Charging networks can and likely will continue to offer incentives for brand loyalty, through apps or reward points. But new EV owners don't have to do that much work on their road trips to discover “the good one.”
By linking cars to key-based authentication systems, there is also a chance that this initiative will also promote 'vehicle-to-grid' (V2G) charging, where the massive batteries in cars can be used to balance regional power loads and just make it more resilient.
“We are quickly approaching a future where any EV driver can simply plug in, charge and go; the network will talk to your car and process payment seamlessly,” said Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transporation. said in a statement. “This is a fundamental step in the architecture towards enabling bi-directional charging and true vehicle-to-grid integration, the holy grail for energy and transportation.” The Joint Office is a collaboration between the Ministries of Energy and Transport.
The EV Hummer-sized elephant in the room is how the new Trump administration, with its outspoken opposition to the Biden administration's EV policies, might influence this initiative. Klein told The Verge that, with buy-in and real work done by automakers and the industry — including the Elon Musk-led Tesla — “the ship has kind of sailed, if you will.”
