Volvo Cars turns app into one-stop-shop for EV drivers
As it moves toward becoming a fully electric car maker by 2030, Volvo Cars is turning its app into a “one-stop-shop” for drivers of Volvo Recharge vehicles. The new version integrates charging functions and payment options that Volvo has added through recent partnerships.
According to the Geely-owned manufacturer, the Volvo Cars app now includes “hundreds of thousands of public charging stations around the globe” from a range of charging operators. Drivers also receive real-time information on charger availability and pay for their charging session through one single interface. “Charging a pure electric Volvo car has never been easier,” so the company.
“Many of us are familiar with the frustration of having to navigate multiple apps and carrying multiple cards for different charging operators,” said Olivier Loedel, head of Electrification Ecosystem at Volvo Cars. Their goal then was “to remove one of the major barriers” to going for electric cars and “create one digital charging platform,” he said.
The platform integrates Volvo’s various partnerships. In China, for example, Volvo Cars recently signed agreements with the country’s three leading charging point operators Star Charge, State Grid and TELD. According to Volvo, they cover more than 75 per cent of all public charging points in China. Customers can now find a station and start charging by scanning a QR code and paying directly in the Volvo Cars app. Payment is powered by leading payment services, including WeChat Pay and Alipay and V Point.
In Europe, Volvo drivers can choose from over 270,000 charging points following the integration of Plugsurfing into the Volvo Car app, which enables roaming across the continent. There are further cooperations in individual European countries, such as Mer in Sweden and Norway, Iberdrola in Spain, and Powerstop in Poland, Italy, and Belgium.
In the United States, Volvo Cars expect the app to go live before year-end. It is designed to build on the already successful ChargePoint in-car app for US-based Volvo Recharge customers, which allows them to search, navigate and pay for charging at one of over 25,000 charger locations.
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