Škoda and Parkopedia work together to augment in-car payment service

With the newly introduced feature, Parkopedia and Škoda deliver a prompt which informs drivers if a location that supports in-car payment transactions is approaching. This update comes after over a year of partnership, with the two companies teaming up in November 2023 to introduce a new Pay-to-Fuel solution. The collaborative agreement was part of Škoda’s efforts to scale its digital offerings for drivers, with the tool intending to facilitate a simplified and optimised payment experience for refuelling directly via the car’s infotainment system.

Additionally, Parkopedia also joined forces with Irdeto in May 2024 to launch a multi-contract solution that augments the EV charging process. At that time, the two companies worked on launching one of the first multi-contract services that could make the EV charging process more accessible and secure for drivers globally. The initiative leveraged Parkopedia’s EV Charging solution and Irdeto’s CrossCharge technologies to provide an improved Plug and Charge experience, with the combined service allowing drivers to locate, pay for parking, and charge their vehicles directly from their in-car media systems.

Making in-car payments more efficient

Through the newly added feature, drivers can locate parking and fuelling sites, receiving prompts on their vehicles’ infotainment screens to inform them of locations where they can conduct transactions. By launching this capability, Parkopedia and Škoda aimed to equip drivers with an optimised connected experience. Also, the feature was created with Parkopedia’s extensive parking data, as the accuracy of location information represents a central part of supporting successful in-car transactions.

Moreover, the upgrade is introduced with fuel-powered Škoda models, produced from Q2 2024, including Fabia, Kamiq, Karoq, Kodiaq, Octavia, Scala, and Superb. The two companies plan to implement notifications for parking locations to the upcoming electric Škoda Elroq at launch, while the Enyaq and other EV models will receive this feature in 2025. The solution focuses on minimising the stress of finding parking machines, reducing driver distractions through subtle prompts, and bypassing complexities such as out-of-order machines, not having change, and card payment difficulties.