A better approach to electric vehicles
Electric vehicles [EVs] seem like the perfect sustainable transportation solution for breaking free from fossil fuels – same great car, light years better for the environment. What’s not to love? But the logistics of an EV often put a damper on the initial excitement.
How long will this battery really last? Are there enough charging stations to get me where I’m going? How long will it take to charge? What if the station is already taken? Am I going to be stuck somewhere with a dead battery and no way to charge? It’s that uncertainty that’s kept so many major players from wading into the EV pool. And what inspired the founders of Chargetrip to find a better way for sustainable transportation.
Making range anxiety a thing of the past
Calculating an EV’s range can be complex. And for e-commerce players, guarantees for how far a delivery van can go on a charge are essential. Deliveries need to arrive on time, and certainty is what’s kept so many tethered to traditional fossil-fuel transport. Chargetrip gives users real-time insight into their range, then uses those insights to map out the best route, optimizing time, cost, and battery life. It’s a win-win-win.
“There are so many additional factors that influence batteries, and our routing engine can take additional variables into account in a way traditional routing engines can’t,” explains Chargetrip founder Pieter Waller. That includes things like weather, traffic, charging speed, and charging station congestion. They’re giving companies the data they need to make the switch to electric sustainable transportation, without any unwelcome surprises.
Big benefits for bigger players
Chargetrip started as an initiative for individual EV users, helping them navigate fledgling EV infrastructure and take the hassle out of driving electric. But they’re also training their sights on the commercial market, where they see major gains for the environment and clients’ bottom line. “We always figured that if we help personal drivers getting to the south of France, that’s great,” says Pieter. “But where we can really make a difference is helping commercial vehicles with their operations.”
They’re currently partnering with IKEA and PostNL on pilots to optimize different elements of the EV experience. Their PostNL pilot is focused on solving the perfect charging puzzle. “Our PostNL pilot is focused on exploring battery options and insights to put together the perfect electrification strategy,” Pieter explains. ” We’re helping them take guesswork out of operating an electrified fleet and making it cheap and efficient.”
Chargetrip is joining forces with IKEA Netherlands to calculate the CO2 they’ll save by electrifying their fleet. If that’s successful, they’ll start looking into more integrated logistical solutions for the retailer.
The right partnerships to reach the right goals
They’re making strides in the commercial market, but for Chargetrip, that’s just the beginning. Their aim is to expand – across Europe and into the US and Asia. The ultimate goal is to play a role with 25% of EVs worldwide, whether it’s helping them get from A to B or structuring an efficient logistics process.
“But the biggest challenge is finding the right partners who understand the fundamental change that’s happening in the market,” says Pieter. And the industry links the Econnections platform provides to major brands like PostNL and IKEA are helping them tackle that challenge head on.
