Alexa for EV charging
Source: Amazon
Amazon is betting that Alexa, its voice-activated digital assistant, may also help ease certainly one of electrical car drivers’ largest worries: discovering a charging station whereas on the highway.
At CES on Thursday, Amazon introduced a brand new collaboration with EVGo, one of many largest U.S. charging networks, that may quickly permit Alexa to navigate EV drivers to public charging spots and pay for the service.
Alexa will draw on information from EVGo’s PlugShare group to assist information EV drivers to close by charging stations. If the motive force chooses an EVGo station, Alexa will be capable to provoke and pay for the cost with easy voice instructions. Amazon expects the brand new function to be obtainable later this 12 months.
“The EV charging experience is a lot more fragmented than for gas customers, who can pretty much stop at any location,” mentioned Anes Hodžić, vp at Amazon’s Smart Vehicles group.
While Tesla homeowners can depend on the corporate’s proprietary “Supercharger” community, drivers of non-Tesla EVs are confronted with a mishmash of competing charging networks, chargers that might not be properly maintained, and apps that present incomplete — and generally outdated — data.
Unlike the standard cease for fuel, EV drivers should think about charging velocity, plug sort and cost choices, Hodžić mentioned, all whereas utilizing a number of completely different apps to search out charging stations, and as their car’s vary could also be dwindling.
“We want Alexa to be useful for customers in their everyday lives, and EV charging is a great example of a task that can be simplified and made more convenient through the power of AI,” Hodžić mentioned.