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, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
The EVC is launching Charge@Large—a free app that gives instant visibility on charger status, whether it’s operational, in use by another driver, or out of order.
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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.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Julie Delvecchio said the app has huge potential and, over time, 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,” Delvecchio said.
“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.
“The Charge@Large app tackles multiple challenges. First, it helps reduce range-anxiety and improves EV driving experience by giving motorists real-time charger availability. Second, 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.
“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.
“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.”
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Exploren, ChargeN’Go, Wevolt, Charge Hub and Sonic Charge are onboard Charge@Large from launch and CasaCharge and Charge Post are soon to join. The EVC continues to onboard more operators with confidential discussions ongoing. Similarly, data will initially be shared with the NSW and Western Australia governments, with discussions ongoing to engage with others.
The platform is in line to represent over 1,600 charge points across approximately 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.
