One card to charge all: New system will allow EV drivers connection to entire charging network

A new one-card system that allows electric vehicle drivers to connect to Scotland’s charging network is being piloted next week

The in-demand ‘roaming’ platform has been devised to allow access and billing across multiple charging systems and will be trialed at the Great British EV Rally that sets off from John o’ Groats on a 1,300 plus trek to Land’s End.

The platform, which is being supported by Transport Scotland, overcomes ‘roaming’ problems experienced by drivers using multiple systems. It is expected to be rolled out across the UK soon.

In what could be the first step in a long-term partnership with Charge Place Scotland (CPS) the new PAUA platform enables private and business EV drivers to access multiple Scottish charging networks from Lerwick to Berwick via a single solution that can work anywhere.

The new card will allow motorists to charge their EV at points across all of Scotland

With the introduction of ChargePlace Scotland, Paua is the first roaming solution that enables full national coverage.

All 2,200 plus CPS charge points, more than 4,000 connectors across Scotland, will be linked to Paua’s roaming network taking the total live connectors available to Paua business drivers to over 15,000.

It is hoped the development will be a major boost in the drive to tackle climate change and boost the number of new car buyers opting to purchase an electric vehicle.

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.

Scotland-wide EV card network: Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of PAUA

“The GB EV Rally is the perfect event for trialling network roaming across Charge Place Scotland. We look forward to building on this experience and enabling wider interoperability in future.”

Paua is the largest independent EV roaming network developers, modernising fuel cards for business operators.

“Electric vehicle drivers today faces a challenge when they want to charge on multiple networks as they need to contract with each one separately and this is a particular problem for business and fleet drivers,” said Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua.

The new charge point system has been welcomed by the Electric Vehicle Association Scotland whose director Neil MacLennan said: “Making the EV charging and billing process for drivers simple to understand and easy to operate is essential for both the day-to-day user experience and a practical perspective when it comes to cross system connectivity and billing. These are the key factors in persuading both the ordinary EV motorist and the fleet operators who are eager to make the transition to all electric transportation to do so.

“EVA Scotland has advocated for, and advised government and charge point operator of the need for a roaming service that brings together a unified system, that reduces the number of cards, apps and tariffs EV drivers currently have to juggle.

“Having one-card solutions that allow charging across multiple networks is a real driver benefit. We are encourage by this partnership and believe it represents a genuine opportunity to improve the EV driver’s charging experience in Scotland.”