E-mobility is one of the means to get out of this self-inflicted economic slowdown greener than before. In order to see more electric vehicles (EVs) in our street a crucial factor of infrastructure is missing. Although we can see a political will in Europe to foster growth of EVs in the streets, the companies that invest in infrastructure are the ones bringing a missing part. Charging point operators (CPOs) invest not only in building the charging points, but the software to manage it all as well. The software ensures management, control, user identification and payment possibility. From EV owner perspective it’s usually an App to find a charging point and pay for charging session. However, as for most new things, the most important factor for universal EV adoption is user friendliness. That is why growing number of CPOs rises critical doubt if it will meet user friendliness criteria. To put it simply – if an EV owner would like to do a European road trip and drive from Vilnius to Paris, multiple apps would be required to charge EV on the way. Each CPO has its own software, and unique app with a bilateral contract with EV owner.

Source: <https://v2g-clarity.com/blog/the-road-to-iec-63110-and-how-you-can-impact-the-international-standard/></a">https://v2g-clarity.com/blog

There are some initiatives like Plugsurfing, Hubject or Plugcharge that are trying to tackle this rising problem but what if instead of solving the problem, CPOs would choose not to create it. For example, EU could set some rules for EV adoption and create a unified energy management system for all CPOs and single app for vast number of charging points in Europe. This could come in a form of a software platform that unites all CPOs, EV owners and maybe more parties to exchange value.

In the group of companies Ignitis Group is also a member of this EV ecosystem with its own EV charging network. As we are expanding into neighboring countries from Lithuania, we see a must to innovate in order to make driving EV experience as simple as possible. That is why we are thinking outside of the box when trying to find different solutions until the EU driven unified platform takes shape. Our CPO brand Ignitis On is focusing on alternative EV user experience and seeks to find mobile app solutions which are already familiar to users and are user friendly to search and find Ignitis On charging points. Wouldn’t it be nice to use one familiar app instead of downloading new one to simply charge your EV?

Follow the project developments in our Innovation Hub and soon you will hear more about how Ignitis On is making EV adoption in the Baltic States more user friendly.

Want to discuss further? Contact me, Vincentas.