Sheeva-AI improves on-board payment for Citroën in India

Sheeva.AI launches its in-car payment solution on a Citroën model in India. Renowned for the development of innovative technologies based on geolocation, Sheeva.AI aims to make in-car payment a complete service, with a simple and rapid process for the driver.

FACTS

• Last week, Sheeva.AI announced the introduction of on-board payment technology for the C3 Aircross AT SUV, one of India's most economical SUV models.

• Owners of this model will be able to pay for fuel using Sheeva.AI's technology at over 30,000 partner service stations in India.

• Equipped models are already available in the French brand's showrooms in India.

• The process is designed to simplify the payment stage and make it notably more secure. In concrete terms, it works as follows:

• The driver goes to a service station partnering the Sheeva.AI solution.

• On arrival, he scans the QR code on the payment terminal.

• Once he has the terminal's permission, he can start filling up.

• Finally, the driver can receive a digital receipt via his MyCitroën Connect mobile application.

• For payment, users can use their preferred UPI provider, directly in the MyCitroën Connect application.

• Other use cases, such as parking or toll payment, are expected to be added to the cars concerned at a later date.

• According to Sheeva.IA, the solution currently has over two million partners mapped in its database. These include service stations, parking spaces, electric vehicle chargers and more.

• The company claims that its solutions are currently expanding worldwide, and boasts over 2,000,000 service points mapped in the Sheeva.AI database.

CHALLENGES

• An offer focused on the customer experience: Sheeva.AI places the customer experience at the heart of its solutions. These solutions are secure, fluid and effortless, according to the brand. Sheeva.AI's aim is also to vary its partnerships so as to be able to offer a complete in-vehicle payment experience.

• Revolutionizing in-vehicle payment: Sheeva.AI's solutions are based on highly precise geolocation technologies that detect nearby services and thus anticipate the purchases the driver is about to make. To achieve this, the company relies on a number of software programs and technologies:

  • The patented SheevaLocate software, which geolocates vehicles to within two meters;

  • SheevaFence, which geo-identifies partner sales outlets and thus distinguishes between services such as individual pay stations or parking spaces;

  • SheevaPay, a cloud-based payment platform,

  • SheevaServ, a cloud-based software application for activating nearby services.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• Sheeva.AI stands out because its solution should be compatible with a variety of use cases. It is not, however, the first in-car payment solution to be deployed on the market, as German automaker Mercedes announced in September 2023 the launch in Germany of vehicles equipped with an integrated payment system, in partnership with Mastercard.

• Sheeva.AI is not expected to limit itself to its current solution, however, as in November the company launched a partnership with Visa Acceptance Solution with the aim of bringing tokenization technology to in-car payment solutions.