Netherlands: To help drivers locate for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, TomTom Navigation is introducing a live service. At the Frankfurt auto show on Tuesday, the company unveiled its TomTom EV Service, which will inform electric car drivers about the availability of vehicle recharging points.The information will include opening hours, payment methods and plug types and are updated continuously throughout a driver’s journey, it said.
The TomTom EV service will initially launch in Europe, with expansion into North America planned for early next year. At that point, TomTom said its EV Service will list 35,000-plus charging stations globally.
The company did not disclose its current partners, but a TomTom demonstration system suggests it is working with German recharging network Hubject, which has previously said it offers up to 25,000 charging stations across Europe.
Hubject is backed by Germany‘s top three carmakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen as well as the country’s major electric utilities and engineering groups. It aims to standardize how drivers locate and pay for recharging.
In addition, German luxury auto maker Daimler has chosen to incorporate TomTom maps into its car navigation systems in Mercedes A, C, B and E-class vehicles it offers in North America, TomTom said.
It is also said that the company is now offering high-resolution maps to automotive partners covering 360,000 kilometers of highways and roads across Europe and North America for future testing of their autonomous driving projects.
