Energy firm takes major stake in app business

Renewable energy provider Good Energy has taken a 12.9 percent stake in the company behind Zap-Map – an app that connects Britain’s 200,000 electric vehicle drivers with charging points.

The app’s 70,000 regular monthly users can plan travel routes via 11,000 charging devices — from service stations to car parks and retail sites, and even to private driveways.

The Chippenham-based firm says the app is central to Good Energy’s localised power future. The investment, says Good Energy, reflects the fast-changing way in which people live with energy with an increasing number of households and businesses now generating, storing and sharing power, rather than simply consuming it.

Good Energy is the only energy company with more customers generating power than consuming it.

Juliet Davenport, CEO and founder of Good Energy, said: “The way we view energy is changing. Environmental challenge and digital opportunity are converging; intelligent power sharing is replacing conventional power supply. Localised generation, localised storage and localised sharing too.

“EVs bring power to life, and the rapid rise of incredibly useful apps like Zap-Map make the management of that power so much simpler – at home, at work, or on the go.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Bristol-based Zap-Map with Ben Lane, said: “Juliet and Good Energy share the understanding that the growth of EVs requires an entirely new mindset: a localised point-by-point power network and the ability to easily share or pay for electricity on a charge-by-charge basis.

“As Good Energy leads in genuinely renewable energy supply, Zap-Map has the UK’s largest EV online community. Together we will can lead in the emerging energy sharing economy in which homes, businesses and EV owners will trade and exchange power using the local energy grids of the not-too-distant future.”

Latest: Good Energy invests further £1.7 million in Zapmap