WEX Expands EV Charging and Payment Solution to Include Private Chargers

WEX has added a feature that enables fleets with electric vehicles (EVs) to use the WEX Fleet Card at private chargers.

With the addition of this feature, WEX EV Depot, WEX now offers an EV charging and payment solution that encompasses depot, public and at-home charging locations, the global commerce platform said in a Monday (April 28) press release.

“As fleet managers shift from internal combustion engines to EVs, they face the challenge of consolidating data across different types of chargers and fueling stations for operational efficiency,” Carlos Carriedo, chief operating officer, Americas Payments & Mobility at WEX, said in the release. “With WEX EV Depot, we are helping customers navigate the complexity of infrastructure rollout and giving them the tools to operate efficiently at scale with a 360-degree solution.”

WEX EV Depot is part of an integrated reporting system that allows fleets to use their WEX fleet credit line to manage EV charges from any charging source, reducing the number of cards they need, according to the release.

The feature also allows fleets to direct EV drivers to their preferred depot or private charging locations and schedule charging overnight, the release said.

For drivers, WEX EV Depot enables EV charging payments at private chargers and the WEX public network, provides a payment option via smartphones and reduces the number of cards needed to access chargers, per the release.

Companies are exploring various options to streamline processes, ranging from tokenized virtual cards to mobile wallets, WEX President of Corporate Payments Eric Frankovic told PYMNTS in an interview posted April 10.

“When you talk about big strategic suppliers as well as the long tail of small suppliers, for the long tail, it may be in everyone’s best interest just to accept a virtual card,” Frankovic said. “Maybe the transaction sizes aren’t as big, the volumes aren’t as big, and you don’t really need to rationalize anything other than getting paid as quickly as you can from the buyer.”

The c ompany said in March that it partnered with business travel platform Engine to offer WEX’s Over The Road Fuel Cards as a payment option for eligible customers.