Thursday 21 June 2012

UK's biggest pay-as-you-go recharging network announced

This morning my company announced its intention to create the UK's largest pay to use recharging network as part of a new joint venture, a project we have been working on for many months. Here is the full press release:


ELEKTROMOTIVE AIMS TO CREATE UK’S BIGGEST
PAY-AS-YOU-GO ELECTRIC VEHICLE RECHARGING NETWORK


  • New Charge Your Car  joint venture will manage ‘open-source’ charge points across the UK
  • The first subscription-free, pay-as-you-go recharging network will be expanded from a regional to a national scheme with a target of 10,000 charge points
  • Initiative will support vehicle manufacturers, charge point manufacturers, charge point owners and EV drivers


Elektromotive Limited, Europe’s leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charge points, is to create the UK’s largest pay-as-you-go, ‘open source’ network of public access charging stations for EVs, based upon the development of its proven pay-by-phone technology.


The initiative comes as the result of a new joint venture with Charge your Car (North) Ltd.  The new company – Charge Your Car Limited – will expand the existing Charge your Car (North) Ltd network located predominantly across North east England, and incorporate other regional networks and stand-alone units under the well-established Charge Your Car brand.  The goal is to create a recharging network with 10,000 public access pay-as-you-go charge points located across the UK.



To accelerate its rapid expansion, the national network will be ‘open source’, meaning that charge points produced by any manufacturer can be included on the network, provided they use the industry-standard Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP).   Elektromotive, which has an installed base of more than 3,000 charge points making it one of Europe’s leading charge point manufacturers, is developing second-generation back office technology and a new user interface.  The joint venture will create a marketplace that connects charge point owners to EV drivers. 

 For the EV driver, the development and expansion of the Charge Your Car network means it will become much easier to gain ready access to charging points across the UK, and do so without the need to pay a monthly subscription.  It also means that they can locate and pay for the use of any Charge Your Car charge point using their mobile phone or smartphone.
 
Charge point owners will be able to improve awareness and usage of their charge points by joining the Charge Your Car network – benefiting from the shared branding and ongoing promotion, as well as the integrated billing, management and reporting facilities.  It is intended that the joint venture will establish a fully-managed marketplace that generates sustainable revenues for charge-point owners, reducing or eliminating the reliance on public-sector subsidies.
 
Charge Your Car is the perfect catalyst for the EV market and supports all the stakeholders with an interest in EVs,” commented Calvey Taylor-Haw, founder and Managing Director of Elektromotive.  “Charge point owners in both the public and private sectors have a way to promote their charge points, generate revenue and manage their infrastructure.  EV drivers have a single access point for recharging that is quick, easy and affordable.  Charge point manufacturers have a company that will help them to sell more charge points and electric vehicle manufacturers have a company that will help them to sell more vehicles.  We are also seeking partners who wish to implement Charge Your Car outside of the UK, establishing it as one of the world’s leading recharging brands.” 


Colin Herron, Managing Director of Charge your Car (North) Ltd, added, “Together over the past two years, Charge your Car (North) Ltd and Elektromotive have collaborated to develop one of the largest and most advanced EV charging networks in UK, with the first rapid charge stations and the first pay-as-you-go charge stations.  The mission of the joint venture is to ensure that EV drivers are always within range of a Charge Your Car charge point.”


Currently, Charge your Car (North) Ltd is the operator of the Charge Your Car electric vehicle recharging network with 400 publicly accessible charge points located predominantly in the North East of England.


While operating the new joint venture, Elektromotive will continue in its role as a charge point manufacturer and infrastructure solutions provider for private and public sector organisations worldwide.