If you’re an EV driver, you’ve probably been “ICE’d” at least once. And if you’re a charge point operator (CPO), you’ve probably wondered how to deal with “ICEing” or how to encourage already charged EVs to remove their vehicles? If you are new to e-mobility – “ICEing” is the term used when an electric vehicle is prevented from using a parking space reserved for EVs by a vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE). Although it’s becoming more common these days to find a charging station in every parking lot, many ICE drivers still haven’t gotten used to having a parking space reserved for EV charging. But the problem isn’t just with ICE vehicle drivers. Another challenge for EV drivers is arriving at the charging station and being blocked by an EV that is either already fully charged or not charging at all. So how do your users know that a charger is actually available?

What are the key challenges for CPOs?

• ICE vehicles occupying EV charging spots, blocking EV drivers from parking and charging.
• EVs remain parked in front of a charger after the charging session is completed.
• Driver platforms only show available charging spots, not available parking spaces.
• CPOs are unable to charge the parking overtime after the charging session is complete.

Etrel’s partner implements parking sensors to ensure that its users will be the first to have not only the data on available chargers, but also the availability of parking spaces in front of the chargers.

Our partner is a leading e-mobility service provider from Oil & Gas industry , with more than 500 charging points available across three markets. Because of their consumer-centric approach, they are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. With their latest project, they wanted to ensure that their users don’t arrive at a charging station that is shown as free in their driver platform and not be able to charge because the parking space is occupied. The problem isn’t just that ICE vehicles are blocking the parking space in front of the charging station. Another challenge for EV drivers is fully charged EVs that remain parked in front of the charging station even after the charging session is complete.

For CPOs, this not only means a poor user experience for their customers, but it could also lead to angry customers or even to a loss of customers as they would charge at a different charging location. The fully charged EV could block other EV drivers for hours or even days, as parking spaces reserved for EVs are still free of charge at some locations.

In the past, their driver app showed the EV driver all the nearest charging stations and whether they were occupied or not. The app also told the EV driver when the charging station was expected to be free, but what if the EV driver didn’t remove the EV from the parking lot? With the visionary approach to e-mobility, Etrel is now launching one of the first solutions that communicates the parking availability status of the parking space to the EV driver. Etrel OCEAN has integrated parking sensors into the OCEAN web and mobile apps so that OCEAN partners and their EV drivers can now see the availability of charging stations based on charger availability as well as the availability of a parking space.

With push notifications built into the app, EV drivers are notified when their charging session will be finished. By imposing tariff which measures parking time of the user based on the charging station status, the system will encourage the EV drivers to remove the EV as soon as it is fully charged. If the EV driver does not remove the EV, the CPO can charge the overstay.

Hrvatski Telekom ensures its users a complete control over the parking spaces by integrating  Parklio barriers with Etrel OCEAN charge point management system.

Hrvatski Telekom, a part of Deutsche Telekom, is a leading charging service provider and one of the pioneers of e-mobility on the Croatian market. With their clear vision and progressive approach towards the development of e-mobility, they have already expanded their brand espoTs beyond the Croatian borders.

espoTs charging stations are located in the most frequented locations, which see heavy tourist and transit traffic, especially during the summer. It is of utmost importance for a charging service provider to secure the parking spaces in front of the chargers and provide convenient access to their loyal and seasonal users.

Until now, EV drivers have only had access to data on available chargers. With Etrel OCEAN charge point management system, CPOs can now use Parklio™ Solutions to restrict access to parking spaces  reserved for EVs.

Parklio™ Solutions provides high-quality parking barriers that will prevent ICE cars from parking in front of your charging stations for good. In addition, the integrated parking sensors can indicate in real time when the parking space is available. Their smartphone-controlled barrier management system has been integrated into the user’s mobile app and web app, allowing users to see the status availability of the parking space and lower the barrier with one click before the charging is started.

Dino Novosel, Head of Hrvatski Telekom says: “We’ve reached a new milestone in delivering a superior EV charging experience. Together with Etrel as our charge point management system provider, we want to prevent ICE cars from being improperly parked in front of charging stations forever. That’s why we’ve partnered with Parklio Solutions, who offer the best quality parking barriers. Hrvatski Telekom will continue to work with Etrel to further expand our e-mobility services and bring even more new features to EV drivers.«

Want to have a complete control over your parking spaces? Contact our sales team.