The Scottish Government’s EV charging network ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) has partnered with EV fleet fuel card provider Paua to provide a roaming solution for drivers in the Great British EV Rally taking place this month.
Roaming enables EV drivers to use a variety of different networks without having to sign up to each network individually, and Paua says this is the first step in what could become a long-term partnership with CPS, enabling business drivers using the Paua platform to access multiple Scottish charging networks via a single solution that can take them from Lerwick to Berwick.
This would provide simplification for EV business drivers and drive increased utilisation across the CPS network.
ChargePlace Scotland, operated by Swarco on behalf of the Scottish government, is aiming to improve consumer experience across its network of over 2,200 public chargepoints. Offering drivers the ability to roam seamlessly across other networks is a key strand of the Scottish and UK Governments’ visions for the future of public EV charging. Although there is still some work to be done to enable full interoperability between CPS and other networks and mobility service providers, the early stage roaming solution agreed with Paua is a first step.
Paua has developed a platform to aggregate multiple networks together and provide the fleet manager with a single solution for their drivers and a single bill. The simple RFID card backed up by a mobile app presents all the data the drivers need to find, charge, and pay. Having a single bill means that the fleet can accurately account for costs and recover the 20% VAT on public charging costs.
To enable a true national roaming network, it is necessary to integrate coverage in Scotland. With the introduction of ChargePlace Scotland, Paua claims to be the first roaming solution that enables a true national coverage. All 2,200+ chargepoints (c. 4,000 connectors) across Scotland will be linked to Paua’s roaming network taking the total of live connectors available to Paua business drivers to more than 15,000.
Chris Waldron, head of low carbon consumers at Transport Scotland, stated: “We are delighted to have entered this partnership with Paua. The Scottish Government is firmly committed to transport decarbonisation and we see roaming as a key step in improving driver experience. The GB EV Rally is the perfect event for trialling network roaming across ChargePlace Scotland. We look forward to building on this experience and enabling wider interoperability in future.”
Swarco managing director Justin Meyer said: “As the operator of the ChargePlace Scotland network we are continually seeking ways to improve how we support EV drivers. The partnership with Paua paves the way for easier driving for business fleets. We are delighted to support such a pioneering company.”
The Great British EV Rally runs from John O’Groats to Land’s End, showcasing the best of electric vehicle technology. Paua is an EV charge card sponsor and will provide all of the drivers in the rally the ability to charge with one card from one end of the country to the other.
EVA Scotland director Neil MacLennan said: “Making the EV charging billing process for drivers simple to understand and easy to operate is essential for both the day-to-day user experience and a practical perspective when it comes to cross system connectivity and billing. These are the key factors in persuading both the ordinary EV motorist and the fleet operators who are eager to make the transition to all electric transportation to do so.
“EVA Scotland has advocated for, and advised government and charge point operator of the need for a roaming service that brings together a unified system, that reduces the number of cards, apps and tariffs EV drivers currently have to juggle.
“Having one-card solutions that allow charging across multiple networks is a real driver benefit. We are encouraged by this partnership and believe it represents a genuine opportunity to improve the EV driver’s charging experience in Scotland.”
Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua stated; “My low carbon career began in Thurso having grown up in Glen Lyon. It was always important for me to ensure that electric vehicle drivers could traverse the length of the Great British Isles. Paua now integrates some of the largest roaming partners including entire country-wide networks.”
No comments yet