The new app will combine vehicle range data with route planning software to ensure electric vehicle (EV) drivers never run out of power.

Scottish Enterprise is supporting the research and development of the app with a £285,000 investment.

Route Monkey will use Trakm8’s T10 Micro telematics technology to give EV drivers a raft of real time journey and battery data, straight to their smartphone. This will enable Route Monkey to accurately recalculate routes and plan in extra recharging time depending on journey conditions. 

Quentin Willson, a motoring commentator and electric vehicle advocate, said: “Route Monkey’s journey planning software will give more drivers the confidence to choose electric vehicles over their conventionally-powered counterparts and help banish the ‘range anxiety’ monster for good.”

Route Monkey’s solution will be designed to encourage the uptake of EVs for consumers and smaller fleets in the public and private sectors. It builds on the success of the company’s EVOS solution for larger fleets.

EVs have a limited range and defined recharge rates, which can challenge their productivity.  EVOS uses complex advanced algorithms to calculate the impact of a wide range of factors on an EV’s range capabilities. These include payload, average speed, route topography, weather conditions and driver style.

Scottish Enterprise has awarded Route Monkey an R&D grant of £285,451 which contributes to the overall project cost of £749,931. This grant will accelerate the company’s R&D programme, enabling it to deliver this unique software as a service (SAAS) offering to the market as quickly as possible.

Jim Watson, director of innovation and enterprise services at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scotland is leading the way in encouraging the take up of EVs. After London, ChargePlace Scotland is the largest EV charging network in the UK; while Dundee is also home to the largest local authority EV fleet, as well as an all-electric taxi fleet."

Developing a consumer-focused solution with added navigation and data logging capabilities will significantly enhance Route Monkey’s technical portfolio and skills, while also creating four new permanent high quality jobs.  Work will commence immediately, with the goal of launching the solution in Q2 of 2017.

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