Chargepoint and EVBox launch partnership to offer roaming between electric car charging networks

Chargepoint and EVBox, two of the world’s largest manufacturers and operators of electric vehicle charging networks, have launched a partnership to offer roaming services between their electric car charging networks in Europe and North America.

With EV charging networks, it can be a pain to have to manage different accounts with different companies in order to have access to all the charging networks that you might need to use out there.

But this agreement will reportedly enable “seamless roaming” between the networks without the need of multiple accounts or fees:

“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.”

Pasquale Romano, president and CEO, ChargePoint, Inc, commented on the agreement:

 “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. 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.”

Kristof Vereenooghe, CEO of EVBox, added:

“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,”

Between the two of them, they have over 100,000 charge points around the world.

Chargepoint is more popular in North America and EVBox in Europe, but they are both making strides in each other’s markets following recent expansion announcements.

The deal is made possible through the use of the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol that they have both adopted.

Electrek’s Take

That’s great news. The goal is to always improve the charging experience until it becomes more convenient than refueling in every way.

In many cases, it’s getting there.

Now with two of the biggest companies in the space joining forces, it looks like we might see roaming between networks improve significantly – resulting in a more seamless experience.

Hopefully, we start hearing of more deals like that with other networks like Electrify America and Ionity.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.