EV Charging Network ChargeLab Bets Future on Open Standards and Interoperability

Electric vehicle charging network provider ChargeLab announced this week that eligible multi-family communities and office buildings in Canada can receive EV charger installations for $0 in upfront costs.

Canada’s new Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) program (funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)) offers 50% of the total project cost, up to a maximum of $5 million. And for a limited time, ChargeLab is matching NRCan’s contribution for eligible projects, bringing the upfront deployment cost for buildings to $0. These investments are subject to repayment over time based on pay-per-use fees generated by the EV chargers installed.

Innovative financing models like this signal the expectation that while limited co-investment by the public sector may be required in the short run, over the long run EV charging will be a successful commercial venture. As described in the video below by ChargeLab CEO Zachary Lefevre, one of the company’s distinguishing features is its support of interoperability and open standards such as Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). OCPP avoids vendor-lock by allowing station owners to switch networks by simply downloading new software over the air.

In the absence of open and interoperable hardware and networks, station owners such as apartment and office building landlords may incur steep costs, including potentially replacement of the entire charger, just to switch networks. The position taken by ChargeLab, which is that customers should be able to have options about which network to run on a charger, and which is consistent with that of other networks including Greenlots and Driivz, is highly favorable to customers and will serve the industry well.

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