Jaguar launches in-car payments

The days of lining up at a petrol station to pay for fuel or even having to swipe your card at the bowser are numbered.

That's the word from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has announced the 2017 Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE models feature new functionality allowing owners to use their in-car touch-screen to pay for fuel, which it claims is a world-first.

Teaming up with global fuel conglomerate Shell, Jaguar owners can download an app that syncs with the car and allows instant wireless payments for fuel.

Jag says there's a corporate function for company/fleet car users too, whereby drivers can "log journeys and save receipts via the car's touchscreen" according to a press statement.

The in-car payment system was launched yesterday in the UK and is set to be rolled out globally, with the USA next in line.

Australian drivers are likely to get in on the act from early 2018, too.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia's Product Public Affairs Manager, James Scrimshaw, said: "We are hoping to have this available in Australia from early 2018."

If the technology proves successful (read: popular), Jaguar and Land Rover will expand the cashless technology to allow payments for other services, such as parking and even drive-through restaurants.

Who knows how far these services will stretch in future?

In its current form, the system will display an electronic receipt on the car's infotainment screen, letting drivers know a payment has been successful. A copy of the electronic receipt is then sent to the driver's email for later use, whether for accounting purposes or with business expense software.

"In a world where cash is no longer king, customers are increasingly using electronic payments and contactless cards," said Peter Virk, Jaguar Land Rover's Director of Connected Car and Future Technology.

"Making a payment directly from a car's touchscreen will make refueling quicker and easier. With this new system you can choose any pump at the gas station and pay for the fuel even if you've forgotten your wallet or can't find your credit or debit card."

The JLR group says it’s the new system is "simple but secure" and uses geolocation technology and cloud-based pre-payment check with the PayPal or Apple Pay to verify details.

"We are working with leaders in e-commerce such as Shell to enable our customers to enjoy cashless motoring via their car's touchscreen. Whether it's paying for fuel, parking, tolls, or even at a drive-through restaurant, the aim of cashless motoring is to make life easier for our customers."

"Our technology allows users to put their phone away out of sight and use it via the touchscreen in the car, because as the car becomes more connected to the Internet of Things we will always be guided by what is appropriate and safe to do while driving. So in-car payments would only be enabled when it is safe to do so, preventing unnecessary driver distractions."