Cenex is to work in partnership with software systems specialist Apetrel Systems to maintain and develop the official UK database of public chargepoints for electric vehicles.

Funded by the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles, the upgrades to the National Chargepoint Registry (NCR) will help to ensure the information on chargepoints in the UK is accurate and up to date.

It will also allow third-party developers to build mapping and journey planning applications using the best available data.

Established in 2011 to provide a freely available database of publicly-accessible chargepoints across the UK, the NCR currently holds data provided by chargepoint operators on location, compatibility, and hours of operation.

Adrian Vinsome, head of energy systems at Cenex, said: “Providing a flexible, accurate database of the UK’s chargepoints is critical to deliver the Government’s vision for EV uptake.

“In many ways, the NCR was ‘ahead of its time’ but it needs better mechanisms to upload and download the data in real-time.

“This will be our initial focus, and this will ultimately improve the EV motorist’s experience as better tools and apps are built on a solid, reliable and accurate foundation.”  

There are several mapping tools and apps that use the NCR data to help EV drivers find suitable charging facilities on their route.

These include: ecarNI which shows chargepoints in Northern Ireland, Greener Scotland which shows Scottish EV chargers, PlugSurfing, a service covering EV charging locations across Europe, Open Charge Map, which shows chargepoints both in the UK and globally, Mitsubishi Motors which allows users to find compatible points for its plug-in hybrids, The New Motion, a charge card and app-based service providing access to the largest network in Europe, and Zap-Map which provides comprehensive coverage of UK chargepoint locations with popular search and route planning features.

 

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