Matt Teske’s Chargeway Helps EV Drivers Navigate the Charging Network
Great ideas are sometimes born from mistakes. Matt Teske, the founder and CEO at Chargeway®, once made an embarrassing mistake as an early EV adopter.
In 2013, Matt decided to drive his new Chevy Volt EV on a vacation trip with his wife. He called ahead to the hotel, asking if they offered EV charging. When they answered “yes,” Matt and his wife drove up to the hotel in their EV, expecting a restful stay and plugging in to recharge the EV. When they arrrived, Matt asked the hotel employees where the EV charger was. A maintenance guy directed Matt to an outdoor storage shed behind the hotel, flipped open the cover on an outdoor electrical plug on the side of the shed, and said, “there you go, buddy!”
Imagine Matt’s embarrassment when he didn’t think of bringing his home charger, not expecting to need it. Being stuck somewhere, unable to charge, is the fear called “range anxiety” that prevents many drivers who want to switch to EVs from making the switch.
Matt wanted to help fellow EV drivers make recharging away from home easy. He created Chargeway®, a software platform, mobile app and communication solution for the auto industry designed to improve the electric car customer experience with “electric fuel”. The Chargeway® app uses colors and numbers for available EV charging stations, so every driver can more easily find their plug type and desired power levels.
The EV charging network suffers from several problems. Government didn’t get involved and create standard plug types. Only now, in 2022, are efforts underway to make charging more standardized and organized. For gas powered drivers , refueling is as simple as remembering one word such as “regular” or “premium” whenever fuel is needed. For EV drivers, it’s not that simple. An EV driver may pull up to a charging station, to find that the plug type isn’t compatible with their EV.
Charging an electric car is now as easy as gas, more convenient, and cheaper too. With Chargeway® anyone can easily upgrade from gasoline to “electric fuel” giving them range confidence in any EV they choose. Until now, electric power utilities have focused on educating consumers about electric “cars”, but that is not what utilities are selling. Utilities are competing with fossil fuel companies, so their focus should be to brand and explain electric fuel.
Chargeway® creates a far more competitive solution for public utilities to educate consumers on the benefit of driving an electric car through a simple system for every type of charging option, allowing every utility company to support every automotive brand’s electric car line-up. Chargeway® simplifies informing consumers about electric fuel and how it can meet their transportation needs.
Your Plug Color
Chargeway® makes it easy to know which EV charging station you need to charge your electric car. Just like certain gas-powered cars run on “Regular” and others “Premium”, electric cars also use different types of plugs. Chargeway® colors show you which plug(s) your EV uses:
Green: J1772 / CCS Combo
Blue: CHAdeMO
Red: Tesla
Charging at Home
It’s simple: the higher the number, the faster you can charge. Chargeway® power levels make it easy to identify what kind of EV charging experience you will have at any charging station.
LEVEL 1: This is the basic charge level using a standard electrical outlet. Using the charger that comes with your electric car will allow you to add 40 miles of range overnight, perfect for the average daily commute.
LEVEL 2: This is the highest level of home charging. Adding this charger at your home allows you to plug in, go to bed and add 25 miles of range per hour, equivalent to over 250 miles of range overnight.
Chargeway® defines the simplicity of home charging, which is a new convenience to owning a car. Simply wake up, unplug and go.
Charging On-the-Go
LEVEL 2: Just like upgraded charging at home, use these charging stations at work or while shopping to always stay charged.
FAST CHARGING = LEVEL 3+
LEVEL 3: This is the first level of Fast Charging, adding around 200 miles of range in 3 hours.
LEVEL 4: The next level of Fast Charging can add around 200 miles in only 90 minutes.
LEVEL 5: Can provide long range electric cars 200 miles of range in about 45 minutes
LEVEL 6: Only takes around 30 minutes to provide up to 200 miles of range.
Chargeway® Beacon Simplifies Electric Car Sales for Auto Dealers
Consumers and auto dealers are very familiar with cars and how they operate. But auto dealerships have not had to explain to customers how to fuel a car in decades, so around the world EV charging has added an educational barrier to the sales process. When it comes to electric cars consumers need help understanding electricity as a fuel, so they can trust owning electric vehicles.
Auto dealers have relied on the fossil fuel industry for an easy experience with gasoline. Electric utilities are now the new fuel provider for electric vehicles, which changes the fueling conversation. Now more than ever auto dealers need support to explain “electric fuel” and how to use EV charging stations.
The Chargeway® Beacon™ offers a turnkey solution for utilities to explain their “electric fuel” and provide auto dealers an easy way to visualize EV charging stations for every brand of vehicle, improving the purchase experience for EVs and closing more sales.
Answering Key Driver Questions
The Chargeway® Beacon™ is the “electric fuel” sales tool that never rests. The 43″ touchscreen interface uses the same UI/UX as the Chargeway® mobile app providing auto dealers an interactive tool to show customers how any electric car can work for their driving needs.
The Beacon answers questions, “Where do I charge?” The Charging Station Map screen shows buyers the visual “safety net” of EV charging around the country. “How long does it take?” The Charging Timer helps consumers easily learn how power levels relate to time and their daily lives.
Sales and Support Features
The Chargeway® Beacon™ offers utilities a sales and marketing solution to partner with auto dealerships like never before. Tailored sales features provide utilities a branded footprint at the vehicle point-of-sale while also offering auto dealers quality selling points for electric cars.
Chargeway® Beacon™ Screens
The incentives screen provides a list of location specific benefits to purchasing an electric car. The fuel cost comparison screen shows buyers how much they can save driving on electric fuel. Auto dealers can easily connect EV buyers to local utility home charging programs and rebates.
For more information, visit Chargeway®.
