A new app is set to improve EV charging by providing drivers with real-time availability, while collecting crucial data to improve access and reliability, says the Electric Vehicle Council.
The EVC has launched ‘Charge@Large’, a free app giving instant visibility on charger status – whether it’s operational, in use by another driver, or out of order.
This real-world information will regularly be shared with governments to improve the EV charging network, allowing them to pinpoint high-demand areas, and help address outages to improve reliability, the council says.
Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Julie Delvecchio says the app has huge potential and can serve as a single source of truth for EV drivers navigating Australia’s growing charging network.
“With more than 300,000 electric vehicles on Australian roads and counting, the demand for accessible, reliable EV charging has never been greater,” says Delvecchio.
“The number of public EV chargers and locations across Australia continues to expand – nearly doubling in the last year alone for all charger types to over 8100 public stations across 3800 sites – but drivers need to know that the charger they’re about to use is unoccupied and working,” she says.
“It can be inconvenient to arrive at a charger that is out of order or already being used by someone who has just plugged in.”
Delvecchio says the ‘Charge@Large’ app helps reduce range-anxiety and improves EV driving experience by giving motorists real-time charger availability, and that by sharing uptime and usage trends with government it will lead to improvements in EV charger coverage and reliability.
“Governments that sign up will be able to find out the exact areas with high charger demand and outages, so they can support the expansion of coverage and be aware of maintenance issues,” she says.
Exploren, ChargeN’Go, Wevolt, Charge Hub and Sonic Charge are onboard ‘Charge@Large’ from launch and CasaCharge and Charge Post are soon to join, says the EVC which continues to onboard more operators with confidential discussions ongoing.
Data will initially be shared with the New South Wales and Western Australia governments, with discussions ongoing to engage others.
The platform aims to represent more than 1600 charge points across about 740 different sites in all states and territories, with many hundreds more expected to be live within weeks.
Charge@Large has been financially supported by the New South Wales and Western Australian governments.
NSW Climate Change and Energy minister Penny Sharpe says the NSW Government welcomes this new app and the data it will provide.
“This free resource will make driving an EV more convenient and accessible than ever,” she says.
”EV drivers will have access to the information they need so they can recharge when required, with confidence.”
ChargePost founder Matt De Propertis says the company is delighted to support Charge@Large.
“Motorists deserve real-time updates on available charge points.”
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