Free App Helps Plug-In Drivers Find Private, Public Charging Spots
By John O'Dell March 14, 2011People caught up in new things often love to share their passion, and that's especially true in the world of electric cars.
Now a California-based software startup is capitalizing on that spirit with a free, community-driven mobile application that lets users find nearby electric car charging spots including those in the homes of other plug-in car owners who are willing to share a 120-volt wall-plug or a 240-volt Level 2 home charging station with a fellow traveler who's about to run out of juice and needs a quick hit.
The "PlugShare" app was developed by Xatori, Inc., a Palo Alto firm founded by EV buffs Forrest North and Armen Petrosian.
It's available now for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch, and an Android version is in development - Petrosian says there's no date yet for when it can be expected. He said a web-based version also is being developed.
Xatori so far is operating on private funding - Petrosian wouldn't be more specific - and while the ultimate goal is to make money from the business, he said the first goal is "focusing on the user experience and to make sure this is completely free to the user. If we become the largest supplier of this information I'm sure we will find ways to extract value from that."
Users who download the app are asked to register by filling out a short on-line form that includes the person's name and phone number, an optional address listing, and a check-list of charging station types the user is willing to share with others (the choices right now are simply a 120-volt common wall socket, also called a Level 1 charger, a 240-volt Level 2 charger equipped with a standard J1772 connector, or both.)
Commercial charging station can also list their devices - the app presently shows a number of coffee shops and other retailers with EV charging stations in the parking lot as well as many of the auto dealerships that have installed chargers for present and future EV and plug-in hybrid customers.
"We are agnostic," said Petrosian. "We want to have everyone's charging stations listed."
To that end, he said, the Xatori team pre-loaded the app with the charger sites of providers such as Coulomb Technologies as will as car dealers and retailers who've posted locations.
PlugShare founders Forrest North (left) and Armen Petrosian.
For residential locations, however, the company is depending on people's willingness to voluntarily share. So far, several hundred nationwide have signed up in the week the app's been live, he said.
Once you've registered, the app shows you plug-in charging spot locations using one of three icons - a rectangular blue plug receptacle for a 120-volt socket; a round green one (looks a lot like a smiley face) for a 240-volt Level 2 station and a purple rectangle with a lightening bolt to denote a commercial spot with at least Level 2 charging. The immediate screen is the area around your present location, but you can scroll across a state or the whole country.
If you are looking for a charging spot while away from home, you simply click on the appropriate icon closest to you or use the looking glass icon on the screen to trigger a function that lets you type in your destination and then shows you plug spots close by.
The charge spot owner's name and phone number appear - along with any other information the person wants to share, such as an address, or hours of availability, a request to call first or just a cheery greeting. There's also a "get directions" icon that automatically provide a map and turn-by turn directions (via Google Maps) to the station.
You call the number and if you reach someone, make arrangements plug in. If no answer, you go to the next closest - because of the smart phone's GPS chip, the map shows your location in relation to other stations - until you find someone who's got an available plug-in spot.
All of the listing are voluntary and people who register agree by doing so to share their charger or wall plug with EV and plug-in hybrid drivers who call and request the opportunity to top up their vehicles' batteries.
The idea is that by giving a fellow driver 50-cents or $1 worth of electricity when he or she is in need, the favor will be returned someday - if not by that driver then by someone else on the PlugShare network. It's a "pay if forward" for the electric car set.
There presently are several hundred charging spots listed on the application, mainly following the path of EV and plug-in hybrid sales along the urbanized coastal strips. Petrosian said the company has already received requests from EV owners in Canada and Europe to develop apps for those regions.
I registered with PlugShare last Tuesday - the application went live on March 7 - and discovered that there are several private residences and four car dealerships in my immediate vicinity that have Level 2 charging stations, along with a number of people willing to share a 120-volt outlet.
So far, I've not needed to use any - and no one has called me asking to use my home charger.
But it is comforting to know that there's a safety net out there of people willing to share electrons with me if I find myself on the road and in need.
Here's a video prepared by Xatori that demonstrates the functions of the PlugShare app.
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