ChargePlace Scotland partners with Paua on upcoming Great British EV Rally

The market-leading EV fleet fuel card provider Paua and ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) have joined together to offer a roaming solution for the Great British EV Rally in July of this year. This might be the start of a long-term cooperation with CPS that would give business drivers utilising the Paua platform access to several Scottish charging networks through a single, efficient method that would allow them to go from Lerwick to Berwick.

This is significant information for fleet drivers because it simplifies driving, especially for commercial drivers, who can use the Paua EV charge card solution. Additionally, the cooperation has the potential to boost network use, which is good news for owners of CPS chargepoints.

Today’s drivers of electric vehicles confront a barrier when they wish to charge on numerous networks because they must enter into separate contracts with each one; this is an issue in particular for commercial drivers. Roaming is the term for this issue’s solution.

Over 2,200 public chargepoints in Scotland are part of ChargePlace Scotland, which is run by Swarco on behalf of Scottish Ministers. ChargePlace Scotland aims to enhance the user experience for consumers. One of the important components of the Scottish and UK governments’ different ideas for the future of public EV charging is the ability to allow vehicles to roam freely between other networks. The early stage roaming solution negotiated with Paua is a very encouraging first step, even though more work needs to be done to ensure full interoperability between CPS and other networks and mobility service providers.

With the help of a platform that Paua built, the fleet management may provide their drivers a single solution and pay a single cost by combining several networks.

The straightforward RFID card, supported by a potent mobile app, provides all the information the drivers require to locate, charge, and pay. The fleet can precisely account for expenses and recoup the 20% VAT on public charging fees thanks to a single bill.

It is essential to incorporate coverage in Scotland in order to create a true national roaming network. Paua is the first roaming solution that offers true nationwide coverage with the launch of ChargePlace Scotland. With Scotland’s 2,200+ chargepoints (about 4,000 connectors) connected to Paua’s roaming network, more than 15,000 live connectors will be available to Paua business drivers.

Chris Waldron, Head of Low Carbon Consumers at Transport Scotland, said, “We are delighted to have entered this partnership with Paua. The Scottish Government is firmly committed to transport decarbonisation and we see roaming as a key step in improving driver experience. The GB EV Rally is the perfect event for trialling network roaming across ChargePlace Scotland. We look forward to building on this experience and enabling wider interoperability in future.”

The Great British EV Rally, which goes from John O’Groats to Land’s End and showcases the best in electric car technology, will benefit from the announcement. All of the rally participants will be able to charge from one end of the country to the other thanks to Paua, the event’s EV charge card sponsor.