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Charge point tracking service Zapmap has started to provide mapping for mainland Europe for the first time.
Previously, Zapmap’s coverage has been restricted to the UK and Republic of Ireland but from December, electric car drivers will also be able to use the service to search for charging locations in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The service is compatible with the Zapmap mobile app and desktop site and is being rolled out in stages. Initially, drivers will only see around 15,000 charge points with a power rating of at least 60kWh across the five countries. Lower-powered units will be added to the map in coming months, along with the route-planning and payment solutions currently available for UK and Irish charge points.
Zapmap bosses say they have plans to add further European countries to their coverage over time, including Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
According to Zapmap research, almost a fifth of its users travel abroad in their electric cars and many have requested the service extends its coverage to take in key European destinations.
Alex Earl, commercial director at Zapmap, said:”Mapping charge points on the continent has been a frequent request from Zapmap users over the past few years, and I’m very pleased to say that we’ve made it happen.
“As ever, our mission is to make the EV charging experience simple, wherever you go. That’s why, to ensure we offer the same great service abroad as we do in the UK, our aim at this initial stage is to help UK drivers on the continent find charge points en-route when road tripping in an electric car.”
Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zapmap, added: “From our survey, we know that around 18% of Zapmap users travel abroad – typically to France, as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany – with the past year seeing a 28% increase in people travelling to mainland Europe in their EV. I’m very pleased we’re now able to serve UK drivers in these five countries, and that we can open up mainland Europe to a new generation of electric car drivers.”
