[ampUp]

Hey everyone, did anyone else have a very annoying EV charging experience this holiday season? Ever thought about what life would be like with reservable charging?

ampUp, a YC startup found a way to make EV charging life easier with reservable charging spots, so you won't have to wait in line to charge your car. You can download the app on iOS and Android stores.

We highly appreciate your thoughts on this! Let us know what you would like to see or any pain points that you might have as EV drivers that we may be able to address through the app.

 

[Lexden]

Hey everyone, did anyone else have a very annoying EV charging experience this holiday season? Ever thought about what life would be like with reservable charging?

ampUp, a YC startup found a way to make EV charging life easier with reservable charging spots, so you won't have to wait in line to charge your car. You can download the app on iOS and Android stores.

We highly appreciate your thoughts on this! Let us know what you would like to see or any pain points that you might have as EV drivers that we may be able to address through the app.

In my view, there is absolutely no point in having booked charging spots unless the provider can guarantee 100% charger availability/serviceability. How is this going to be managed/policed?

Qn: US based only?

 

[ampUp]

In my view, there is absolutely no point in having booked charging spots unless the provider can guarantee 100% charger availability/serviceability. How is this going to be managed/policed?

Hi Lexden, thanks for your comment.
Reservations help with the guarantee but we send notifications to the host to help inform.
It’s the same thing with reservations at a hotel or Airbnb. Sure, stuff can not get honored sometimes but it’s infrequent
Also the goal is to use peer to peer to get chargers up in areas where they don’t make sense today.

 

[ampUp]

In my view, there is absolutely no point in having booked charging spots unless the provider can guarantee 100% charger availability/serviceability. How is this going to be managed/policed?

Qn: US based only?

To answer your second question, we are also available in Europe and Asia.

 

[mikegs]

I don't know if you are the same people but this (a reservation app) was proposed on here s few months ago.
It didn't seem practical then and I doubt anything has changed.

The comparison to hotels or Airbnb is unrealistic - there are several big differences and charging gets the worst of all of them.

 

[ampUp]

I don't know if you are the same people but this (a reservation app) was proposed on here s few months ago.
It didn't seem practical then and I doubt anything has changed.

The comparison to hotels or Airbnb is unrealistic - there are several big differences and charging gets the worst of all of them.

Hi mikgs, what about the app makes it seem impractical? We are always finding ways to improve and know what EV owners are thinking about.

 

[Tandy0]

I think 'reserving' just reduces availability of an already scarce resource, doesn't it? I would find it infuriating to arrive at a space to charge to find it not working due to being 'reserved' for someone who won't arrive for half an hour. By then, someone else may have completed their charging, so the person reserving had no need to inconvenience me.

 

[JeffG]

By the way, what "holiday season"?

 

[donald]

I don't know if you are the same people but this (a reservation app) was proposed on here s few months ago.
It didn't seem practical then and I doubt anything has changed.

The comparison to hotels or Airbnb is unrealistic - there are several big differences and charging gets the worst of all of them.

It is practical, you just didn't like the explanation.

Reservable points are only practical if you have enough of them. There has to be a good number of 'ad hoc' chargers reserved for 'as hoc' use, because you can't or don't always plan your route, but then there are times when you really need a charger there and then.

I have laid out a scheme for this, based on >a dozen chargers behind a security barrier, all ANPR controlled in which you are sent to a given charger in the charging plaza behind the barrier and the system regulates who uses what. This also allows for other scenarios, such as receiving a timed ticked for entry if all the chargers are busy and you go park up for half an hour, avoiding fisticuffs over who said they got their first. Also, you can nominate how long you want to charge so, for example, you say you want 10 mins charge and so you are allowed in because the next timed appointment isn't for 20 minutes or they are asking for an hour's charge.

It is all easy stuff once; a) there are enough chargers, b) specific chargers are allocated to specific users for a specific length of time on their arrival, c) all of it is under computer control.

 

[mikegs]

Hi mikgs, what about the app makes it seem impractical? We are always finding ways to improve and know what EV owners are thinking about.

Actually, reading more about the app changes what I had in mind:
The reservable network is born right out of the EV community, where home charger owners share their chargers in an Airbnb-like style through ampUp.
So just 7kW charging on someone's drive. That's not going to be very useful for the majority of people, but no doubt a few will use it.
My, and others, assumption was that this would be for the rapid charger network.

ampUp is headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley,
... but you are in the Philippines ...

 

[mikegs]

It is all easy stuff once; a) there are enough chargers, b) specific chargers are allocated to specific users for a specific length of time on their arrival, c) all of it is under computer control.

Indeedy. But that's not going to be sorted today by a Silicon Valley/Philippine Android app.

 

[donald]

Indeedy. But that's not going to be sorted today by a Silicon Valley/Philippine Android app.

Well, it could if the hardware was in place. We live in a modern world, don't y'know, with a new fangled thing called 'the internet' The 'computer' bit doesn't need to be anywhere in particular.

 

[cah197]

By the way, what "holiday season"?

Didn't you notice it was Black Friday?

 

[cah197]

Well, it could if the hardware was in place. We live in a modern world, don't y'know, with a new fangled thing called 'the internet' The 'computer' bit doesn't need to be anywhere in particular.

Will I be able to rent out my home charger, AirBnB style?

 

[donald]

Will I be able to rent out my home charger, AirBnB style?

I thought that already exists?

 

[mikegs]

Well, it could if the hardware was in place. We live in a modern world, don't y'know, with a new fangled thing called 'the internet' The 'computer' bit doesn't need to be anywhere in particular.

For rapid DC chargers: Technically it's possible. Commercially, meh.
Firstly you'd need a decent proportion of charger operators to sign up to your app. Secondly they'd probably need to update their chargers to handle the reservation system. Thirdly they'd need to link your app into their systems.
As I can't see any clear benefit to those companies to compensate for the costs and risks of such a scheme it doesn't seem likely to take root.

For home charge points: The app alone is sufficient and reservation does make sense as in general the home owner will need to make the charge point available.
I'm just doubtful about the amount of demand unless it's associated with a long stay, such as b&b or airport parking. I guess some commuters might find one within walking distance of a station useful, but as EV ranges increase that is going to be of less use.

 

[donald]

For rapid DC chargers: Technically it's possible. Commercially, meh.
Firstly you'd need a decent proportion of charger operators to sign up to your app. Secondly they'd probably need to update their chargers to handle the reservation system. Thirdly they'd need to link your app into their systems.
As I can't see any clear benefit to those companies to compensate for the costs and risks of such a scheme it doesn't seem likely to take root.

For home charge points: The app alone is sufficient and reservation does make sense as in general the home owner will need to make the charge point available.
I'm just doubtful about the amount of demand unless it's associated with a long stay, such as b&b or airport parking. I guess some commuters might find one within walking distance of a station useful, but as EV ranges increase that is going to be of less use.

Oh, I am talking strictly about a rapid charging site under one owner who commissions the app.

I agree the proposal of simply running an app for a random collection of chargers and owners is not credible.

 

[JeffG]

Didn't you notice it was Black Friday?

That's not a holiday though. And it's an unwanted import from the US.

 

[cah197]

That's not a holiday though. And it's an unwanted import from the US.

Next you’re going to tell me Christmas was our idea?

 

[mikegs]

By the way, what "holiday season"?

Didn't you notice it was Black Friday?

That's not a holiday though. And it's an unwanted import from the US.

In the US holiday season, aka The Holidays, is basically November and December, with Thanksgiving the day before Black Friday. Once Halloween is out the way (and even before that at Disney) the holiday (what we'd call Christmas) decorations come out.
It's not good.