TomTom has announced that its electric vehicle (EV) service is now available in North America, with the system aimed at reducing the problems associated with range anxiety.
Designed to help EV drivers make informed decisions about when and where to charge their vehicles, TomTom’s live service is now available to auto makers and their suppliers, and currently includes almost 11,000 charging locations across the USA and Canada, with more locations to come.
The EV Service provides real-time availability for charging points, reducing anxiety for drivers about how far they can travel on their current charge, as well as other essential information, such as opening hours, payment methods, and connector types. The service, which first launched in Europe in September 2017, now covers more than 45,000 charging stations with real-time availability information and 60,000+ stations with static information, globally.
TomTom already provides drivers with the location of EV charging stations, listed as EV POIs in its mapping system, and the new EV Service adds a dynamic layer in addition to this, indicating real-time availability.
TomTom delivers the EV service according to the TPEG2-EMI specifications as defined by the Traveler Information Services Association (TISA). In the future, there will also be APIs available on the company’s developer portal for government and enterprise customers.
Besides real-time availability of EV charging stations, TomTom also provides other relevant navigation features for EVs. The company’s Online Routing system will plan the most optimal EV route to minimize battery consumption, based on road characteristics such as gradient and curvature.
TomTom can also provide an Online EV range finder, visualizing remaining battery range, with the calculation personalized, based on consumption characteristics of the owner’s vehicle. Based on this information, TomTom Online EV Routing, augmented with real-time information from the EV Service, can suggest the optimal charging locations along the route.
“For the electric car market to grow, it’s important that we reduce the barriers to entry, one of which is range anxiety,” noted Olaf Gietelink, VP for product marketing at TomTom Automotive.
“We’re excited to launch our EV Service in North America, increasing driver peace of mind, and as a result, making ownership of electric vehicles even more attractive.”
