Plug in and Charge aka Autocharge aka Plug & Charge

Sometimes it can be frustrating initiating a fast charging session if it relies on an app and there's communication issues or you forgot your password and the station doesn't have a credit card reader or whatever.

Tesla drivers using Superchargers just plug in and start charging and the stations bill their account. Non-Tesla drivers were excited WAY back in 2014 with something called Plug and Charge (ISO 15118) and yet here we are in 2022 and it seems that EV charging manufacturers, networks and EV OEMs have still not come together and all agreed to make it available to all EV drivers.

Similar to Plug and Charge is something called "Autocharge" (which apparently is different from EVgo's "Autocharge+" that I mention below. This Norwegian article (translated by Google) does a great job of covering Autocharge:

From the article:

"..Autocharge can basically be used on all cars with a CCS connector, but not on those with Chademo. That's because Autocharge uses the car's MAC address (Media Access Control address) for identification, and Chademo does not broadcast this.?CCS is the most widespread connector today and the EU's preferred choice.?If you have a relatively new car that is not from Nissan, it almost certainly has CCS.

When connecting the charging cable, the car sends its static MAC address to the fast charger.?The address is then sent to the charging operator's systems using the Open Charge Point protocol (OCPP).?The system checks whether the address is registered in the operator's list.?In other words, the first time you use the function, you must register and activate it with the individual operator."

And on the difference between Plug and Charge and Autocharge:

"For the fast charging (network) operators, it is advantageous that you must register, because many of the operators want to have a separate relationship with you as a customer.

That distinguishes Autocharge from Plug&Charge.?The latter is based on the fact that you only have one customer relationship, and then you roam with the various charging operators that have Plug&Charge.?As it is implemented today, the car manufacturer gets the customer relationship.

Jan Tore Gj?by, adviser for charging infrastructure at NAF, believes that the charging operators prefer Autocharge precisely because they get the customer relationship.?He still does not think that it is the best for the customer, as you still have to register in several places. In theory, you should be able to use one account with Autocharge and roam between different operators, as this is partly done today with charging chips.?However, it requires that the operators have activated this and accept roaming with Autocharge.

Camilla Moe, technology manager at Mer, says that Autocharge is based on Tesla's system for automatic recognition of the cars at Supercharger stations.?Tesla was early on in using the MAC address for identification, and several people latched onto that idea, says Moe."

But guess what?! I have an Audi etron...and I can't take advantage of Autocharge presently:

"...there is one major car manufacturer in particular that does not support Autocharge.?The Volkswagen Group's cars made on the MEB platform change their MAC address all the time, says Moe. It makes it impossible to use Autocharge for identification for ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4 e-tron and Cupra Born.?Nor do the older models Volkswagen e-Up, Seat Mii, Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen e-Golf and Audi e-tron have support for Autocharge, according to?Fastned?.

The MEB cars, on the other hand, will receive support for the competitor Plug&Charge during the year.?This standard gives car manufacturers the opportunity to take more of the charging cake, as they can offer Plug&Charge through their own charging subscription.?The Volkswagen Group is also a co-owner of Hubject – the company which today acts as the central approval actor when using Plug&Charge.?If Plug&Charge becomes widespread, Hubject can make good money."

Related to security (again from Norwegian article):

"Some are also critical of safety.?Christian Hahn, who is also the head of the competitor Plug&Charge, criticizes Autocharge in a Linkedin post for being vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, so that attackers can change or manipulate the car's MAC -address.?He believes that only Plug&Charge has security mechanisms to safeguard the integrity and authenticity of the communication.?

This is some of the same?criticism directed at charging chips?, but Hahn emphasizes at the same time that it is much more difficult to change the MAC address of a car than to copy charging chips.?

Moe in Mer believes Autocharge is safe enough.?She points out that there are security mechanisms in the CCS protocol to prevent manipulation of the MAC address. Moe believes that Autocharge is both easier to implement and cheaper than Plug&Charge, as Autocharge does not involve a third party, such as Hubject, which wants its share of the cake."

As mentioned, EVgo stations are now using what they call "Autocharge+" :

"Autocharge+ is available only for EVs with CCS connectors that support the two-way vehicle data sharing functionality.?Most EVs with CCS connectors support this feature (including older EV models).?The following models are eligible: Cadillac LYRIQ, Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, Ford Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, Genesis GV60, GMC Hummer EV, Hyundai Ioniq, Ioniq 5 and Kona, Kia Niro and EV6, Mercedes EQS, Polestar 2, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4x, and Volvo XC40 Recharge.

Update: The new Tesla CCS1 Adapter will soon be eligible for use on the EVgo network and Tesla Model X, Y, S, S Plaid and 3 will be eligible for Autocharge+. More details coming soon."

Ok, I'm exhausted and only true EV nerds have read this far.

I honestly don't care what it's called... it just needs to work and be available on all charging networks and for all EVs. This feature will not differentiate an EV in any buyer's mind, but having the feature will make the whole experience better so EV drivers will have another reason to brag to ICE drivers why EV's are better.

Just make it available and make it work already. ;)