The Electric Vehicle Council has launched a new app that it says is designed improve EV charging information by providing drivers with real-time availability, and will also collect data to help governments improve access and reliability.
The “Charge@Large” app – which is free for users – gives instant visibility on charger status – whether it’s working or out of order or in use.
The new app emerges as a rival to the popular Plugshare, and while it only has a limited number of EV chargers on its network – and not many fast chargers – EVC chief executive Julie Delvecchio says she hopes it can over time become “the single source of truth” for EV chargers in Australia.
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“With more than 300,000 electric vehicles on Australian roads and counting, the demand for accessible, reliable EV charging has never been greater,” Delvecchio said in a statement
“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 8,100 public stations across 3,800 sites.
“But drivers need to know that the charger they’re about to use is unoccupied and working. 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.”
So far, the EVC has managed to lure the likes of Exploren, ChargeN’Go, Wevolt, Charge Hub and Sonic Charge for the launch, with CasaCharge and Charge Post are soon to join, representing a total of 1,600 charge points across 740 different sites.
But it has yet to land any of the bigger networks such as Chargefox, Evie Networks and, of course, Tesla. And it has some, but not many of the fast chargers needed for those on the move. It hopes to lock the others in soon.
“The EVC continues to onboard more operators with confidential discussions ongoing,” the EVC said.
“There are a range of EV apps out there – some offer real-time availability but are limited to specific charge point operators, while others display availability across different brands but are static and lack live updates,” Delvecchio said.
“Charge@Large’ delivers real-time charger status updates across all participating charge point operators nationwide. What also sets our app apart is its ability to give these insights a second life by sharing it with governments to support charging network improvements.”
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.