When it comes to supporting the use of electric vehicles (EVs), there is one thing which stands out...
There just aren’t enough hours in the day… We have all been there. Stuck in a cycle of muddling through time-consuming tasks which could be conducted at far greater speed with the right technology, but there just isn’t enough time to set aside to assess which platform could provide the best value and indeed, to implement it. Chris Chamberlain discusses why it is important to break out of this cycle.
The irony is, that there will never come a time when there are enough hours in the day, and this cycle can be never ending. But the benefits of breaking out are huge.
Although this situation is found across many industries and project types, we are of course talking specifically about Charge Point Operators (CPOs) who are busily assessing the viability and potential success rates of possible charge points for Electric Vehicles (EVs). These companies are currently at a crossroads, with EV sales taking off but the market at large requiring a boost to consumer confidence, particularly in when it comes to the available charging infrastructure.
So, how can you get off the hamster wheel and what value could it bring you?
Specific to CPOs is the formidable task of collating and assessing information from a myriad of data sources, from the capabilities of the local network grid to who owns the land, the demographics, EV ownership numbers, traffic levels, safety considerations, and the proximity of places for drivers to go while charging, to name but a few. And, of course, the relevance, completeness, and freshness of the data sets can have a big impact on an evidence based approach to site assessment and network planning. Once sourced, who is assessing all this data? Packaging it into business-friendly reports and proposals for the c-suite, investors, partners and clients alike? Usually a rather expensive data scientist, with their data-baby being difficult to interpret, access and share within the company and interested parties.
But for now, we are more concerned with time - it can take a CPO weeks to collate such data, and this is before they can assess and come to a decision on the viability and feasibility of one or more sites. The right technology can get all this valuable, initial groundwork out of the way in a matter of minutes, avoiding any pavement pounding by employees whose time is better spent elsewhere.
Dodona eMobility is one such platform - one customer disclosed to us the fact that their usual response time to a tender was many weeks, but once Dodona was implemented, they were able to beat the competition to it, responding confidently (and successfully) in one afternoon.
Competitive edge I hear you think? Certainly, and the time is ripe for CPOs to grab the bull by the horns to ensure their foothold in the market and future reputation among EV drivers. Want to be the new Shell in the mind of the EV user? Now is your chance. But remaining tied to the heavy lifting before a potential charge point site can even be highlighted as being one you want to get in the bag, is not paving the way for success.
Of course it is not just about the planning and deployment of one or more charge point locations. We are talking about using technology that enables you to scale your business, with the necessary research and data to encourage investor buy-in being both accessible and made presentable within a matter of minutes.
So, have a few more minutes? You can learn more here.
