ChargePoint and EVBox Pave the Way for Fully Electric Future with Forward-Thinking Partnership

EV charging leaders enter first-of-its-kind global agreement enabling drivers to roam between networks in Europe and North America

Amsterdam, Netherlands – October 9, 2018 – ChargePoint and EVBox, two of the world’s leading electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, today announced a roaming agreement that will enable EV drivers to roam between charging networks, making EV charging more accessible than ever. Beginning in January 2019, EV drivers will be able to seamlessly roam on the ChargePoint and EVBox networks while traveling throughout Europe and North America. The agreement eliminates the need to register for multiple accounts and ensures drivers don’t incur additional fees when roaming.

Global partnership to accelerate electric mobility

This partnership represents the first-ever global agreement to enable roaming between EV charging networks and reinforces the companies’ shared commitment to provide an open network that is accessible for all. Together, the companies provide EV drivers from around the world with access to tens of thousands of charging spots distributed across both continents.

This news comes on the heels of the Global Climate Action Summit, where both companies made substantial commitments to the growth of their networks over the next seven years. By 2025, ChargePoint and EVBox collectively pledged to expand their global networks to 3.5 million places to charge to accelerate the mass adoption of e-mobility and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world. This agreement marks another milestone in ChargePoint and EVBox’s shared goal to enable the transition to a zero emissions world that is efficient and sustainable.

“We are at the tipping point of a revolution in transportation and this agreement underscores our commitment to providing charging solutions everywhere EV drivers go by increasing access to broadly distributed charging solutions that are vital to ushering in the next chapter in mobility,” said Pasquale Romano, president and CEO, ChargePoint, Inc. “This agreement underscores ChargePoint’s open network philosophy and highlights our dedication to establish a ubiquitous charging network that will inspire more drivers to go electric and support the transition to zero emissions mobility on a mass scale. We look forward to continuing to establish strategic partnerships with companies like EVBox who share our goal of paving the way to an all-electric future on a global scale.”

“Millions of EVs will become available globally, and with-it comes the need for a global charging infrastructure. For this to work a network built upon open standards is an absolute must, therefore we are happy to announce this historic agreement with ChargePoint to that aim. Our global roaming agreement is the biggest to date and will make driving and charging EVs easier and more convenient globally. I strongly hope other eMobility providers and operators will also be inspired to form similar partnerships and agreements. A few weeks ago, I attended the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, where we were all reminded of the importance of working together in the fight against climate change. This roaming agreement is another important step which brings us closer to reaching that ambitious goal,” says Kristof Vereenooghe, CEO of EVBox.

Agreement based on the open protocol OCPI

This agreement will benefit drivers and the EV industry at large by increasing access to essential charging solutions and creating a seamless experience for EV drivers. The more EV solutions that drivers have access to, the easier it is to drive electric, which helps encourage more drivers to make the switch. Industry collaboration is a key ingredient in ushering in the mass adoption of electrified transportation in order to support EV drivers and ignite a revolution in mobility.

This roaming agreement is based on the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol. OCPI is an independent, open protocol that enables network operators to exchange key information needed to provide roaming services, which gives EV drivers a number of benefits:

• Better information about the status (availability and location) of charging points
• Better insight in costs before, during and after charging, while ensuring the privacy of driver account information
• Larger network of charging locations to charge
• One single interface for direct payment (international) at charging points