A new portable EV charger that allows drivers to charge their electric car anywhere has debuted at the COP26 summit.

The lightweight Go power bank is the size of a compact wheeled suitcase and provides up to 20 miles (32km) of range in a little over 30 minutes

Developed by ZipCharge to “democratise vehicle charging”, the lightweight Go power bank is the size of a compact wheeled suitcase and provides up to 20 miles (32km) of range in a little over 30 minutes.

It can be stored in a boot or at home and charged anywhere using a standard domestic plug. Using the retractable handle, users then wheel it to wherever they’ve parked their EV and plug it into the charging port.

Integrated 2G/4G connectivity enables users to remotely manage their Go charger via the ZipCharge mobile app to monitor the device and schedule charging events. Inbuilt Artificial Intelligence (AI) will enable the ZipCharge Go to learn users’ charging patterns and provide schedule recommendations to optimise charging at off peak times, saving money and reducing the load on the grid.

It’s also bi-directional and can be used to store cheap off-peak energy and feed it back into the grid at peak times, thanks to an integrated communications module that supports Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)-compliant smart charging.

The Go has been developed by ZipCharge co-founders Richie Sibal and Jonathan Carrier to provide the possibility of home charging to all, removing a common barrier to EV ownership. In the UK alone, some 8.5 million or 40% of car-owning households don’t have designated off-street parking.

Jonathan Carrier said: “In light of the Government’s recent Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener manifesto announcement, never before has the automotive industry had cause to innovate so rapidly to help us reach a low-carbon future. One of the key barriers to wider uptake of EVs is charging anxiety; the inability to charge near or at home. ZipCharge removes that hurdle and in doing so, will democratise EV ownership.”

It’s the first element of ZipCharge’s global portable EV charging platform, which combines hardware, software, machine learning and new ownership models. As with Peloton and other hardware pioneers, ZipCharge will operate on a hardware-as-a-service basis. Chargers will be available to purchase outright or on subscription from £49 (€57) a month. The target is for the Go to be offered at a price comparable to the fully installed cost of a level 2 home charge point, and significantly less than bi-directional home charge points currently on the market.

Basic software functionality will be available to everyone so they can plan and schedule charging, with the enhanced AI software functionality and insurance on subscription for a small monthly fee, said to be able to save the user on average £15-20 per month.

Development of the ZipCharge Go is currently being completed and the first models will arrive in customers in Q4 2022.