Shell has teamed up with Jaguar to launch the world’s first payment app that makes it possible to use a car’s touchscreen to make cashless payment for fuel.
This is one of the several new features that will be a part of Jaguar’s F-PACE, XE and XF models. Other notable new features include the use of the latest efficient Ingenium petrol and diesel engines and the use of gesture technology to facilitate options like opening the boot with just the sweep of a foot.
The fuel app now eliminates the need for a card. Jaguar owners just need to drive up to any Shell station and use the touchscreen of the vehicle to select the amount of fuel and make the payment using Apple Pay or Paypal. Android Pay will be added at a later date. The feature will be initially available in the UK and rolled out late rglobally.
After the payment is processed, an electronic receipt will be displayed on the touchscreen. A receipt for the payment will also be sent directly from the pump to the email address of the driver.
Speakign about the new app, Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover’s Director of Connected Car and Future Technology, said that cash is no longer king and customers are increasingly using contactless cards and electronic payments for financial transactions. Using the touchscreen to make payments will make refuelling quicker and easier. Even if you have forgotten your wallet or you are not carrying your debit or credit card, payment will not be an issue. Expenses and tax returns will also be easier as all the receipts are sent electronically. Those travelling with children will no longer have to deal with the hassle of getting out of the car and taking the children out to go into the retail outlets to make the payment.
When it comes to the security of the transaction, the app uses geolocation technology and a cloud based pre-payment check with the Paypal or Apple Pay wallet to make transactions more secure.
David Bunch, Global Vice President Shell Retail Marketing and Chairman, Shell Brands International, said that Shell is the world’s number one global fuels retailer, and the new e-commerce partnership with Jaguar Land Rover is part of the company’s commitment to continuously improve the digital experience for its customers. In 2015, Shell had introduced the concept of mobile payments at the pump in the UK. This is the next step in cashless motoring, with Jaguar and Land Rover customers in the UK paying for their fuel using the car’s touchscreen. The company has plans to introduce many such developments across its 43,000 sites around the world.
The Shell app with in-car cashless payments has been available to download in the UK from 15 February and will be rolled out to additional markets globally during 2017.