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Comment by ajross | Hacker News Reader

It's less than half the size, takes maybe 1/4 the force to insert, doesn't have a fiddly mechanical push-pin in the connector, and is locked by the car vs. the connector. It shares the same connectors for both DC and AC and will autodetect. It even delivers more current, though at 400V instead of the 800V that recent CCS devices can deliver.

But most of the magic is that there's no UI to the charger device. You pull in, plug in, and walk away. Literally. Your phone will buzz automatically when the charge reaches the level required for your next leg. This part remains Tesla-only. CCS devices at these chargers need to start the current manually with the app.

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> But most of the magic is that there's no UI to the charger device.

This is good, and this is bad. It's yet another charging app I need to manage my payment info. I can't just arbitrarily choose a different payment method when I'm there. I'd greatly prefer just a basic card reader so I can choose a payment method. Sure, plug and charge if I didn't supply payment method ahead of time, but otherwise it's just another charging app I need to manage.

I would argue it’s 100% bad. Tesla should not have a monopoly on determining whether a car gets to charge when it plugs in.

But apps with accounts and ToS and such should be banned outright IMO for any charger or at least any charger that receives any sort of public funding. Anyone with a compatible car should be able to charge, without an account, just like at a gas station.

Yeah I like the idea of payment happening automatically, but that should be optional and implemented via kind of standard payment protocol between the car and the charging station, not via a proprietary app.

The plug and charge protocol is open

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_15118

While what you say is true about a gas station, I think a lot of the standard privacy arguments dont really hold for a car.

Its literally illegal to drive a car without it being built to the standard the government likes, with an identifiable ID printed on the outside of it, with a valid license with your name and date of birth on, and current registration.

Let alone the fact that the vast majority of cars are sold with gps trackers bolted on if they are financed. Requiring a credit card tied to that vehicle is the least of your privacy worries.

I've yet to see a charger with a card reader or that accepts currency. I suspect it's because there would be too many transactions of small value that the payment processing fees are more than the electricity. Which gets you into the yucky mess of I owed chargepoint $0.11, and they charged me $20 and are going to hold onto the rest of my money forever.

It was definitely rare to see a couple of years ago but most dispensers I've seen installed in the last year or so around me seemed to have actual credit card terminals. I've used a few.

Fair enough. I think it makes sense as the market develops and charging is less PHEVs like mine and more full EVs with large batteries that can pull a meaningful amount of dollars out of the plug.

Ford has already announced they will support plug and charge on Tesla chargers also

The whole paying on a terminal/using an app thing is the wrong approach I think. Ultimately to charge there is a handshake protocol between two computers, just sort out payment then (and thats the standard NAC supports https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_15118)

Adding a payment terminal is just adding another handshake and computer into the mix, a computer that needs to be (mostly) connected to the internet, exposed to the elements, and vulnerable to skimming devices.

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