New smart charging app saves EV drivers money

  • CrowdCharge launches new smart charging app at CenexLow Carbon Vehicle event

  • Intelligent data platform saves EV drivers money on charging and uses lower CO2 electricity

  • CrowdCharge has three years of real-world user experience on Electric Nation trial

  • Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charger also available; CrowdCharge was the first company to connect a grid compliant domestic V2G charger in the UK

New CrowdCharge smart charging app launches at Cenex

Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers can now save money on electricity and use greener energy thanks to the launch of the new CrowdCharge smart charging app at the Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook in Bedfordshire.

Can CrowdCharge save me money?

CrowdCharge will charge a customer’s vehicle at the cheapest and greenest time depending on their current tariff. The app works in real-time and shows how much electricity is used by an EV and the price of the energy.

The platform can deliver potential savings of 30% on an EV owner’s electricity bill – on average this can translate to £20 – £30 per month, or £240 – £360 per year.

CrowdCharge app compatibility & testing

The CrowdCharge platform, developed in conjunction with academics from the University of Reading, uses advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide optimised charging sessions for EV owners. In combination with the CrowdCharge mobile app, the platform ensures customers get the energy they need, when they need it.

CrowdCharge can work with any EV, any charge point (subject to data access being provided), any energy supplier and any energy tariff.

CrowdCharge’s management of smart charging (also known as V1G) has already been proven with 350 EV users on the three-year Electric Nation smart charging trial, giving real-world insight into drivers’ behaviours and attitudes towards smart charging.

In addition to V1G, Crowd Charge also offers Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging for homes and workplaces. V2G has the opportunity to go further and generate revenue for EV owners by selling energy back to the grid at times of peak demand. V2G could give an EV owner income of £500 per year.

The CrowdCharge platform will be able to connect and manage large numbers of EV batteries using V2G chargers, to act as one large battery to support the grid. This will help to avoid the need for non-renewable sources of power to be used at times of peak energy demand. V2G could play a vital role in decentralisation and the greening of the UK electricity supply chain.

CrowdCharge has extensive experience of V2G charging, having introduced the first grid compliant domestic V2G unit to the UK – and deployed multiple units for four UK innovation projects to date.

CrowdCharge goes international

Working with the CrowdCharge engineering team, Japanese manufacturer NICHICON CORPORATION, a leader in the Vehicle to Home (V2H) market – with 5,000 units installed in Japan – has successfully prepared its unit for the UK market, supplied via its distributor OKAYA & CO. LTD.

Who are CrowdCharge?

The concept for CrowdCharge came about due to the needs of DriveElectric, an electric vehicle specialist with over 20 years of leasing and EV experience. As a result DriveElectric realised there were some major challenges with the energy system and ensuring its customers could always charge their vehicles as the numbers of EVs rise was important.

CrowdCharge, with a team that has extensive experience in the EV, charging, energy and data industries, is now building further partnerships across sectors globally to deliver a solution that can help achieve wider EV adoption. Energy suppliers, aggregators, auto OEMs and charge point operators are invited to stand number C1-13 at the Cenex LCV event to explore how CrowdCharge can integrate with their customers.