Pay-per-mile road user charging (RUC) typically relies on either a plug-in OBU (on-board unit) or time-consuming manual verification – now Smartcar’s mileage verification API, which requires no hardware because it works via a smartphone app, is available in Europe for the first time. And its uses extend beyond tolling…
Smartcar have already partnered with Emovis in Utah, USA, to offer voluntary road usage charge programs for owners of electric and hybrid vehicles. Owners of vehicles built after 2014 can choose the hardware-free solution, powered by Smartcar, which allows vehicle owners to connect their cars with just three clicks from the Emovis app.
Emovis then uses Smartcar’s mileage verification API to retrieve the vehicle’s odometer reading at regular intervals. Participants don’t need to install any hardware in their cars, and they don’t need to upload photos of their odometer readings. Instead, Emovis retrieves this information directly from the vehicle’s instrument cluster.
Beyond tolling Smartcar allows car-sharing marketplaces carry out contactless rentals with digital keys, and also enables fleet management software providers to offer hardware-free fleet tracking solutions. Furthermore, EV charging networks can check their customers’ vehicle location and state of charge to recommend nearby charging stations.
Smartcar is now expanding beyond the United States. Businesses with operations in Europe can now use the Smartcar platform to build and scale their mobility services. Smartcar customers can request early access to APIs in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Norway, with additional countries following soon. Smartcar’s first customers in Europe include the car sharing marketplace Turo, the auto insurance provider Paydrive, and the energy company Krafthem.
“We’ve seen growing interest from European businesses that want to use our APIs,” says Smartcar CEO Sahas Katta. “We decided to validate our product with a number of customers in Germany, the UK, Sweden, and Norway. The progress and enthusiasm we’ve seen from these first partnerships in the past several months has been the driver to officially launch our platform in these four countries.”
