Consumers Demand more In-Car Payment Access, claims Provider

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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28th May 2021

Consumers are demanding more access to in-car payments according to pay-as-you-park provider, Parkopedia.

The company claims it is extending its customer’s in-car payment services in response to this perceived demand. It has announced that it is extending its existing parking payment platform to include additional vehicle-centric services such as EV charging, fueling and tolling payments. It plans to simplify how drivers make payments for their wider vehicle-based purchases, by consolidating multiple global merchants into one account.

Its new platform aggregates these merchants and eliminates the existing barriers to entry, such as the need to swipe a card to unlock a charging station or to pay for fuel. It highlights the growing importance of cabin voice assistants citing recent research that these will be vital in driving in-car commerce sales of over $11Bn by 2025, up from just $12M in 2020.

The company favors vehicle head unit integration over smartphone mirroring claiming it allows for interaction between vehicle sensors and transactable locations. This can drive user engagement by the vehicle suggesting to the driver to digitally pay for parking or to charge at a specific location; where they can pre-book based on ETA or available range.

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_