EV Charger Maps

[vfx]

This one is new but seems to be on the way to what we are talking about: http://www.recargo.com/

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I got the skinny from someone there and liked what I heard and went ahead and registered. Here is some of what I learned.

Recargo is more wiki like. Charging sites can be added or modified (including adding photos) by registered users. Each site has a change history so anyone can see what happened and when (and administrators can "rewind" if necessary).

Users need to accept terms of use when registering to give the site legal protection against vandals and lawbreakers. They have the technology to accept massive updates in realtime from authorized sources over the Web - for example, from charger networks that also have Web APIs. The can integrate with other websites like Facebook, twitter, RSS readers, etc. and they are ready to scale up as the community grows. You will be able to search types of chargers and eliminate not working ones.

I see an Iphone app in the future.

 

[TEG]

Remember this?:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/4147-Looking-for-help-finding-EV-charging-sites

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/member.php/3271-DanO#vmessage529

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

This one is new but seems to be on the way to what we are talking about: http://www.recargo.com/

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I got the skinny from someone there and liked what I heard and went ahead and registered.

My only issue with Recargo is that it's yet another proprietary, closed, database. Here is what their website has to say;

"Does Recargo have an API or an XML feed? Can I use your data on my website or App?"

"Well … probably yes, it depends on the project. If you have an interest in building an interface to Recargo, or using our data in some way, we would love to hear about it. We are always looking to spread the EV gospel. Please contact us and we will work something out." (http://www.recargo.com/help/topic/13)

Personally, I think we should be putting our efforts into an open database that is free of commercial control. Then we can encourage developers like Recargo to concentrate their efforts on apps and websites that offer differentiation, not on the basic site data that is consistent between apps. An open database could quickly grow to be an authoritative resource for us all.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Remember this?:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/4147-Looking-for-help-finding-EV-charging-sites

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/member.php/3271-DanO#vmessage529

Yes, thanks...

I think one of the issues here is who 'owns' the data once it's submitted to sites like Recargo or EV Charger News. From my discussions it's pretty clear that once the site has acquired the data then they have little interest in sharing it with other developers. For me that's an issue because I want to ensure the location data is accurate and available to all.

 

[SByer]

+1 on the open database. I hate putting information somewhere where I can't get it easily back from. Information wants to be anthropomorphized. And it wants to be free.

 

[vfx]

... or using our data in some way, we would love to hear about it. ...

They are using EV charger map info. There are many dead sites listed from it.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

They are using EV charger map info. There are many dead sites listed from it.

Yeh, Tom Dowling made me aware that he'd been cooperating with Recargo. I think the fact that EV Charger News has stale data before the real onslaught has begun is a clear indication that the work load is significant and growing. IMO, a large scale community effort is required if we wish to keep the data open and accessible in the future.

 

[vfx]

IMO, a large scale community effort is required if we wish to keep the data open and accessible in the future.

I totally agree and at the same time i would like a better setup than Tom has now (with much gratitude for EV Charger maps to date) and if that means a commercial site that is complete and accurate with Iphone apps and be included in car GPS systems then I would encourage that as well.

Are there any instances where Wiki pages have put commercial for profit sites out of business?

 

[TEG]

Someday the whole thing needs to be automated. Everytime you charge it uploads the location (via GPS coordinates uploaded via 3G or Cell) and charge rate to the database. Then it could show the last time someone successfully charged there. New locations would get added automatically. Some provision to mark an address as "private residence" so it doesn't show up too. If no one has used a charge location in a long time (e.g.: 1 year+) then it could drop off the database (and go to some other "someone please investigate what happened to this charge spot" database.) All the new generations of EVs probably have the capabilities to do this, but I bet the manufacturers are keeping that data private for now.

 

[vfx]

They will never all come up automatically. We are always "finding" new chargers put in by business owners and municipalities. The makers should (and maybe they do) tell the charger purchase to upload info on EV Chargermaps (or whatever) when the sell the units but I'm sure the purchasing dept. is not talking to the installation dept who is not talking to the front office, etc.

 

[seventyseven]

Hey all, great discussion. I'm founder of Recargo and I would like to give you our position on data sharing and my personal perspective on the various efforts to map charging stations.

