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Ionity process ad-hoc payments via ‘Birdhouse’ terminal

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In BriefInfrastructure

Ionity process ad-hoc payments via ‘Birdhouse’ terminal

Ionity is equipping some of its charging parks with a single terminal for ad-hoc payments mounted on a lamppost. However, the device is shaped like a birdhouse - allowing the provider to avoid installing a card payment terminal on each individual charging station.

By Cora Werwitzke

07.10.2026 - 15:00

[IONITY](https://www.electrive.com/tag/ionity/ "IONITY")
[Germany](https://www.electrive.com/tag/germany/ "Germany")
[Charging Stations](https://www.electrive.com/tag/charging-stations/ "Charging Stations")
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At select Ionity charging parks, customers who wish to initiate and pay for their charging session ad hoc must now locate a terminal resembling a birdhouse. This central unit handles ad-hoc payments for all charging stations on-site. Note: Users paying via a charging card or app can still start and manage their session directly at the charger -this process remains unchanged. Only those opting for the admittedly expensive ad-hoc rate of €0.69 cents/kWh are affected by this update.

In practice, the customer activates the display on the charging station as usual, then proceeds to the lantern-style payment terminal to pay by card – only after this step can they plug the cable into their vehicle. While this adds a few extra metres to the process, Ionity trusts its customers to handle it – and, in turn, reduces construction costs. Perhaps this approach might even influence the next ad-hoc tariff adjustment?

In response to an enquiry from _electrive_, Felix Sold, Head of Marketing, Brand & Communications at Ionity, explains that the ‘birdhouses’ serve as Ionity’s central card terminals for older charging stations where a terminal cannot be easily retrofitted. Via such a Birdhouse, customers can make contactless payments with debit or credit cards at multiple charging points.

Sold also clarifies that the rollout is part of implementing the AFIR requirements, with a total of 464 locations across 22 countries being retrofitted. “In Germany, the Birdhouses are already installed at more than 60 locations, such as Gruibingen Süd, Riedener Wald West, or Haidt Süd. More sites are being added continuously.” As for the eye-catching design, Sold adds: “And if we have to install an additional box anyway, we thought: why not make something beautiful out of it? That’s why the card terminal became a birdhouse—fitting with our brand symbol, the red kite.”

smartdroid.de (link in German), x.com

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