Look! The latest progress of Xiongan New Area digital RMB hard wallet

Recently, under the guidance and support of the Party Working Committee and Management Committee of Xiongan New Area and the Shijiazhuang Branch of the People's Bank of China, Bank of China, China Telecom and State Grid took the lead in applying digital RMB hard wallets to new energy vehicle charging scenarios in Xiongan New Area, exploring the implementation of new barter payment technologies.

The digital RMB hard wallet is a physical chip loaded with digital RMB electronic wallet information. After the hard wallet is built into the electric vehicle charging port and charging gun, when the owner charges the vehicle, the charging device can automatically read the owner's wallet information and start charging. When charging is completed, the electricity fee is automatically deducted without the owner having to make payment operations, truly providing customers with a good product experience of convenient charging and seamless payment.

The digital RMB charging pile of the State Grid Xiong'an Power Supply Company was tested at the Xiong'an Citizen Service Center. Photo by Hu Yifan

Digital currency authentication is successful. Image provided by Hu Yifan

When charging is complete, digital RMB payment is completed. Image courtesy of Hu Yifan

In September 2020, at the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the digital RMB charging pile prototype jointly developed by Bank of China, China Telecom and State Grid was unveiled for the first time at the booth of the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People's Bank of China as the only physical exhibit of hard wallet barter payment technology, attracting widespread attention. Recently, the product has been put into use in the parking lot of Xiongan Citizen Service Center, laying the foundation for subsequent large-scale promotion and application.

With the increasing popularity of new energy vehicles and green travel modes, digital RMB charging piles will also usher in development opportunities in Xiongan New Area. The new area has now entered a large-scale construction stage, and digital RMB is expected to play a greater role in smart communities, smart energy, smart transportation, blockchain payment and other fields, helping Xiongan New Area to become a national model of green and smart cities.