The car pays at the gas station: PACE presents PACE Drive for Apple CarPlay

This makes PACE Drive the first fueling app in Germany that can be used to pay directly via the infotainment screen.

With innovative features such as paying for fuel by smartphone and even by smartwatch, PACE Drive enables users to make mobile payments directly at the fuel pump. But until now, one major milestone was missing: payment via the car’s infotainment system, conveniently from the driver’s seat. After PACE announced it in July, this vision is now becoming reality: Thanks to the new possibilities provided by Google and Apple with the latest versions of their platforms, PACE Drive is the first app in Europe to offer in-car payment via CarPlay and Android Auto.

This is possible not only for a specific model, but with all cars that support CarPlay or Android Auto. According to Apple, CarPlay alone is already supported in over 98% of available cars in the United States, with a total of more than 600 models worldwide. This means that many drivers are already able to use the new function of the PACE Drive app.

For those expecting a complicated setup process, there is good news: Update your smartphone to iOS 16 or at least Android 6, update PACE Drive on your smartphone, and you’re done. The app is available on the car display automatically without the need for any additional installation. The PACE ID, currently logged in on the smartphone, also works via CarPlay or Android Auto all by itself, the payment is handled via the already stored payment methods. At launch, payments are possible via giropay and credit card.

Once PACE Drive is started in the car, the process is as uncomplicated as usual. The app shows nearby gas stations that support mobile payment. After navigating to the desired station, the payment process starts:

1. When you arrive at the gas station, you can start the payment process on your car’s display.
2. You then select the fuel pump you are at.
3. You simply fill up as usual.
4. Select payment method, confirm payment, continue driving. That’s it!

This also simplifies the handling of fuel receipts: the digital receipt is sent to users by email after the refueling process and can also be viewed in the app on the smartphone together with the receipts for all previous payments. The payment works in this way at all gas stations of the open, manufacturer-independent Connected Fueling platform, which PACE has been developing and expanding since 2019. More than 3,000 gas stations are already part of the rapidly growing network, and with Poland and Norway, the company recently reached the mark of 12 countries in Europe.

Since we started working on the Connected Fueling platform, it was clear to us that this type of payment had to be available in the car. From the infotainment screen, payment is easy, secure, and reliable. We are proud to have reached this milestone and to be able to offer this innovative feature to our users and partners already today

Philip Blatter, one of the founders and managing directors of PACE Telematics GmbH