Autocharge is a public-charging feature that recognises your car when you plug in and starts the session against your account automatically — no app tap, no card, no screen menu. You register the car once with a network that offers it. After that, plugging in is the whole process.
Key Takeaways
- Autocharge starts and bills a public session automatically when a registered car plugs in.
- The network keeps the list of recognised cars; Plug and Charge instead has the car present a certificate under ISO 15118.
- It is enabled network by network and site by site, and only for cars that present a readable identifier.
- Sell the car, remove the registration: at an enabled charger, the car itself is the credential.
How Autocharge Works
The trick is that the credential moves from your pocket to the car. The sequence runs like this:
- You register the car once in the network’s app or account, linking it to your payment account.
- At a charger where the feature is switched on, you simply plug in.
- The charger reads an identifier the car presents over the cable.
- The network matches that identifier to your account and starts the session.
- You unplug to finish, and the session is billed as usual.
None of this happens on the post alone. The charger and the network’s back office talk continuously — the conversation that protocols such as OCPP carry, as our OCPP explainer sets out. Autocharge is a decision the back office makes from the identifier the charger sends it.
Autocharge Next to the Other Ways to Start
| Method | What identifies you | Set-up | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contactless card | The card you tap | None | Any charger with a reader; NEVI-funded corridor stations must accept it with no membership |
| Network app | Your account, started from the phone | Account and app | That network’s chargers |
| Autocharge | The car, recognised by the network | One-time registration of the car with that network | Chargers on networks that have enabled it, for cars that support it |
| Plug and Charge | A certificate held in the car, under ISO 15118 | A contract installed in the car | Networks and cars that support the standard |
The practical difference between the last two is where the credential lives and who keeps the list. With Autocharge, the network keeps the list of recognised cars. With Plug and Charge, the car carries a certificate and presents it. Both end the same way for the driver — plug in and walk away — which is why the two are often confused. The step-by-step with a card or app, for chargers without either feature, is in how to use a DC fast charger.
The Limits Worth Knowing
- It is network by network. Registering with one network does nothing at another’s chargers; each keeps its own list.
- The car has to support it. Not every model presents an identifier the network can use. Check with the network and your car maker.
- The account follows the car. Anyone driving the car can start a session on your account at an enabled charger. Remove the car from the account when you sell it, as you would a saved card.
- It is a convenience layer, not a replacement. Open payment stays: NEVI-funded corridor stations must offer contactless payment with no membership, so a driver with no account at all is never locked out.
The Hardware Side: Networked Chargers
Autocharge is switched on in the back office, but it only works on chargers that are networked and reporting to one. The EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID) and the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC fast charger (22 kW DC, OCPP 1.6J) are built for that managed operation; whether a site then enables car recognition is the operator’s choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Autocharge the same as Plug and Charge?
No. They feel identical at the post, but the credential differs: Autocharge means the network recognises an identifier from the car, while Plug and Charge means the car presents a certificate under ISO 15118. A car or network can support one, both or neither.
Why did the charger not recognise my car?
One of three links is usually missing: the feature is not enabled on that network or site, the car is not registered to your account, or the car presents no identifier the network can read. The fallback is the ordinary one — start with the app or a contactless card.
Can someone else charge on my account with my car?
At an enabled charger, yes — possession of the car is the credential, much like a key. That is why the registration should come off the account when the car is sold or passed on, and why a stolen-car report should include the charging accounts.
Related Reading
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- White-Label Apps for Smart EV Chargers: What Brands Should Know
- How to Use a DC Fast Charger: Step by Step
- Is DC Fast Charging Level 3?