Recargo is committed to sharing basic charger location data such as address and charging capabilities. We haven't selected the license for data sharing nor have we released our API to developers yet; I expect that to happen no later than first quarter of 2011. I'm happy to get feedback from everyone here on what path we should take to better serve the community. I don't think we need to agree on data formats right now, what's more important is the pledge to share. In fact...

I'm calling for government agencies, charging network providers, parking services, manufacturers and other stakeholders to share basic charger location data as part of a successful EV infrastructure rollout. Sometimes just knowing that a charger is there is enough to sway car buying decisions, and the more outlets for information the better we can address range anxiety and other concerns.

I applaud your efforts to create an open source database of chargers. You may want to think about joining a larger project, such as OpenStreetMap.org, to take advantage of their resources and "installed" base of users.

Brian

BTW Google Maps can be used to find EV chargers already and my guess is they are going to improve for this purpose over time.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Recargo is committed to sharing basic charger location data such as address and charging capabilities. We haven't selected the license for data sharing nor have we released our API to developers yet; I expect that to happen no later than first quarter of 2011. I'm happy to get feedback from everyone here on what path we should take to better serve the community. I don't think we need to agree on data formats right now, what's more important is the pledge to share. In fact...

If you are serious about sharing the data then please add a GPL or similar license and host it on a server that is outside of your control. I have no issue with you making money from your website and apps using the data. However, I want to ensure that the data remains open so that it's always available even if you take a nose dive. IMO neither the community nor charge site developers will contribute data to a closed system once an open system is up and running....

PLEASE support the community and get involved with the Open Charge Map project. Help us define a database that's going to enable the transition of the EV to the mainstream. In return you will receive considerable community support and active promotion from charge point projects such as ours.

I applaud your efforts to create an open source database of chargers. You may want to think about joining a larger project, such as OpenStreetMap.org, to take advantage of their resources and "installed" base of users.

I'm completely open to collaboration with other mapping sites and we are exploring a number of projects including OpenStreetMap. I do not wish to reinvent the wheel but also feel it's important that the basic data remains available for all to use.

 

[doug]

Someday the whole thing needs to be automated.

This is part of the reason I like Coulomb's solution. All their stations come with a low cost GPRS (or similar) cellular data connection and a-GPS. A soon as it's connected it communicates with their system giving its status and location. Does anyone know if Coulomb releases this data to the public and/or provides APIs for developers?

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Does anyone know if Coulomb releases this data to the public and/or provides APIs for developers?

I reached out to Coulomb but never received a response.... my guess is that it's another proprietary and closed system.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

I think we are gaining some real traction with the OpenChargeMap project. While we still have some final decisions to make, it's likely that we will host a MySQL database on sourceforge with all data freely available under a PDDL license;

www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/pddl/1-0

The database will include a web front end for data entry, and a tool for exporting data in multiple formats including XML. The data entry will be moderated to ensure that it is always of a high quality.

We expect the data to be used immediately by a number of the existing charger apps, and GIS projects including OpenStreetMap and MapQuest.

We are hosting a get together in London in early November. Please let me know if you would like to attend.

We are also looking for contributors worldwide.... please contact me directly or add your comments to the sourceforge project site if you'd like to help;

http://openchargemap.sourceforge.net

If you want to stop the madness that is the dozens of proprietary and closed charge site databases, then now's the time to get involved.

 

[vfx]

...
If you want to stop the madness that is the dozens of proprietary and closed charge site databases, then now's the time to get involved.

http://www.socalev.org/index.htm

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

http://www.socalev.org/index.htm

Many thanks... I'll contact them and see if we can get them involved in the OpenChargeMap project.

 

[vfx]

Many thanks... I'll contact them and see if we can get them involved in the OpenChargeMap project.

So the question is, how many more of these regional programs are going on worldwide?

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

So the question is, how many more of these regional programs are going on worldwide?

I guess a lot... I've seen two new ones this week. Maybe once they become aware of OpenChargeMap they'll consider contributing to the project rather than building yet another database...

 

[TEG]

http://www.electriccarsite.co.uk/electric-car-charging-points