Ignitis ON is a smart app familiar to many electric vehicle (EV) drivers. According to Andrias Šeršniov, significant updates are currently being prepared for it, which will improve the charging experience of users. But the biggest changes in the life of EV drivers that will make daily trips much easier and EV charging even more convenient – in the near future.
The main functions of the Ignitis ON (and other providers – ed.) apps are to help you find a stop on your travel route, check whether it is busy, view the offered connections and capacity, check the charging price, etc. However, the updated Ignitis ON app will have a lot new functionalities that will pleasantly surprise you”, says Andrius Šeršniovas, who will talk about the development of electric car stations August 22 In Vilnius, at the “eJudėjimo” festival.
According to the expert, the app is only a small part of a big EV system. Therefore, Ignitis has recently been paying a lot of attention to another important component – the development of ultra-fast charging access.
In the future, there will be no need for apps
“All the charging accesses we have installed and are still under construction can be conveniently seen in the current Ignitis ON app, which will be updated soon.
In the near future, when charging an electric car, it will be possible to activate the station with an RFID (Radio frequency identification) pendant/key or simply pay with a bank card.
However, we mainly focus on Plug & Charge and Autocharge technologies, which will make charging as comfortable as possible – no RFID keys, apps or bank cards will be needed. After connecting the electric car to the station, charging will start automatically after just a few seconds.
The charging station will “talk” to the electric car, which will contain the data required for payment. In other words, charging the battery of an electric car will be much simpler than refueling. You won’t need to look for gloves, or a column number, or a card reader”, – this is how the expert paints the near future.
According to A. Šeršniov, it will be extremely convenient, because when traveling both in Lithuania and abroad, it will be possible to connect to the stops of all operators in this way: you charge and continue driving – the payment will take place automatically.
Charging the battery of an electric car will be much easier than refueling.
“This is especially important for those users for whom using apps is not intuitive or convenient. You will see, charging an electric car will be easier and more convenient than filling with gas. When traveling to different countries, we won’t worry about it, just like we don’t worry about mobile services now,” says the head of the electric car network development department at Ignitis.
By the way, “Ignitis” has already taken an intermediate step in this direction – the “Ignitis ON” application will soon be available not only in Lithuania.
From this fall, it will also work in Latvia and Estonia – all charging accesses of the company’s network will be connected. And from next year, it will be possible to connect to international networks throughout Europe through this app. This kind of functionality will allow you to travel effortlessly without additional applications, just having the “Ignitis” app will be enough.
The cosmic growth of charging infrastructure
Map of Ignitis ON electric car charging stations in Lithuania
The development of the infrastructure of fast charging stations in recent years is particularly noticeable. In which directions is Ignitis expanding the boot network?
“We pay the most attention to the country’s largest cities and the busiest transport arteries. However, you will find our charging points in the smallest towns as well (see map – edit post). However, our main focus is on fast charging parks. This means that drivers will be able to find dozens of charging points in one place.
A great example is the new Ignitis charging park in Palanga. We are developing similar projects on the A1 and A2 highways.
In the new parks, electric car drivers will be able to charge their energy very quickly and conveniently. In addition, we also think about commercial transport. Because in Lithuania there is a need to quickly charge trucks, buses, and vans. Therefore, not only the best power solutions will be applied in these places, but it will be possible to approach and stop comfortably.
Ignitis photo/”Ignitis ON” park of fast charging stations in Palanga
What annoys EV drivers the most
Assessing the current situation, A. Šeršniovas agrees that it is inconvenient for users to use many different apps. Perhaps a temporary solution – the international Plugshare app, which has become a kind of map of stations around the world?
According to Andriaus, 100 percent you can’t trust such an app and here’s why. Plugshare is a sort of Wikipedia of EV charging stations. This means that anyone can specify the location of their stations and the installed connections. But it is not exact, because the places are sometimes indicated only approximately. And not all users register when they arrive at the station. Therefore, it is difficult to see in advance whether it is busy and to plan a trip based on the displayed information. Also, the resulting stop specifications are not always accurate.
On the other hand, in the future as well, Plugshare will become redundant due to the new technologies we talked about above.
