Monta and Crystal EV Charging strike UK infrastructure deal

Electric vehicle (EV) charging app Monta and charge point installers Crystal EV Charging have today announced a new partnership aimed at solving the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure shortage.

Using the Monta software, Crystal EV will add, manage, and provide charge points for UK businesses, organisations, and homeowners, as well as provide 24/7 customer support to EV charge point owners and drivers. 

Crystal EV will also gain new information on the UK’s charging network, providing better performance, maintenance and reliability of charge points while allowing businesses and drivers to see which charge points are currently in use and which ones are available to charge.

Alok Dubey, UK country manager at Monta, said partnering with Crystal EV is an important step in boosting the UK’s charge point infrastructure.

"With more than 35 years of working in the electric industry, there’s very few organisations that can rival Crystal EV when it comes to market knowledge and expertise. Together, we’re looking forward to supporting the UK’s rapid demand for EV infrastructure and keeping vehicles on the move.”

Dean Port, ceo at Crystal EV Charging, added: “Software is becoming a key enabler to providing open access to electric vehicle infrastructure. Working with Monta allows us to provide key points of information for potential charge point owners so they can witness first-hand the benefits of providing infrastructure that will power the next generation of transportation while helping the UK meet its sustainability targets.”

From planning and installation to maintenance and management, Crystal EV has more than 35 years of delivering solutions in the electric market.

Available on iOS, Android and as a web-based app, Monta connects business owners with charging point installers to help power electric vehicles. EV owners can freely use the app to find charging points near them as well as track energy consumption, usage, and costs.

The app recently launched new smart queue features, allowing EV drivers to view and reserve charge points or join a virtual queueing system to notify them when a spot is available. 

The UK needs to step on the infrastructure charging pedal as only one new charger is currently being installed for every 52 new EVs registered, with cars that can be plugged-in now accounting for one in every six new car registrations.

London has the best ratio of cars to chargers at 10:1 – although this in itself fell from 5:1 in 2019. Meanwhile, the East of England has the lowest availability, with just one standard public charger for every 49 plug-in vehicles.

Britain’s ratio of plug-in vehicles on the road to standard public chargers has deteriorated to become one of the worst among the top 10 global electric vehicle markets at 16:1 in 2020, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers Association.

South Korea (3:1), the Netherlands (5:1), China (9:1), France (10:1), Belgium and Japan (both 13:1) all offer their EV drivers better coverage, although the UK does marginally outperform Germany (17:1).

Motiv and EverCharge team up with fleet charging

In the US, Motiv Power Systems and EverCharge announced a nationwide reseller agreement to incorporate EverCharge charging stations and smart-charging power optimisation solutions into the suite of Motiv Energy solutions for commercial EV fleets. 

Motiv will offer customers the option to bundle chargers with EVs and serve as primary support for fleet operators using the combination of Motiv EVs, Motiv Energy charging (by EverCharge), and SmartPower load management, tailored to work seamlessly with Motiv vehicles.

Jason Appelbaum, ceo EverCharge, said expanding integration between the vehicle manufacturer and charging enables significant optimisations for customers. "Our partnership will allow Motiv to work closer with their customers to reduce costs through data-driven decision-making," he said. 

Tele2 IoT enables electric vehicle wireless charging 

Tele2 IoT is accelerating EV charging infrastructure by providing connection of equipment to Elonroad, which has developed technology for electric roads where electric vehicles can be charged while driving.

Elonroad, a startup based in Lund, Sweden, has developed a solution in the form of an electric road where all kinds of electric vehicles (cars, buses, and trucks) regardless of manufacturer, can be charged while they are driving. With more and more electric vehicles on the roads, charging while driving will reduce bottlenecks and also enable smaller batteries.