Juicing up electric-powered vehicles (EV) in America is gradually getting easier, and the latest breakthrough on the subject is the sealed deal between ChargePoint and Electrify America. The two companies said that their "roaming deal" will unify their EV charging networks seamlessly.
The unification, per the report from CNET, will be smooth and painless. There will be no transition period as EV owners will gain easy access to over 30,000 Level 2 and DC fast chargers owned and operated by the two firms. Both assured that customers will not be required new registration to cross over from ChargePoint to Electrify America and vice versa.
Most importantly, the unification deal will not result in additional charges for EV owners enrolled on each service. The companies confirmed there will be no extra cost jumping from one charge point to another.
ChargePoint characterized the new partnership as a way to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and the possible phasing out of conventional cars powered by fossil fuels.
"Our agreement is another example of cross-industry collaboration and underscores the importance of working together to support this transformation of mobility," Pasquale Romano, the company's CEO, said in a statement.
For its part, Electrify America said it intends to build 484 EV charging stations with more than 2,000 charging dispensers across the country by July. The effort is part of the firm's planned investment of $2 billion over the next 10 years on clean energy infrastructure and education, TechCrunch reported.
Electrify America is a subsidiary of German carmaker Volkswagen.
"With the two largest EV charging service providers in the U.S. reaching this agreement, we can help expedite electric vehicle adoption by creating a seamless and reliable charging experience for consumers," Electrify America president and CEO Giovanni Palazzo was reported as saying.
Palazzo added that with the charging stations of Electrify America and ChargePoint now interconnected and operating in a unified system, "we increase the convenience and accessibility EV drivers need to travel where they want, when they want."
The company chief likewise stressed that the deal with ChargePoint is not a one-off agreement as he underscored the goal by Electrify America to make EV charging available nationwide.
ChargePoint, in fact, has taken on expansion mode a bit earlier, according to Electrek, adding that in 2015 the company has entered into a roaming deal with Blink and EVgo. Then in 2018, ChargePoint again improved on the accessibility of its charging networks by allowing its customers to use the EV charging stations under EVBox and FLO.
Of note is the agreement secured by ChargePoint with FLO, which is a company based in Canada. The deal allows cross-border charging up for EV owners without having to go through new registration requirements and avoiding the likelihood of additional fees.
