Autel Energy has debuted its upgraded charging technology at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. How so?
The Port Washington, N.Y.-based company is moving to make paying at EV chargers simpler and at significant scale. The company plans to roll out integrated credit card readers across roughly 100,000 chargers in North America and Europe by the end of this year, marking a major shift in how its equipment handles payments in the U.S.
That rollout begins with a U.S.-specific version of the MaxiCharger AC Single. Built with fintech specialist Nayax's Uno Mini payment hardware that's installed at the factory, the Level 2 charger allows drivers to pay on the spot using a credit card without requiring any apps, accounts, or sign-ups.
The approach is aimed squarely at locations such as commercial fleets, as well as workplaces, hotels, and multifamily properties, where friction at the charger has often been a barrier to broader EV adoption.
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According to Autel, the new charger configuration is the latest result of its ongoing collaboration with Nayax, a partnership the two companies first announced back in August 2025.
"Our partnership with Autel is about enabling smarter, more scalable EV charging," said Aaron Greenberg, chief strategy officer at Nayax. "By embedding the Nayax Uno Mini directly into the MaxiCharger platform, Autel is delivering a charger that is turnkey, card-payment ready, and designed for deployment at scale across North America."
For property owners and charging operators, the update comes without added complexity. The payment-ready MaxiCharger AC Single retains the same form factor and core hardware design as the standard version, allowing it to be deployed without modifying enclosures, mounting systems, or site layouts.
What's new is the factory-integrated Nayax Uno Mini, which adds multiple ways to pay directly at the charger. Drivers can use contactless EMV, chip cards, or NFC-based mobile wallets without creating an account or downloading an app. The system also accommodates Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) access and closed-loop payment models for fleets and restricted-access environments, giving operators a path to generate revenue quickly without adding external payment hardware.
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Operationally, the payment-enabled version is designed to fit seamlessly into existing workflows. Autel says installation and commissioning mirror those of current MaxiCharger AC Single units, thus reducing the learning curve for both installers and operators.
"This configuration brings payment capability directly into the AC Single platform without compromising the openness or flexibility that our customers rely on," said Michelle Luo, chief revenue officer at Autel Energy. "For us, this is all about experience. We bring our expertise as an industry leader, but it's the experience of our customers that matters most—drivers, fleets, and operators who rely on Autel every day to keep their vehicles moving. If we can make charging simpler, faster, and more intuitive, then we're doing our job."
