SCOTLAND’S only private electric car charging network FOR:EV is the latest to go live on Zapmap’s cross-network payment solution, which provides a simple way to pay for EV charging across different operators in the UK.
FOR:EV, with its network of high-powered chargers across Scotland, is now fully up and running as one of Zapmap’s payment partners. Thanks to the charge point operator’s network of mostly high-powered charging devices often found at popular retail and leisure destinations, the new partnership makes paying for charging much easier for electric car drivers.
As Scotland’s only private charge point operator, FOR:EV owns, installs and operates user-friendly charging points in the UK. The operator works in partnership with a wide spectrum of businesses and organisations across multiple sectors, and is backed by the Scottish National Investment Bank, which is a shareholder and investor.
FOR:EV is rolling out a network of predominantly high-power charging points at retail outlets, supermarkets and other destinations across Scotland, and currently operates around 120 charging devices. In November, the company announced it had begun the rollout of rapid charging provision at branches of Starbucks from Perthshire to the Borders, while more recent announcements will see the operator opening new charging locations across Scotland at Sainsbury’s, Tesco and other retail outlets such as Toolstation.
Supermarkets are one of the most popular charging locations for EV drivers across the UK, as Zapmap’s latest EV charging survey demonstrates. Although motorway services and EV charging hubs displaced supermarket car parks as the most popular UK charging locations in 2023, supermarkets remain in the top three of the most regularly used location types. More than 35% of respondents indicated they regularly stop at supermarkets to charge, as they are part of a regular routine whereby drivers can tie charging into their weekly shop.
Consequently, as well as being able to search for charge points, plan longer journeys and share updates with other electric car drivers, Zapmap users can now pay quickly and easily for their charging on FOR:EV’s network of charge points, which are ideally placed for topping up the battery while at a variety of destinations.
The charge point operator joins live payment partners Osprey, ESB Energy, char.gy, GeniePoint, Mer, MFG EV Power, Fastned, Alfa Power, Connected Kerb, evyve, Charge My Street and Applegreen Electric in making payment easy for electric car drivers up and down the country.
Zapmap’s in-app payment solution Zap-Pay uses a credit or debit card to pay for charging, and was launched with a mission to include all the key charge point networks across the UK. The payment solution avoids the hassle of using different payment methods across all the various charge point operators, providing a simple way to pay for EV charging across networks from within the familiar Zapmap app.
Drivers using Zap-Pay are also able to view their charging history, receive live status updates while away from their vehicle, and download receipts to help keep track of their spending. To facilitate easy payment, they can also use both Apple Pay and Google Pay on all Zap-Pay enabled devices across the UK.
Hayley Thompson from Webuyanycar, who used Zap-Pay to complete a trip from Scotland to Cornwall to raise money for GOSH charity, said: “Zap-Pay has been brilliant. It’s been really user-friendly, and I’m not much of a tech wizard. To be able to look at where I need to go and filter for specific points such as Zap-Pay chargers or rapid chargers has been really good.”
With FOR:EV’s high-power charging network now live on Zap-Pay, today’s announcement represents a significant step forward for convenient and reliable charging for electric car drivers in Scotland.
More integrations and announcements around Zap-Pay are to follow over the coming weeks and months.
Matt Lloyd, Head of CPO Networks at Zapmap, said: “I’m thrilled to see FOR:EV coming online as a fully fledged payment partner, and I know many electric car drivers across Scotland will be too. With high-power charge points conveniently situated at supermarkets and various other retail and leisure locations, FOR:EV is a valuable addition to our payment network – not to mention a truly user-friendly operator for electric car drivers in Scotland.
“For any new electric car drivers not familiar with Zap-Pay, it’s a really easy way to pay for charging across networks from within the Zapmap app. Open the ‘Payment’ filter in Zapmap and select ‘Zap-Pay’ to see the charging locations of all our live payment partners.”
Denis Lyden, Commercial Manager at FOR:EV, said: “Adding our network to Zapmap and integrating with Zap-Pay is a really significant step forward for both the team here at FOR:EV and for electric car drivers across Scotland.
“Zapmap is an important partner for us, helping drivers to find our chargers as well as plan their routes around FOR:EV locations. This integration really pulls together all the parts and enables us to put our best foot forward by offering a fantastic customer experience for drivers, and a great e-mobility service to the public.”