“In the navigation, we will select the final point of the journey. Then the electric car itself will calculate the optimal way to get there: avoiding traffic jams and choosing charging points. In real time, the electric car will “tell” us: here is the nearest charging park, it has 10 stations. And of them eight are occupied and two are free. So there’s a chance you’ll have to wait. In this case, the information system of the electric car will also offer alternative routes. In other words, you will be able to choose different scenarios when you start your journey. Some of the latest electric cars already offer such a feature today. And soon it will become the norm in all EVs”, A. Šeršniovas looks to the future.
According to him, Ignitis has repeatedly asked EV drivers what annoys them the most? Users singled out several moments. It’s annoying when it’s hard to find free seats. It is important that they are easily accessible. The third thing is to spend as little time as possible charging electricity.
“That’s why we build many stops near shopping centers, in visible and easily accessible places”, A. Šeršniovas explains the concept.
Apps from electric car manufacturers: what can we control remotely?
When it comes to the convenience of EV charging, the fact that many things can be controlled remotely is key. For example, we can already track the charging cycle through the applications of energy suppliers without being close to it.
A. Šeršniovas says that in this case too, separate apps will soon no longer be needed:
“We will have only one app linked to a specific electric car. It will show different characteristics of the electric car, including charging. Suppose, in this way, the EV will be able to inform its owner that the charge has already reached 90 percent. And that in the next 15 minutes it will reach 100 percent. It will also remind you that you should already come to the stop and disconnect the electric car, as access occupancy fees may apply.”
EV apps will also come in handy in winter
Skeptics say that the electric car is a problem in winter. However, Andrius Šeršniovas has a different opinion. EV is a smart device, so even in winter its capabilities are greater.
It does not need any Webasto heaters. The heating of the interior, as well as charging during the night, can be easily programmed. And you don’t need to heat the engine to defrost the windows. In addition, the electric car “starts” in any weather.
“You programmatically set that, say, after 15 minutes you want the temperature in the cabin to be 20 degrees, and no worries. Such a function is already available in many new generation electric cars”, notes Andrius.
Electric car drivers have more options?
Can it be said that most innovations come first to electric cars, and only then to VDV-powered cars?
Here’s the Hyundai Kona Electric showing the car’s average speed in navigation. And Renault’s battery heating system is directly related to navigation data.
Andrius Šeršniovas agrees that electric cars are an excellent medium for all innovations. And this is very well illustrated by the Tesla manufacturer, a clear technology leader in terms of not only electric cars, but also cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs).
A great example is the possibility of updating the software of an electric car remotely, unlocking additional functions. The driver does not need to waste hours (and sometimes even days) at service stations and go nowhere. This saves time and makes using the car as easy as using the phone. It becomes smarter, safer without the driver lifting a finger.
The chicken or the egg first? How will we charge electric cars in 2030?
Which is developing faster: electric cars or charging infrastructure? Five years ago, when LAKD stations appeared on the highways, we called them fast charging (max. power of 50 kW – ed.), but what kind of charging could be considered fast now?
After trying an electric car, young people no longer think of BMW as a sports car standard.
“When even budget electric cars will have a battery capacity of 200 kWh, the driving distance of an electric car will become identical to VDV cars. With an electric car, it will be possible to drive at maximum speed in any weather, even on highways, and one charge will be able to freely cover 500 kilometers or more. Charging the batteries will only take a dozen minutes”, A. Šeršniovas calculates and claims that we should see a big breakthrough around 2030.
What cars do young people like?
According to Andriaus Šeršniov, the best car brand in the opinion of the younger generation is Tesla. This is probably because electric cars are more technologically advanced, they do not pollute the air, they are quieter, and most importantly, they are much more fun to drive. The majority of young people who have tried an electric car no longer think of BMW as a benchmark for a sports car. So already today it can be concluded that the future will definitely belong to electric cars.
“eMovement” festival – August 22.
Not so long ago, electric cars were the props of fantasy films, and now more and more of them are rolling on the roads of our country. It is true that there are still a lot of myths about such vehicles and many drivers wonder if it is worth driving them at all. Vilnius residents and city guests will soon be invited to an exclusive event – the “eMovement” festival – to find out how it really is.
News portal 15min and Ignitis is organized The “eJudejimo” festival will take place on August 22.
During the festival, electric car users will share their experiences, economists will calculate whether an electric car pays off, and experts, car testers and famous people will discuss the practicality and environmental friendliness of this type of transport.
eMovement program
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2024-08-24 21:06:11
