Starting in November this year, two payment companies will offer the option to pay with cryptocurrencies for electric car recharging.
Electric car charging payments with bitcoin in Europe. The adoption of electric cars in Europe is here to stay. From November this year, Bitcoin users can pay for electric charging with their crypto assets. Two payment companies, Ireland-based Hips, and Sweden’s Vourity, reported that they have partnered to bring outlets with the option to accept cryptocurrencies. They plan to do it to more than 50,000 charging stations across the European Union over the next three years.
Key facts
- The service would be available from November this year.
- In addition to cryptocurrencies, The company expects payments using Vourity’s native token.
Number of recharge points
The European Court of Auditors assessed that the number of recharge points in the EU grew from 34,000 in 2014 to 250,000 in 2020. In the case of Spain, there are 7,821 recharging points for public use. The European nation that leads the ranking of electric supply points is the Netherlands with 28,786 points, followed by France with 12,081, and, in third place, Germany with 9,853.
On the other hand, although the companies did not reveal which crypto assets they would accept, they indicated that the cryptocurrency payments are into the Vourity platform. The plan is that users will pay with Hip’s token, Merchant Token (MTO), on the company’s native blockchain. However, this token has not yet been launched and is in the initial coin offering (ICO) phase.
Vourity currently allows paying for electric recharges through traditional methods. You can choose between credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Swish, and Blue Code. It operates with a web-based platform for unattended or self-service sales and delivery.
“Enabling the cryptocurrency payment method will make charging convenient for all-electric car drivers, which will accelerate the shift towards a better future for electric cars,” noted John Cavebring, CEO of Hips.
For his part, Hans Nottehed, CEO of Vourity, commented that for the company, innovation is essential, and enabling payments with cryptocurrencies is part of the needs of electric car users.
Electric cars and cryptocurrencies fit
Electric vehicles have gained notoriety recently; adoption and reliance on cryptocurrencies have increased. Now, one company plans to bring the two worlds together.
Vehicle manufacturer Daymak hopes that users will mine cryptocurrencies using the car itself. Spiritus, the vehicle’s name, will have integrated equipment to mine Bitcoin (BTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). They scheduled the launch for 2023.