Vattenfall and WirelessCar test automated charging
The service automates vehicle authentication as well as the start, end and payment of charging sessions at both AC and DC charging stations. After a one-time registration in the My InCharge account, the system recognises the vehicle when it is plugged in and automatically initiates the charging process. Communication between the vehicle and the charging station is based on established industry standards.
According to the companies, the service will initially support vehicles from Volvo Cars and Tesla that are equipped with the required connectivity features. Seamless Charging is scheduled to become available across all InCharge charging stations in autumn or winter 2026. At present, the service is limited to selected pilot locations.
With this project, Vattenfall InCharge and WirelessCar aim to simplify the charging process and reduce the number of required authentication steps.
“Our experience connecting vehicles, data, and ecosystem partners has shown that the best technology often removes complexity rather than adding it,” says Mateo Sotomayor, Vice President EV Experience at WirelessCar. “Improving the charging experience requires orchestration across a complex ecosystem of vehicles, platforms, charging networks, and service providers. Seamless Charging is a practical example—using connected vehicle technology to remove steps from the charging process.”
The approach is similar to the autocharge services already offered by charging operators such as Fastned and EnBW. Unlike the standardised Plug & Charge process based on ISO 15118, authentication does not rely on digital vehicle certificates. Instead, the system uses a one-time link between the vehicle and the user account, followed by a cloud-based verification of vehicle data.
However, Vattenfall and WirelessCar have not yet disclosed details of the underlying technical implementation.
According to the company, Vattenfall InCharge operates more than 40,000 charging points. WirelessCar develops connected vehicle services and supplies the cloud-based Seamless Charging platform that enables automated charging. The partners say their long-term goal is to allow charging sessions to take place without any additional user authentication, with communication occurring directly between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure.
Seamless Charging is one of several initiatives through which Vattenfall is advancing intelligent charging solutions. While the current project focuses on automated authentication and payment, the company is also trialling bidirectional charging in the Netherlands together with Hyundai and Kia. Both projects aim to make greater use of the connectivity capabilities of modern electric vehicles to further automate charging processes in the future.
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