SCOTLAND’S electric vehicle charging network will be in the vanguard of a new initiative to rid drivers of the problem of needing multiple access cards to connect to different repowering systems.
A much-needed “roaming” platform has been devised that will provide EV drivers with the ability to use one charge card across the multiple set-ups operating in Scotland.
It will be trialled at next week’s Great British EV Rally, which sets off from John O’Groats to Land’s End, and is expected to be rolled out across the UK soon.
In what could be the first step in a long-term partnership with ChargePlace Scotland, the new Paua platform enables private and business EV drivers to access multiple Scottish charging networks from Lerwick to Berwick via a single solution that can work anywhere.
Chris Waldron, head of low carbon consumers at Transport Scotland, said: “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 the 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 inter-operability in future.”
Paua is the largest independent EV roaming network developer, modernising fuel cards for business operators.
Boss and co-founder Niall Riddell explained: “Electric vehicle drivers today face a challenge when they want to charge on multiple networks as they need to contract with each one separately – and this is a particular problem for business and fleet drivers.”
The new system has been welcomed by the influential Electric Vehicle Association Scotland organisation.
Director Neil MacLennan said: “Making the EV charging and 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 key factors in persuading both the ordinary motorist and fleet operators who are eager to make the transition to all-electric transportation to do so.
“EVA Scotland has been advocating the need for a roaming service – that creates a unified system, and reduces the number of cards, apps and tariffs EV drivers currently have to juggle – to both the Government and charge-point operators.
“Having one charge card that allows access across all networks has to be the answer. We are encouraged by this partnership and believe it represents a unique opportunity to improve the EV driver’s experience.”
Paua is the first roaming solution that enables a true national coverage. All 2200-plus charge points (involving more than 4000 connectors) across Scotland will be linked to Paua’s roaming network, taking the total live connectors available to Paua business drivers to above 15,000 UK-wide.
