Volvo Cars are turning its app into an easy-to-use “one-stop shop” for its electric Volvo drivers.
Volvo EV owners now have access to more than 270,000 EV charging sites across Europe. Its users can now get real-time information on the availability of the charging stations and pay for the charging session through a single portal with the Volvo Cars app’s upgraded features.
Arek Nowinski, Head of EMEA at Volvo Cars, said: “Creating premium fully electric products is only one part of a much wider ecosystem when it comes to enabling consumers to make the switch to a fully electric car. We recognise the frustration that many of our customers have in carrying around multiple cards and having to install different apps to access individual chargepoints.”
He added, “By enhancing the mobile charging experience, we are supporting our customers across Europe in their own fully electric journey, which means access to more networks inside and outside their country of residence all through our digital platform – the Volvo Cars app.”
The new Volvo app features Plugsurfing‘s Developer Platform and Drive API, which directly links charging information to the Volvo Cars App and resulting in a smooth and easy experience.
“Drive API is the evolution of our commitment to our partners, with this integration, Volvo Cars can evolve its own products and services to meet its goal of becoming a purely electric company by 2030. We’re proud to be the partner that helps make this a reality.” said Tatu Kulla, Plugsurfing CEO.
The new features are currently available in Switzerland and Italy and will be launched in other European markets by the end of the year.
As Volvo continues to roll out more EVs, it is also investing in public charging networks in areas of strategic importance around Europe.
In the U.S., the new Volvo Cars App is expected to be launched before the year ends. According to the automaker, the app is designed to build on the already successful ChargePoint in-car app for US-based Volvo Recharge customers. It allows its users to search, navigate and pay for charging across over 25,000 charger locations.
