UK firm Motability Operations has announced a series of pilots with a number of British e-mobility start-ups in a bid to ensure that electric motoring is available to all.
Mobility Operations provides affordable motoring to disabled people and their families in the UK through the Motability Scheme.
The firm recently announced a new government consultation investigating the accessibility of EV charges. Motability recently found that in a study of disabled drivers, 71% of participants fear a lack of accessible charging infrastructure could halt their plans to adopt an EV.
The company says its series of pilots will aim to remove the barriers to charging for those unable to charge at home and support its Motability Scheme.
Working alongside consultation firm, Founders Intelligence, Motability Operations’ Innovation Team has a range of pilots with British start-up businesses planned for 2022 and beyond.
Starting with Zap-Map, Charge Fairy, Co Charger and Bonnet, the pilots will run as part of the Motability Scheme. Customers across the UK taking part in the trials will report back on how accessible each business is.
Motability Scheme customers are trialling the Zap-Map phone app which offers a UK-wide map of charging points, helping EV drivers locate and navigate to a charging device.
During the three-month pilot, a selection of Motability Scheme customers will engage with Co Charger’s community of privately owned chargers. Co Charger connects EV drivers to UK home chargers.
Customers will also trial Bonnet’s charging app which connects 17 of the best EV charging networks in Europe, so users access one app, with one account and one payment to cover all charges.
A group of Motability Scheme users will also use Charge Fairy’s mobile electric car charging service, which was created to remove some of the barriers to everyday electric vehicle charging.
The customers engaging in the pilot live with a range of conditions and are located across the country.
“As more of our Motability Scheme customers transition to EVs it’s vital that there is worry-free access to charging for everyone,” said Jonathan Jenkins, head of innovation at Motability Operations.
“These important initiatives will help the increasing number of customers who want to make the switch to an electric-powered vehicle but are unable to charge at home.”
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