KARLSRUHE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PACE Telematics, a leading provider of mobile payment solutions in the European gas station market, is proud to announce a significant milestone: The company now enables mobile payments at over 10,000 gas stations in 15 European countries. Renowned brands such as Esso, JET, OMV, and TAMOIL are among its gas station partners. By integrating with PACE's Connected Fueling platform, they are part of Europe's largest digital gas station network. This achievement positions PACE as Europe’s market leader and highlights the growing importance of mobile payment solutions in the gas station sector.
An increasing number of consumers are using their smartphones, wearables, or in-car applications for payments. This has been highlighted by the fifth edition of the Visa Payment Monitor 2023 in collaboration with the opinion research institute forsa. According to a representative online survey of 1,700 people in Germany, nearly one in four people (23 percent) pay with their mobile phone or wearables, such as smartwatches, compared to only six percent four years ago – indicating that mobile payments are gaining momentum. Reasons for this development include the growing implementation and acceptance of mobile payment technologies, as well as the convenience and efficiency they offer. According to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, the European leaders in mobile payments are Norway, Denmark, and Luxembourg.
PACE Becomes Europe's Largest Gas Station Network
The trend is also clearly noticeable in the gas station business: PACE's network, which enables mobile payments via app, wearable, or vehicle directly at the pump through the Connected Fueling platform, is the first provider to surpass the 10,000 mark. PACE has become the largest gas station network in Europe, spanning a total of 15 European countries. Renowned brands such as Esso, JET, OMV, TAMOIL and many more are among the partners. At these stations, mobile payments are now used by over 1.3 million users.
Connected Fueling Platform Offers Numerous Advantages
The Connected Fueling platform by PACE offers numerous advantages to gas station operators, fuel card issuers, app providers, and automotive manufacturers by enabling mobile payments at the pump. These advantages include increased convenience through digital receipts and mobile payments, faster payment processing, and improved service in the shop due to shorter waiting times and reduced workloads for employees.
The connection to the platform is technically uncomplicated for gas station partners. To ensure smooth communication, the respective POS system is connected to the PACE Connected Fueling platform. The PACE interface "Open Fueling Site Connect" (OpenFSC) is a free open-source API used by most connected industry partners, such as Ratio Elektronik, to quickly and easily connect to the Connected Fueling platform. PACE already has numerous existing integrations with various POS system providers such as Fortech, Scheidt & Bachmann or TSG Deutschland and many more.
Plug-and-Play Solution: Maximizing Business Success in Europe
The Connected Fueling platform offers an innovative plug-and-play solution that enables gas stations, fuel and fleet card providers, mobility apps, and car manufacturers to comprehensively digitize and establish presence in the European market. While previous integration projects and multi-million investments were necessary for plastic fuel cards to enter the European market, fuel card partners can now operate quickly and efficiently across Europe with just one integration into the platform. More and more fuel card issuers such as DKV, Esso, Hoyer, or LOGPAY are taking advantage of these benefits.
Furthermore, additional mobility use cases are on the roadmap based on the technical foundation of the platform, which will expand the offering in the near future, including, for example, mobile car wash payments.
About PACE Telematics & Connected Fueling
The open Connected Fueling platform, operated by PACE Telematics (Karlsruhe, Germany), enables seamless mobile payment directly at the fuel pump through a uniform, cost-saving integration of all partners with the Connected Fueling cloud system. The independent platform is open to all petroleum companies, service station operators, fuel card issuers and POS system providers. Additionally, the platform offers automobile manufacturers and app developers flexible interfaces and easily integrable Software Development Kits (SDKs) to incorporate the mobile payment functionality into their systems. For more information, please visit www.connectedfueling.com.