Polevolt - Electric vehicle charging web app implementation

New electric vehicle charging solution for existing infrastructure

Polevolt - new electric vehicle charging solution for existing infrastructure

Started in UNCC’s EPIC laboratory in Charlotte, North Carolina Polevolt combines the ubiquity of utility poles with the growing need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. the Polevolt system offers an all in one solution with level two charging without the need to bore and trench power cables using existing infrastructure to augment and provide charging where it is needed most.

UNC Charlotte students and faculty help develop universal EV charging solution - Inside UNC Charlotte

PoleVolt™, an electric vehicle charging station developed by UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center in partnership with Duke Energy, the city of Charlotte and the Centralina Regional Council was unveiled at the Ritz at Washington Heights park.

https://inside.charlotte.edu/news-features/2022-02-25/unc-charlotte-students-and-faculty-help-develop-universal-ev-charging/

The Problem - Infrastructure is prohibitively expensive

Building EV infrastructure is prohibitively expensive, with the high costs of boring and trenching acting as major barriers for EV infrastructure development. Polevolt was designed with cost-efficiency in mind, prioritizing a solution that minimizes these expenses to accelerate installation of EV charging stations and encourage broader EV adoption.

The Polevolt Solution - Interfacing with the hardware

In the sprit of reducing cost there was no need to add screens or complexities to the hardware device instead a simple QR code leads to a web app to interface with the system simplifying the user experience as the user could autofill information, pay with online payment and not bother having to download an app just to start their charge

The web app does a lot more than just start the users charge

The captive user engaging the charging hardware through the web app offered a unique opportunity to serve relevant content such as restaurants in the area as well as serving as a place for the user to check in routinely to see how their session progresses.