Duracell E‑Charge and Paythru: Driving Reliable EV Payments

Duracell E‑Charge has selected Paythru to deliver the end-to-end payments infrastructure for its UK ultra-fast EV charging network, enabling multi-channel payment acceptance, automated settlement and real-time transaction orchestration across every site in its rollout.

The partnership is part of a wider trend of digitising the UK’s EV charging economy.

Paythru will power the payments layer across all Duracell E‑Charge locations, ensuring transactions are processed consistently across card, app and terminal-based channels while consolidating settlement and reporting across multiple charging operators.

Keith Brown, Founder and CEO of Paythru, says: “Duracell E-Charge is setting a new benchmark for the UK’s public charging infrastructure by focusing not just on charging speed but also user experience – an area where customers consistently say EV charging needs to improve.”

The importance of finance infrastructure in EV charging

User experience is particularly important in public charging.

While speed and location are some of the most talked about when it comes to the charging narrative, payment friction is an ongoing problem. 

It’s estimated that a quarter of charging failures are rooted in payment issues.

This is a statistic Duracell E‑Charge is tackling head-on.

“With reported figures of up to 25% of charging failures being driven by payment processes, and payment failure being within UK regulations on downtime, this is a key area of focus,” Mark Bloxham, Managing Director of Duracell E-Charge, says.

The payments layer: Built for scalability

Duracell E‑Charge’s rollout includes six ultra-fast charging locations funded by The EV Network, with plans to expand across motorways, retail and hospitality venues across the UK. 

Each location features Duracell’s signature focus on reliability and intuitive design – mirroring the brand’s long-standing image of trust and endurance within energy solutions.

Behind the scenes, Paythru’s orchestration-led infrastructure aligns perfectly with the EV industry’s complex payment needs. 

Using real-time transaction routing and integrated settlement reporting, the system ensures charging payments are processed in under a second, with a near‑perfect success rate.

Keith adds: “The Duracell E-Charge Network is setting the goal of 99% uptime to tackle driver concerns about reliability. Truly offering 99% uptime means not just that the charger is on 99% of the time, but that payments go through efficiently so users can charge.

“Paythru will help it differentiate by reducing payment failure rates to near zero, with an industry-leading 99.8% payment success rate, well above the industry average.”

Unlike traditional payment gateways, orchestration platforms such as Paythru sit between channels – card, wallet or app – and unify them into one consistent layer.

This allows both operators and consumers to benefit from seamless authorisation, greater uptime and automated reconciliation, which in turn improves operational performance and compliance.

Enabling sustainability with reliable infrastructure

Although payments orchestration might seem a small, technical detail, it plays a direct role in sustainability outcomes, particularly in the EV space. 

Every failed transaction prevents an EV from charging when needed, forcing delays or detours that increase overall journey inefficiency. 

Reducing downtime and friction helps the entire network operate with higher energy utilisation and fewer redundancies. These are both vital building blocks of a greener transport ecosystem.

“With Paythru, we have a platform purpose-built for EV networks, delivering enterprise-grade reliability, automated settlement and multi-channel payment options that scale effortlessly as the network grows,” Mark continues. 

“Drivers can plug in with confidence and operators can focus on growth and customer experience rather than worrying about payments. 

“Paythru understands EV infrastructure at a level that more generic payment providers simply don't.”