The global market for electric vehicles is supercharged. As of 2020, more than 11 million electric vehicles were on the road globally, and numbers could reach more than 230 million by 2030 . To keep up with this demand, the global EV charging infrastructure market is projected to grow to US$ 150 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 33% for 2021 – 2030 . This represents an enormous opportunity for both EV charging station managers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) selling into this market.

A strong user identification and access control solution provides value for both free and fee-based EV charging scenarios by giving organizations the means to limit access to authorized users and/or track behavioral metrics for drivers who plug in on their premises. OEMs catering to the EV charging market will need to understand these use cases and integrate user authentication solutions that meet the needs of public/fee-based and private EV charging station managers. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and emerging smartphone applications both offer benefits for OEMs, station managers and end-users. In many cases, the best option is a hybrid solution that accommodates both options.