Blink announced in September 2025 that we would start the process of accepting cryptocurrency at some Blink electric vehicle (EV) chargers. And that starts now. Currently, we are accepting the USDC stablecoin at a limited number of Blink Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) as part of a pilot project for registered Blink PRO members. We will be issuing press releases throughout the year to keep folks up to date about the pilot program’s progress.
As our own Chief Technology Officer Harmeet Singh says: “The EV community is one of early adopters. EV drivers propel innovation and embrace the future before it becomes the norm and we’re excited to be able to serve the community with the latest technology in payments.”
With that in mind, we thought it was an opportune time to give EV drivers who may not be familiar with the world of cryptocurrency a crash course in these decentralized, digital-only currencies and how they can be used for charging your EV.
What is crypto?
At a basic level, cryptocurrency (crypto) is a completely digital form of money that relies on cryptography and encryption to keep it secure. Unlike government issued currency, which exists as physical cash, cryptocurrency is entirely digital. Transactions are recorded on a decentralized digital ledger called a blockchain, which is publicly accessible and maintained by a network of computers. This makes each transaction secure, transparent, and difficult to alter.
What is a stablecoin?
Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which can experience significant fluctuations in value, a stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency specifically designed to maintain a stable value over time. This makes it reliable and practical for daily transactions like paying for goods and services, such as EV charging.
An example of this kind of stablecoin, and the one we have selected for our pilot, is USDC. Stablecoins have their value pegged to an actual asset, like fiat currencies, for example. In the case of USDC, its value is pegged to the U.S. dollar.
What is USDC?
To put it as simply as possible, USDC is a stablecoin that is always equal to the U.S. dollar.
Therefore, 1 USDC = 1 USD.
It is the largest regulated digital dollar, according to the USDC website.
To put it simply, we chose USDC because of its stability and simplicity.
What is a crypto wallet?
A crypto wallet is an application that acts a bit like a banking app for fiat currency. It stores your crypto and allows you to make payments with it. A crypto wallet can also show you your balance and confirm the transactions you’ve made with your crypto. (Note that this is a basic and narrow definition of the most common type of crypto wallet. They can come in many different forms.)
If you pay for an EV charging session with USDC, your crypto wallet will give you a record of that transaction, which will be catalogued on the USDC blockchain and in your crypto wallet.
Do I need a wallet to pay with crypto?
Yes. To pay for something with any type of crypto, you must have a supported crypto wallet. Many different companies provide crypto wallets, so it behooves you to do your research and choose the best one to fit your personal situation.
In addition to having a crypto wallet, if you want to pay for a Blink EV charging session, you will also need to already have USDC in your crypto wallet and enough of the blockchain’s native currency to pay for the gas fees.
