Today, we’re introducing Mapbox for EV, an end-to-end solution for electric vehicles (EV) that consistently and reliably routes cars based on accurate range calculations, helps drivers find optimal charge points, and enables payment directly from a vehicle’s infotainment screen or mobile companion app. 

EV drivers face a steep learning curve when searching and paying for EV charging. When planning for a long trip, many EV drivers manually search for charge points across multiple mobile apps to determine the ideal charging stops out of dozens of options. They need to decide how many times to stop and how long to charge at each. Due to range anxiety, drivers often end up with more charging stops than required. They take longer detours to reach the charger and they charge longer than required. Once at a charging location, chargers are oftentimes hard to find or not functional. Payment is complex, requiring customers to download multiple mobile apps, create an account for each and remember which app to use for which EV charging network.

“Today, EV charging is broken,” said Peter Sirota, CEO of Mapbox. “Finding functional and available charge points is clunky and the need to download and manage multiple apps for charging is a painful part of being an EV owner, adding to their already substantial range anxiety. Mapbox is working with Automakers and EV Charge Point Operators (CPOs) to provide an intuitive charge point discovery and payment experience across in-car navigation and companion apps that delights drivers and supports business objectives of all parties. Together we are building a platform that removes range anxiety and makes charging easier than pumping gas.”

Mapbox for EV consists of three components: optimized trip planning, real-time charge station information, and integrated payments. The solution is available as an add-on to existing Mapbox Dash or it can be integrated into any in-car or mobile application via Mapbox cloud APIs. Mapbox for EV is modular, so each of its components can be utilized independently of each other and in combination with third-party navigation and EV solutions.

Optimized Trip Planning

Mapbox for EV utilizes Mapbox EV Routing algorithms to predict range and suggest optimal charging locations. Range prediction calculates the state of charge at the arrival destination of a trip. It takes into account the vehicle’s state of charge, charge depletion curve, ambient temperature, speed and slope of the route to deliver a predicted state of charge at the destination with high accuracy. For long distance trips, the routing algorithm can suggest detours to faster charging options by using a full metagraph of all possible charging locations, preferred driver charging networks, and other personalized settings.

Mapbox for EV utilizes Mapbox EV Routing to determine ideal charge locations on long distance trips.

Real-time Charge Station Information

Inaccurate charge station information leads to situations in which the destination is hard to find or the charger at the destination is out of order. Mapbox for EV includes up-to-date charge point pricing information, real-time availability, supported plugs, charging speed, access hours and descriptions on how to find the charging station. In addition, Mapbox for EV captures charging location information, charging success/failure and feeds this information back into the system, improving the experience for all connected drivers.

Integrated Payments

Lastly, at the destination, drivers can pay for charging directly from the infotainment system or the mobile app, meaning drivers no longer need to install a different app for each charging network they wish to use. 

With the payment integration as part of Mapbox for EV, automakers and mobile developers can enable their customers to add a credit card to their navigation application to pay for EV charging. Mapbox orchestrates the payments and provides a uniform way to discover payment-enabled charging locations. Mapbox offers integrations with car maker’s existing wallet solutions or a white labeled wallet enabling car makers to offer payments via credit card or bank account. For charge point operators, the solution provides a way to integrate loyalty program sign ups and memberships.

Blink Charging, with over 10,000 locations in North America, is one of the first charge point operators (CPO) to integrate seamless payments with Mapbox for EV.

“We are excited to be a part of the Mapbox for EV solution. Mapbox customers can now find and pay for their charging sessions at Blink stations. Blink is committed to supporting the interoperability of its charging network with industry partners. Our partnership with Mapbox will make Blink charging stations accessible from the car's infotainment system with just a few taps.” – Brendan Jones, President, Blink Charging. 

Blink, ChargePoint, SemaConnect, Circuit Electrique, and Switch are supported and additional charge point operators can be added on customer request as we continue to expand the number of pre-integrated payment enabled networks.

Build comprehensive charging experiences with Mapbox for EV

Mapbox for EV enables comprehensive and integrated end-to-end solutions to predict range, find charging locations and facilitate seamless payments at the charging location. If you are looking to integrate EV payments into your in-vehicle infotainment system or mobile companion app, or expand your charging network reach to new drivers, we want to hear from you.

To participate in the private preview of Mapbox for EV and learn more, please visit: bit.ly/MapboxEV