Electric vehicle (EV) drivers can now view, book and virtually queue for chargepoints that businesses have made publicly available using the Monta app.
The new ‘smart queue’ feature enables drivers to join virtual queues at one or more charging sites and get instantly notified when a chargepoint becomes available, with an aim of reducing the chance of vehicles running out of power while making long journeys.
The feature is particularly aimed at businesses that have EV chargepoints installed to service their employees. It increases the occupancy rate of chargepoints, and means businesses don’t have to invest in one chargepoint per employee.
Outside of office hours, businesses can make their chargepoints publicly available and allow EV drivers to book a chargepoint via the Monta app while on their journey. Once reserved, the charger will only work for allocated drivers as long as the reservation is required.
“Finding an available chargepoint when you’re on the road can be difficult, and even if you do manage to find one, there is almost no guarantee that it will be free to use by the time you get there,” said Alok Dubey, UK country manager at Monta.
“The smart queue feature gets rid of the problem of waiting in line for your next charge.”
Monta launched in the UK in August 2021 having raised £4.2 million in capital investment since its creation in December 2020.
EV owners can also use the app to find chargepoints near them and track energy consumption usage and costs, with the app integrating with over 20 of the UK’s chargepoint brands.
Current± recently caught up with Monta CEO Casper Rasmussen to discuss how the company is aiming to push new user features “to the limit”, with a “very ambitious” roadmap in place.