Case Study | CTEK and Flowbird develop integrated EV charging and parking payment solution
In the French town of Briançon, drivers can now plug into a CTEK CHARGESTORM CONNECTED 2 EV charger and, through the Flowbird app, pay for their EV charging and on-street parking at the same time.
French based Flowbird, a global market leader in the provision of smart mobility, parking and EV charging solutions, has been working closely with CTEK to develop a brand-new solution − EV charging points that allow drivers to pay for their parking and EV charging at the same time, through a single app.
Flowbird first trialled the concept of integrated EV charging and parking payment at the Intertraffic exhibition in Amsterdam in March 2022 and, encouraged by an overwhelmingly positive response, has been working with CTEK to bring the concept to market.
The service was operational on 15 September 2022 in the Southern French town Briançon, first customer for this new solution.
The Mayor of Briançon is always looking at ways to improve the lives of the 11,000 citizens in town by enabling them to live a cleaner, greener life. Electric vehicles are central to the development of sustainable transport and having a single operator for both parking payment and EV charging makes life so much easier for EV drivers living in and visiting Briançon.
With Briançon being located in the heart of the French Alps at an altitude of 1,326 metres (4,350 feet), both Flowbird and Mr Murgia were keen to work with CTEK, as our chargers, built to withstand the rigours of a Swedish winter, can operate at temperatures as low as −30C and at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres.
Flowbird has now installed 14 CTEK CHARGESTORM CONNECTED 2 (CC2) in seven different on-street parking locations in Briançon.
Each installation comprises two dual socket CC2 units, mounted back-to-back on a central pole. In accordance with French regulations, each set of chargers has two Type 2 T2S sockets with shutters, and one Type E Shuko outlet, with the fourth socket currently blanked off. Each of the T2S sockets can deliver up to 22 kW, while the Type E Shuko can power a portable charger (up to 2.2 kW). The units are enclosed in a specially designed Flowbird casing with their distinctive livery.
Drivers plug into the chargers, which have Flowbird software installed, then access the Flowbird App to pay for their EV charging and parking, all in one go.
The charging network is also linked to CTEK’s cloud-based CHARGE PORTAL, which allows the Municipality of Briançon to manage and maintain their chargers remotely, identify and quickly fix any problems without needing to be on site, and produce sophisticated usage reports to optimise the charging network, calculate emission savings, and for use in accounting, management and sustainability reports.
Jean-François Esnault, Managing Director of Smart City France said: “Flowbird is constantly innovating and breaking new ground to add value for their customers, help provide solutions that improve individual journey experiences and make our communities better.”
“As EVs move from early adopters to the mainstream, people need simple ways to both park and charge, and the option to pay in whichever ways suits them. This solution we have developed with CTEK is a truly innovative, new development in parking and charging.”
“CTEK have supported us right along the way. Their technical experts flew out to the Flowbird factory in France to train the team and they also provided on-site support to make sure the installation went smoothly. Together with the outstanding after sales and technical support we are receiving from CTEK, we really couldn’t ask for more.”
Flowbird is currently providing 4,350 cities in 80 countries worldwide with the tools to make mobility in urban areas simple, multimodal and environmentally friendly. You can find out more about Flowbird here.