Fortum Charge & Drive India Launches Prepaid Cards To Enhance User Experience At EV Charging Stations

Fortum Charge & Drive (C&D) India, launched the RuPay pre-paid card, in collaboration with Pine Labs – a flexible prepaid card that can be used for making payments for charging sessions completed at Fortum charging stations anywhere in India. The launch took place at ‘The FINCHAM Annual Gala 2022’ attended by various dignitaries from the industry.

The card will be available to customers from 1 January 2023, by ordering the same through the Fortum C&D App and completing minimum KYC. From 1 January 2023, Fortum Charge & Drive India shall also transition its payment method from the postpaid method to the prepaid method for EV users.  

The card can also be used to pay for EV charging at any charging station, including non-Fortum charging stations (if the RuPay card is accepted by the station operators). An EV user can also use this pre-paid card at any other e-commerce or merchant store, both for online and offline transactions where RuPay cards are accepted. RuPay cards are widely accepted at stores, restaurants, and online e-commerce platforms.

"We are pleased to offer EV users this innovative payment method, which can be used for making payments on any EV charging stations in India besides across e-commerce sites for online transactions and millions of POS for physical transactions across segments like OTT, eateries, movies, hospitality, retail, etc. We believe that the RuPay pre-paid card will give Fortum Charge & Drive India customers freedom and convenience, resulting in a more efficient charging experience," said Awadhesh Kumar Jha, Executive Director, Fortum Charge & Drive India.

"We are delighted to partner with a clean energy company like Fortum Charge & Drive India in their journey to scale the EV infrastructure in India. Pine Labs is powering the Fortum co-branded prepaid program on the RuPay network. Fortum’s customers in India now have a seamless way to pay for their offline and online transactions using prepaid cards issued by Pine Labs," said Kumar Sudarsan, President, Issuing Business, Pine Labs.

RuPay Card is going to be a convenient and hassle-free payment solution that is specifically introduced to fulfil the varied needs of EV users and provide them flexibility & complete control over their money used to recharge the card with multiple use cases.