ChargePoint, Inc. and ECOtality, Inc., two biggest providers of electric car charging stations in the U.S., announced the formation of a new venture named Collaboratev, LLC.
Collaboratev will enable charging network interoperability, exchange session data and allow financial billing reconciliation services among electric vehicle charging networks.
Collaboratev will actively encourage other charging network providers to join as affiliates and enable EV drivers throughout the United States to seamlessly charge among all affiliated charging networks.
ChargePoint and ECOtality will connect the ChargePoint and Blink networks to Collaboratev later this year.
Collaboratev’s objectives include:
– Provide EV drivers with easy access to participating charging stations using common authentication credentials
– Enable one bill for all charging usage
– Accurately provide aggregated EV charging station location data
– Utilize open national interoperability standards
“Interoperability for EV drivers is another milestone in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles,” said Pat Romano, president and CEO of ChargePoint, Inc.
“Collaboratev will give EV drivers access to all stations, locations, availability and mapping features in the public domain. This is a clear sign of market maturation by establishing a seamless process for EV drivers to charge across networks,” stated Ravi Brar, CEO of ECOtality. “As industry leaders, we want to ensure we are always putting the needs of our customers first. We are fostering an open ecosystem and invite others to join us in making it easy for EV drivers nationwide to get the charge they need whenever and wherever they are.”
