ZEFNET's Billing page allows users to create Billing Profiles, which dictate the costs associated with using a charger or group of chargers. It allow allows for the definition of Time of Use schedules, which can be incorporated into Billing profiles to adjust the charging cost based on the time and day of the week. However, this article focuses on creating a billing profile (for incorporating TOU into your billing profile, see #Advanced Billing Profiles# [Coming soon]
Creating a Billing Profile - in order for a charger to be configured to collect payment, ZEFNET needs to know what rates and fees the charger owner would like drivers to pay. This can be accomplished by creating a Billing Profile, which can contain multiple cost types and can be applied to multiple chargers - though a single charger cannot be assigned to more than one billing profile at a time.
To create a billing profile, click the icon and select a standard billing profile (the complex billing profile is a legacy option). This will take you to a 4-part window containing the following pages:
1. Profile
| Name | Name the billing profile (e.g. L2 Billing, or $.49/kWh) |
| Effective From | Date the billing profile is activated (NOTE: Billing profiles will not be fully effective until they are assigned to chargers that exist in an Access Pool)!!! |
| Time Zone | This time zone will be referenced for any costs that incorporate time of use |
2. Costs
A cost in ZEFNET is defined as one distinct way of calculating what a driver should pay to use your charger. It may be a simple rate based on energy (e.g. $.40/kWh) or time ($2/hour), it may be a one time fee that drivers pay up front ($5 plug in fee), or it may be a rate that varies based on the time of day or the duration of the session (e.g. drivers pay $.15/kWh for the first two hours, and $.30/kWh after that).
You can layer multiple costs onto a single billing profile if needed; those costs will be collected concurrently.
Click the icon to create a cost. Then fill in the following attributes as needed:
| Name | Cost description, e.g. kWh rate |
| Base Value | A decimal value that, when combined with the unit, comprises the cost. |
| Unit |
This depicts how the cost is calculated based on session data. $ = the base value (in $) is charged up front $/kWh = base value is charged by the kWh $/min (part) = base value is charged per minute (prorated) $/min (whole) base value is charged per whole minute (rounded up) $/hour (part/whole) = charge is per hour |
| Include in Tax Calculations | Check if you intend to include taxes as a part of the billing profile and wish for this cost to be included in that calculation |
| Constraints/Variations/Exceptions | This allows for the creation of more complicated costs that vary or are constrained by certain circumstances. Creating these types of costs is covered in the article #Advanced Billing Profiles# [Coming Soon] |
Once you've completed your cost, you can create another cost with the icon - just repeat the process above. If you need to make changes to any cost, you can click on the 'Current Costs' dropdown to select a cost, and then make any needed changes. When you've created all needed Costs, click NEXT.
3. Taxes
Adding tax to a Billing Profile allows for a certain percentage of some or all of your Costs to be added to a driver's final charging bill; this can be beneficial if you are required to pay tax on funds collected from drivers, as you can view revenue attributed to tax in ZEFNET's Charging Sessions report.
Click the icon to create a tax. Then fill in the following attributes as needed:
| Name | Give the tax a name e.g.: MN State Tax |
| Base Value | Enter the % value from which tax should be calculated (e.g. a 6.75% tax should be entered as 6.75) |
| Unit | %Bill - this is fixed, and means that the tax will be calculated as a % of all costs that had the 'Include in Tax Calculations' box checked. |
Note - taxes can also have 'Constraints' applied; this will be covered in the article #Advanced Billing Profiles# [Coming Soon!]
Once you've completed your tax, you can create another cost with the icon - just repeat the process above. If you need to make changes to any tax, you can click on the 'Current Taxes' dropdown to select a tax, and then make any needed changes. When you've created all needed Taxes, click NEXT.
4. Summary
The final page provides a basic summary of the Billing Profile as it has been programmed. This is how the billing profile will appear to drivers using the ZEFNET Charge app (provided that the charger is networked with ZEF). If any changes are needed, you may click BACK; otherwise click SAVE.
Adding Chargers to a Billing Profile
Once a Billing Profile has been created, any allocated charger that does not yet have a Billing Profile can be added to it. To do this, click the Billing Profile to select it, then click the 'Members' icon in the upper right hand corner. You'll be taken to a menu that displays all plugs that can be added to the profile under 'Available to add' (any plugs already assigned to the Billing Profile will appear in 'Current members').
Select the plugs you'd like to add by clicking the checkbox next to the plug, then click the icon. If you are finished adding plugs, click OK.
You can confirm that the plugs have been added by checking the 'Members' column on the Billing Profiles list. That number represents the number of plugs that have been added to the Billing Profile.
Note - please remember that a charger will not collect funds from drivers if a Billing Profile has been applied to it, as this only instructs ZEFNET how to bill drivers if the plug is configured to require payment. This can be configured in the Access Module.
Time of Use
The Time of Use functionality is covered in the article #Advanced Billing Profiles# [Coming soon!].
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