating a charging process and should make it easier to compare prices. The term ‘display’ means that the price must be visible at the charging station (e.g. on a screen or with a sticker).

CPOs of publicly accessible charging points with a power output below 50 kW shall, at the charging stations operated by them, make the information on the ad hoc price clearly and easily available, with all its price components, so that this information is known to end users before they initiate a recharging session and price comparison is facilitated.
The applicable price components should be presented in the following order:

• price per kWh;
• price per minute;
• price per session; and
• any other price component that applies.

Art. 5 (5)
Prices charged by EMSPs to end users shall be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory. EMSPs should provide end users, prior to the start of an intended recharging session, all price information specific to that recharging session, through freely available, widely supported electronic means, clearly distinguishing all price components, including applicable e-roaming costs and other fees or charges applied by the respective EMSP. The fees have to be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory. EMSPs may not apply any extra charges for cross-border e-roaming.

CPOs CPOs of publicly accessible charging points must provide static and dynamic data on their charging facilities free of charge by 14 April 2025 at the latest. To this end, operators shall set up an API that enables non-discriminatory and unrestricted access to the required data. For further specification, an implementing act is expected to be adopted by the end of 2024. This will define specifications for data format, frequency and quality. By 31 December 2024, EU Member States will make data available on their National Access Point (NAP).

Static data:

• geographic location of charging points,
• number of connectors,
• number of parking spaces for people with disabilities,
• contact information of the owner and operator of the charging station,
• opening hours;
• ID codes,
• type of connector,
• type of current (AC/DC),
• maximum power output (kW) of the charging station,
• maximum power output (kW) of the charging point,
• vehicle type compatibility;

Dynamic data:

• operational status (operational/out of order),
• availability (in use/not in use),
• ad hoc price,
• electricity supplied is 100 % renewable (yes/no).

This list is not exhaustive. The European Commission has the legal competence to add or update this list with additional types of data.