Atos, an international IT services company, through its international business unit Atos Worldgrid, has launched a new Smartphone application that provides drivers of electric vehicles with a comprehensive service for locating charging points anywhere in the world. This new application, also available for tablets, may be downloaded via the Google Play (Android devices) platform, and will soon be available via App Store (iPhone and iPad) platforms.
The ecarga application enables users to locate thousands of charging points worldwide (more than 15,000 today), including the 237 points currently available in France. Charging points can be displayed on a map and sorted by type of location – for example charging stations, car parks, shopping centres or airports. Users configure their personal information for more accurate searches, indicating filters by country, type of connector and charging operator. The application also enables the driver to exchange information about charging points with other users.
The application is open to future development and the database of charging points will continue to updated. Further features are expected include route planning, charging point reservation and access to charging processes, among others. According to Navigant Research, it is expected that by 2017, 7.7 million charging points will have been installed worldwide. In order to capture and process the data, invoice customers and enable the exchange of information with end users in the electric vehicle value chain, complex IT systems are required. ecarga, Atos Worldgrid’s solution, manages the entire value chain, from the charging infrastructure operators to the end user.
ecarga combines a comprehensive and open set of ready-to-install services, with the flexibility required to meet future market needs and keep up-to-date with technological innovation. Furthermore, it enables new applications and features to be easily integrated, meeting the needs of the end users and value chain partners. The system architecture adopted for ecarga means that it is easily scalable, and can cope with the increase of the user database and the greater number of charging points. ecarga is also available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), an alternative way of tackling scalability concerns.
As part of its promotional activities of smart charging, Atos is partnered in Germany with a car manufacturer providing the charging solution. The management of the fleet charging infrastructure is carried out via OCPP 1.5 protocol, which allows communication with the charging infrastructure of different vendors. The project is integrated into the “Schaufensterprojekt Elektro-mobilität” or Electro-Mobility Demonstration Initiative, promoted by German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel in May 2010. It aims to promote and boost electric mobility in Germany, and has been instrumental in accelerating the introduction in the market of innovative electric vehicles.
Atos Worldgrid has over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector, and counts with a list of references in the electric vehicle sector, such as the Madrid City Council’s MOVELE Madrid project, with the collaboration of Telefónica, to launch an Electric Vehicle charging points management service. Atos WorldGrid in Spain has contributed with ecarga solution to the management and control of charging points included in the program. The evolution of the ecarga solution will integrate the operation and coordination of intelligent charging points in the exploitation of future Smart Grids.
