MAPS & APPS Today’s Mapping and Location-Based Services for Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Report and Recommendations May 2012 This report was developed by the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder partnership working to ensure a strong and enduring transition to a plug-in electric vehicle marketplace. Members played guiding and consulting roles in developing this report, although individual organizations may not formally endorse every recommendation. The PEV Collaborative would like to thank John Shears of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies as the lead author of this report. The document was developed by volunteers of the Collaborative Working Groups and Collaborative staff. The PEV Collaborative also acknowledges Peter Dempster of BMW Group and Richard Schorske of EV Communities Alliance for their assistance in developing this report. Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 2 May 2012 California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative James Boyd, 2012 Chairman Diane Wittenberg, Executive Director California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative Adrienne Alvord Bonnie Lowenthal Union of Concerned Scientists California State Assembly Robert Babik Richard Lowenthal General Motors Coulomb Technologies Forrest Beanum Ron Mahabir CODA Automotive Greenlots Janice Berman Marvin Moon Pacific Gas and Electric Company Los Angeles Department of Water and Power John Boesel Mary Nichols CALSTART California Air Resources Board Dan Bowermaster Diarmuid O’Connell Electric Power Research Institute Tesla Motors, Inc. Elisabeth Brinton Terry O'Day Sacramento Municipal Utility District NRG Energy Jack Broadbent Alex Padilla Bay Area Air Quality Management District California State Senate Dan Davids Colin Read Plug In America ECOtality Nancy Gioia Clifford Rechtschaffen Ford Motor Company Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Elmer Hardy Michael Peevey Honda Motor Company California Public Utilities Commission Bonnie Holmes - Gen Carla Peterman American Lung Association in California California Energy Commission Roland Hwang Nancy Skinner Natural Resources Defense Council California State Assembly Enid Joffe Tom Turrentine Clean Fuel Connection, Inc. Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis Christine Kehoe Eileen Tutt California State Senate California Electric Transportation Coalition Alex Kim Barry Wallerstein San Diego Gas and Electric South Coast Air Quality Management District Doug Kim V. John White Southern California Edison CEERT Andreas Klugescheid Jason Wolf BMW Group Representative Office California Better Place Barbara Lee Tracy Woodard Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District Nissan North America, Inc. Alan Lloyd Toshio Yoshidome International Council on Clean Transportation Toyota North America Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 3 May 2012 Table of Contents Executive Summary 5 Introduction 6 National Database 8 DOE Provides Basic and Reliable Mapping of Charging Stations 8 DOE’s Database Provides the Foundation for a Growing Mapping Industry 10 Industry Needs 11 An Open Data Exchange and Open Standards will be Critical for PEV Drivers 12 Rapid PEV Market Expansion Will Pose Challenges to Reporting and Optimizing New Infrastructure Deployment 13 Organizational Roles 15 Further Recommendations 16 Addenda 19 Addendum A 19 Addendum B 20 Addendum C 21 Endnotes 22 Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 4 May 2012 Executive Summary The market success of plug-in Institute a comprehensive electric vehicles (PEVs) depends in research program to collect part on the effective placement and data on PEV drivers’ real- promotion of publicly accessible world use of the vehicles and charging stations. User-friendly infrastructure to determine mapping tools available via desktop the optimal deployment of computers and mobile applications future charging equipment. (apps) on smartphones and vehicle The PEV Collaborative and dashboard displays enable users to PEV Regional Coordination access charging stations Councils should assist conveniently and reliably. These planners with developing tools will be integral to support and consensus-built infrastructure grow current and future PEV use. deployment strategies and collaborate with the National This report describes the current Renewable Energy status of PEV infrastructure Laboratory/Alternative Fuels mapping and navigation services and Advanced Vehicles Data and outlines what will be needed to Center (NREL/AFDC) to meet the future challenges that ensure that it further come with this relatively new, yet develops its mapping and rapidly growing industry. navigation tools. Ensure that specific charging The PEV Collaborative station information (e.g., recommends that the following location, access type, activities be undertaken to enhance payment methods, charger mapping, navigation, and location- details) is available through based tools: both the NREL/AFDC database and mapping tool, Establish an open data and location-based exchange to allow real-time subscription plans. interactivity with the charging equipment and enable PEV These recommendations will help drivers to use a single app to advance the “maps & apps” access the most current market, and in turn, the PEV information. market. Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 5 May 2012 Introduction The market success of plug-in empowering potential buyers to electric vehicles (PEVs) depends, imagine how they might use a PEV in part, on the effective placement in conjunction with the existing and and promotion of electric vehicle planned charging infrastructure. charging equipment (also referred to as electric vehicle supply Market research indicates that equipment, or EVSE) and the business developments around ability of PEV owners to mobile applications will be conveniently and reliably access particularly important to the growth that equipment when home of the PEV market.3 Mobile charging does not meet all their application services will be an needs.1 Today’s PEV charging essential component of the infrastructure – while informed by evolving PEV ecosystem as California’s experience with EVs California enters an accelerating during the 1990s – has been phase of PEV deployments. Mobile deployed in a largely ad hoc applications and social media also fashion. Additionally, there is could serve as important research limited research on how PEV tools to survey PEV drivers and drivers actually use the existing monitor their driving and charging infrastructure. Understanding how behavior, thus providing an PEV drivers use this new empirical basis upon which to plan equipment will help guide the the optimal siting of future EVSE optimal placement of new EVSE. deployments. User-friendly desktop tools and What follows is a brief overview mobile applications (apps) that and discussion of the status of PEV allow PEV drivers to find desired charging infrastructure mapping EVSE locations and interact with and navigation services. The PEV PEV charging networks is Collaborative provides important for two reasons. First, recommendations to encourage the such tools enable the most efficient future development of mapping, use of the existing charging navigation, and location-based infrastructure (including sub- services (LBS). These optimally placed EVSEs). Second, recommendations will be useful to they can alleviate the range anxiety various stakeholder groups of new and prospective PEV including: PEV Regional drivers.2 Indeed, mobile apps Coordination Councils; city and displaying accurate and timely county staff; property developers information can serve as a and owners; electric vehicle service persuasive marketing tool by providers (EVSPs); those Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 6 May 2012 stakeholders seeking to provide mapping and LBS to the PEV-driver community; and those organizations working to develop the open standards needed to link the many EVSE networks being deployed either directly by, or with the assistance of, EVSPs. Maps & Apps Report www.PEVCollaborative.org 7 May 2012 National Database When the first generation of PEVs another consumer of the database took to California roads during the – for use in its Google Maps 1990s, the responsibility for feature – like any other purveyor of mapping charging station locations EVSE mapping services.6 largely fell to volunteer members of the PEV-driver community.4 More DOE Provides Basic and recently, as new PEVs have come Reliable Mapping of to market, federal and state funding Charging Stations through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and The EVSE database and mapping California’s Alternative and tool is managed through the Renewable Fuel & Vehicle National Renewable Energy Technology (AB 118) Program has Laboratory (NREL) and is catalyzed the accelerated integrated into the DOE Alternative deployment of PEV charging Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data infrastructure. This increased Center’s (AFDC) fueling station infrastructure activity has prompted locator website.7 When EVSPs a need to dedicate significant install charging equipment, they resources to the timely and submit station location information accurate collection of data and to to NREL by completing and ensure public access to all EVSE submitting a standardized reporting location information. The public template.8 NREL verifies that the needs accurate information about information for the new EVSE the location and type of EVSE, installation(s) is accurate,