Sebastian Fleischhacker’s Post

Following my recent post about crash protection, let's delve into another aspect: Charging hubs and waiting bays for electric vehicles. If you're an EV driver, navigating the charging station Tango during peak times, it can certainly be a test of patience. The awkward nods, gentle horn beeps, and the vigilant individuals pacing up and down the charging stations, scrutinising each status, tutting as they go! – it's a familiar scenario. Most new charging hubs find their place in existing car parks, with bays arranged in various ways. To tackle the potential rise of "charger rage," why not consider implementing dedicated waiting bays or a queue system? We Brits are World Champions of staying in line and love nothing more than an orderly queue, this solution seems to make practical sense. Alternatively, a VIP booking facility through a mobile app could streamline the process. I'm eager to hear about your experiences and the solutions you envision for a smoother charging experience.

A Signpost for The Times🚏 This week, we’re shining a light on our Char.gy charge points around London Bridge! With the topic of EV charging making it into Giles Coren’s column in The Times, we thought it was a great moment to highlight some nearby charge points close to their London Bridge office. If you haven’t spotted us yet, it’s probably because our charge points are designed to blend in seamlessly with the existing kerbside infrastructure - we’re not too flashy. 😉 To find us, we recommend using Zapmap to explore the area or you can download the char.gy app. Our coverage is pretty extensive, see those yellow dots? Yep, that’s char.gy! 📍⚡ We’re committed to enhancing the EV experience for drivers like Giles, with a responsive 24/7 driver support team on hand to help. It’s vital that frustrating charging experiences don’t put drivers off sticking with electric vehicles or switching in the first place. Giles, you’ve got options. For local authorities, service quality should be one of their top priorities when choosing a charge point operator. Why? Because public experiences, like this one, can shape perceptions and impact our journey to cleaner air and more sustainable future. 💚 #EVDriverSupport #EVCharging #CleanAir #EVTransition

Why make your drivers lives difficult trying to manage multiple cards to cover fuel and EV charging. The Allstar Chargepass solution covers all your refuelling and charging needs whether on the road or at home, through a SINGLE CARD solution, and a single consolidated invoice, unlike some……..

We are looking for a pilot/demonstration partner for EVrest, an EV charge station management system and driver mobile app we developed at Argonne National Laboratory. As part of this partnership, we can jointly apply for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Communities Taking Charge Accelerator funding opportunity, with a possible $1M in funding for the project.    A suitable partner could be a university, multi-family dwelling, parking structure, workplace, or utility that already has charging infrastructure in place or has intentions to install new charging facilities. Additionally, EV charging station manufacturers equipped with OCPP 1.6J stations who are seeking partnerships are encouraged to get in touch.   EVrest enables driver reservations and smart charge management. This provides peace of mind for drivers who don't have personal charging stations in single-family homes and need to be sure they can charge up at pre-determined times and for specific intervals.   Reach out if you have questions or interest in being a pilot/demonstration partner. If this isn't a fit for you, please share with folks in your network who might have interest in being a pilot/demonstration partner. Learn more about EVrest, which is also available for licensing, at this link: https://lnkd.in/gZA_EudP 

Seamless Charging with Roaming Solutions 🌍 Roaming solutions are breaking down barriers for EV drivers. By enabling cross-network access, drivers can charge at any station without needing multiple accounts or apps. A unified, accessible network is key to mass EV adoption! #RoamingSolutions #EVCharging #Interoperability #FutureOfMobility #CPO #EVFLASH #EVUNITY

Versinetic's Managing Director Dunstan Power explains how instilling consumer trust in charging at the point of installation can help combat charge anxiety, in a new article just published by Automotive World. “Installation problems have been endemic to the charging experience since the outset”, Dunstan tells Stewart Alexander Burnett. Versinetic’s Installer App was designed to mitigate the common complexities and errors that occur during charger installation. “You can replay most of the installation while filling in different settings for obvious variables like SSID or the Wi-Fi password. This can save 20-30 minutes per installation, in addition to reducing the chance of error.” “Making the installation process as consistent as possible, will ultimately help to dispel some of the more harmful types of pushback that EVs faced in 2023 and solidify their mainstream acceptance.” Read the full story in Automotive World #EV #EVcharging #technology #Versinetic

Enhancing the EV charging experience is essential as we shift from early adopters to mainstream users. Addressing not just range anxiety but also payment anxiety is crucial. By partnering strategically with Noodoe, businesses can develop a branded ecosystem that meets customer expectations for a smart and rewarding charging experience. Our 'Scan, Pay, Charge' solution streamlines the process, eliminates payment hassles, and integrates seamlessly with your reward program in just 30 seconds, avoiding pre-authorization issues. https://lnkd.in/eGJZXQaF

So I normally try to present a balanced viewpoint (and fail miserably sometimes), but with regards my recent experience with EV charging infrastructure, here goes: I have a BMW iX3 on loan from the dealership, and took a little trip down to London yesterday. The charger (AC, 3.6kW) I found was controlled using the EVCharge app. First, the app thought I was either in France, or Spain whenever I opened it. When I zoomed in on the map it did not show the chargers in mu location. Second, scanning the QR code kept giving a rejection message, so I had to type the number manually (not an issue) and was then given the list of charger ports at my location. The one I had parked at was out of order. I moved the car over one bay to a port that worked, and then selected total desired charge time, paid, and it was all good. Except. The price! £13.70 for what amounted to ~13kWh. So £1 per kWh. The iX3 has a usable charge of 74kWh. So essentially, this means I could end up paying the same to "refuel" an EV as a normal ICE while waiting an exponentially longer time to do so. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not inherently anti-EV, but if its not equivalent to, or cheaper than, a current ICE offering in the things that matter (range, refuelling time, cost etc - note I didn't say performance because no one needs a 1000bhp shopping trolley) then its no surprise that uptake is not growing as fast as is needed for Net Zero. Being able to "refuel" at home is great because it can be done for a pittance, but if I go anywhere and need to charge it publicly then I get subjected to everyone and their dog wanting a bite of the cherry that is my wallet..... I'll stick to the M5 for now thanks. At least the costs are constant.

Parkopedia is partnering with ChargeHub, the largest EV roaming hub operator in North America,  to enhance the charging experience for millions of EV drivers. This provides North American drivers with direct access and frictionless transactions across more than 80,000 chargers - providing access to more than 70% of open network chargers in the US and Canada, from more than 20 Charge Site Operators (CSOs). This partnership sees ChargeHub’s network of charging stations being integrated into Parkopedia’s Payment Platform, enabling in-car charging activations and payments via a Single Sign-On account with participating CSOs. Additionally, drivers have access to Parkopedia’s market-leading parking and charging information plus dynamic availability data. Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/4blV2Xa #Automotive #AutomotiveIndustry #AutomotiveTechnology #ConnectedCars #Innovation #Data #EV #EVCharging #Technology