Whether you're in an apartment or at work, "just plug in and charge" - Link T&B ships demonstrator of portable EV charger compatible with Plug & Charge

On March 31, 2026, Link T&B Inc. (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director/CEO: Toshihiro Iwaki) shipped two demonstrator units of portable EV chargers compatible with Plug & Charge. This shipment is the first step in a demonstration to simplify the authentication and billing operations for EV charging, which tend to be complicated in apartment complexes, office buildings, corporate bases, etc.

Link T&B officially lists portable EV charger without any groundwork, vehicle authentication module with Plug & Charge, and OneCharge platform that utilizes charging data as EV charging solutions.

EV charging infrastructure challenges — “Who will use it and who will pay for it?”

The development of EV charging infrastructure has become an important national issue, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has indicated that, with a goal of installing 300,000 charging infrastructure units in 2030, development is progressing mainly in existing apartment complexes, and the promotion of development for condominiums is also an issue. According to documents from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, EV chargers in condominiums are often installed in common areas, and points of contention include installation costs, maintenance costs, the burden of electricity costs actually required for charging, and management responsibility in the event of an accident.

What is more difficult on-site is not simply installing the charger itself, but rather figuring out who used it, who should bill it, and what contract to use for payment.

Aim of the demonstration device - Verification on site where multiple usage categories coexist

The demonstration device shipped this time will simplify the identification of vehicles and users at sites where multiple usage categories coexist, and will be tested with a view to future billing coordination. Plug & Charge, according to CharIN, is a mechanism for automatic communication and charging process between the vehicle and charger without the need for external authentication methods such as RFID cards or charging apps.

The two units will first be used to confirm operation at the demonstration site. Link T&B is currently considering mass production timing, sales start date, price, business model, etc. Through this demonstration, we will identify areas for improvement toward practical application.

Representative comment

"The issue with EV charging is not just the number of chargers. In the field, the barriers to widespread adoption include who uses them, who pays for them, and how they are managed. The shipment of this demonstration device is the first step toward realizing EV charging that is less burdensome for both users and administrators. We will proceed with verification toward the implementation of charging that can be used simply by plugging it in at sites where authentication and billing are likely to be complicated, such as apartment complexes and corporate bases."

— Link T&B Inc. Representative Director/CEO Toshihiro Iwaki

Assumed usage scene

• Apartment complexes where each unit has a different billing address
• Office buildings with different burden structures for each tenant
• Corporate base with a mix of company cars, employee cars, and visitor cars

Future developments

Going forward, we will continue to develop EV charging solutions that integrate authentication, billing, and charging data utilization based on the knowledge gained from the demonstration device.