Volvo to integrate more charging functions into its app to simplify EV charging

As the world moves towards electric vehicles, Volvo Cars believes that charging an EV should be as convenient as driving to a petrol pump and getting a combustion engine car fuelled up. Only when it is just as easy and convenient to charge and pay for charging EVs, will consumers be able to widely adopt all-electric cars. For this, Volvo Cars is looking to integrate and consolidate a wide variety of charging functions and payment into its Volvo Cars app.

Through the Volvo Cars app, pure electric Volvo drivers can find hundreds of thousands of public charging stations around the globe from a broad range of charging operators, get real-time information on availability of chargers, and pay for their charging session through one single interface. With all these facilities, the carmaker wants to make charging an electric vehicle more convenient than ever before.

In China, Volvo Cars recently signed agreements with the country’s three leading charging point operators - Star Charge, State Grid and TELD, who together cover more than 75 per cent of all public charging points in China. Customers in the country can find charging points, start charging by scanning a QR code and pay directly in the Volvo Cars app, through leading payment services including WeChat Pay and Alipay as well as by using V Point.

In the US, the new Volvo Cars app is expected to be rolled out before the end of the year. It is designed to build on the already successful ChargePoint in-car app for US-based Volvo Recharge customers, which allows them to search, navigate and pay for charging at one of over 25,000 charger locations.

Volvo Cars is also aiming to make investments in public charging networks in areas of strategic importance around Europe, as it continues to roll out more pure electric cars over the time.