LOS ANGELES, CA -- At the 2015 Los Angeles International Auto Show, five partners, BMW of North America and Nissan, together with the three largest EV charging networks in the U.S., CarCharging/Blink, ChargePoint, and NRG EVgo, announced the creation of the ROEV Association ("ROEV"), a neutral collaboration of industry stakeholders designed to support EV adoption by facilitating public charging network interoperability.
"Driving an EV will be easier thanks to ROEV. The EV driver's ability to find, and charge at, any member public station, using an EV charging network account of their choice, is paramount to a simple driving and charging experience," said Simon Lonsdale, Chair of the Board of ROEV. "The ROEV Association is working to streamline EV charging access across multiple charging networks in order to help bring EVs further into the mainstream."
One of ROEV's primary goals is to provide easier access to all networked, public EV chargers by adopting and promoting interoperability standards, so that drivers can confidently charge anywhere public stations are found in the U.S., using a participating EV charging network account. Together, ROEV's founding partners operate 91% - more than 17,500 - of public, networked EV charging ports in the U.S. (US DOE Alternative Fueling Station Locator) and the Association is encouraging all EV industry stakeholders to join their efforts to provide drivers with access to 100% of public charging stations.
Much like bank cards make it possible to withdraw funds from any ATM, drivers with a participating EV charging network account will be able to charge their EV at other participating charging stations. By improving the convenience of public EV charging, ROEV's charging network interoperability will enhance the EV ownership experience for current and future drivers.
Currently, to access all 19,000 public, networked EV charging ports in the U.S. (US DOE Alternative Fueling Station Locator), drivers may have accounts with numerous EV charging networks, carry multiple access cards, and use a variety of mobile apps to find stations. Particularly for unplanned charging, this may mean additional time and inconvenience for the drivers of the more than 380,000 EVs sold in the United States to date (Inside EVs).
In order to maximize the public EV charging experience, ROEV is actively expanding its membership and commitment within the broader group of EV stakeholders. Beyond the founders, several new companies have already joined the Association, including Audi, Honda, Efacec, Portland General Electric, SemaConnect, and BTC Power. ROEV expects that charging network interoperability will increase the appeal of electric car ownership to an even larger number of drivers in the U.S and is currently recruiting additional members and associates from across the EV industry.
To learn more, visit http://www.roev.com