Electric car drivers can now ‘roam’ in the US and Canada on ChargePoint and FLO charging networks

A week after announcing a similar deal in Europe, ChargePoint has unveiled a new “roaming partnership” with FLO to allow electric vehicle drivers to use both charging networks across North America with “a seamless charging experience.”

Earlier this month, Chargepoint and EVBox launched a similar partnership for the European market.

Now they have reached a deal with FLO, which is the leading electric car charging network operator in Canada.

Starting today, electric car drivers will be able to use their accounts and apps from either network in order to access to other network:

“Roaming between the networks is fully operational today through the FLO or ChargePoint mobile apps. To start a session, drivers can simply use their existing network account to locate a charging station, start a session via the app and charge. The participating networks have currently agreed to levy no additional fees for using a visited network’s station and all transactions and taxes are handled on the backend according to the respective country’s tax laws, so drivers who roam will have a familiar experience to that of their primary network. At launch, more than 33,000 publicly available charging spots will be available on both networks allowing for more seamless travel throughout North America.”

FLO is mainly known for operating some major charging networks in Canada, like the ‘Circuit Electrique’ in Quebec, but it also sells its own commercial and residential charging stations.

We reported on them earlier this year when they launched in the US.

Louis Tremblay, President and CEO of FLO, commented on the new roaming partnership:

“As electric mobility continues to gain traction, it is essential that industry leaders work together to optimize the charging experience for the benefit of all EV drivers and stakeholders. FLO has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we take pride in leading the way to make EV charging more accessible and more convenient with this extended roaming service. This collaboration furthers our engagement to offer the best experience in the EV charging ecosystem, and will ultimately convince more people to choose electric mobility.”

Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint, added:

“For more than a decade ChargePoint has been committed to developing charging solutions that make it easy for EV drivers to charge, and this agreement builds on that and other solutions and services we’ve offered to help enable the mass adoption of EVs. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with FLO and invite other networks to participate in similar initiatives that support our philosophy of helping to get every driver behind the wheel of an EV. These experiences are good for EV drivers and simultaneously benefit station owners by increasing utilization of charging spots and opening up opportunities for businesses of all kinds to participate in the new fueling network.”

The agreement, which is a first of its kind in North America, is coming into effect today.

Electrek’s Take

As I commented with the previous agreement, these deals make a ton of sense.

Dealing with multiple accounts between different charging networks is a pain and this should make the process of jumping from one network to another less painful.

Also, ChargePoint and FLO have two of the biggest EV charging networks in North America. It should set an example for other networks who use the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol to get on board with roaming partnerships.

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