You set different prices for members and the public as two tariffs on two driver groups in your management platform — not with separate chargers, not by hand. The charger identifies the driver when a session starts: an RFID card or an app account places them in the member group, and an anonymous contactless payment is charged at the public tariff by default. Set the groups and tariffs once, and each session bills at the rate the driver’s credential earns.
Key Takeaways
- Member and public prices are two tariffs on two driver groups in the platform; the charger only identifies and meters.
- RFID or an app account earns the member tariff; an anonymous contactless session defaults to the public tariff.
- Decide the group definition, the member rate, and whether session and idle fees split — before the tariffs go live.
- Identification is a stated hardware feature (RFID); billing is a platform service, never a charger specification.
The Three Pieces That Must Exist
| Piece | Its job in split pricing |
|---|---|
| A metering, networked charger | Measures each session and reports who started it — without a per-driver record there is nothing to bill at two rates |
| A platform with driver groups and per-group tariffs | Where the prices live: the member group carries one tariff, the public group another, applied per session |
| An identification method per group | RFID cards or fobs for members and staff, an app account for registered drivers, contactless as the anonymous route that lands on the public tariff |
Which tariff model each group uses — per kWh, per session, per minute — is a separate decision, covered by how much EV charging stations charge. This article is about the split itself: two groups, two tariffs, one charger.
Decisions to Settle Before the Tariffs Go Live
- Who counts as a member. Staff, residents, subscribers, fleet drivers — define the group in writing, and name who issues and revokes the credential. An unmaintained group fills with people who left.
- What the member tariff is. Discounted or free is your decision, not a default. Free for members still costs the site its energy; the metered records are how you see that cost, per group, at month end.
- How visitors pay. Contactless at the public tariff, with no account to join, is the route a one-time visitor will actually use. On U.S. NEVI-funded corridor sites it is a programme rule, not a preference, under 23 CFR Part 680.
- Whether the other tariff fields split too. Session and idle fees are separate fields from the energy rate; decide deliberately whether each follows the split.
- Price display. Both prices belong on the sign at the bay, so a driver knows their rate before plugging in. Display duties are set locally — confirm the rules for your site.
Where Split Pricing Goes Wrong
- Credentials get lent. The tariff follows the card, not the person; expect some sharing, and audit the member list.
- Public access gets switched off by accident. A member-only setting on a site that needs visitors quietly turns away every anonymous driver — check the default group after any platform change.
- The sign and the platform drift apart. A price changed in the platform but not on the bay sign is a dispute waiting for its first driver.
The Hardware Side: Identification Is Stated, Billing Is Not
EVDANCE’s EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station states RFID and OCPP 1.6J: the card identifies the driver, and the protocol carries the session to whichever platform the operator runs — that is the charger’s whole part. Its touchscreen is an operator display, not a payment terminal; no card reader or billing feature is stated for it. The EV-ACT3204E wallbox states RFID and app access on the same basis. Group tariffs, accounts and billing live in the operator’s platform — EVDANCE supplies the hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can members charge for free while the public pays?
Yes — a zero member tariff is a normal configuration. Sessions are still metered and recorded: the energy cost lands on the site, and per-group records keep it visible instead of hiding it in the electricity bill.
Do I need one charger for members and another for the public?
No. The same charger serves both groups back to back; the tariff follows the credential presented at the start of the session.
Can a visitor be charged the member price by mistake?
Only if they present a member credential. An unidentified session — a plain contactless tap — falls to the public tariff by design; that default is what makes the split safe.
Related Reading
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
- What Is an RFID Card for EV Charging?
- How Much Do EV Charging Stations Charge? Pricing Models Explained
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
