Renewable energy supplier Good Map has taken a 12.9% share in Zap-Map’s parent company, with an option to take a majority share within two years.

Good Energy said the Zap-Map chargepoint app was central to its localised power future

The business said the Zap-Map EV charge point app – which helps drivers navigate to more than 11,000 chargers across the UK – was central to its focus on localised power for the future.

Founded in 1999, Good Energy offers homes and businesses to not only buy renewable power but to also generate renewable power in their own homes; the firm says it’s the only UK energy company with more customers generating their own power versus buying it. As such, it recognises that EVs will play a crucial role in the new energy sharing economy, adding that “their increasing numbers will be a huge catalyst for that change, making power more tangible than ever before”.

The deal will be used to help fund and accelerate Zap-Map’s product development. As well as providing live mapping services for chargers to users, Bristol-based Zap-Map licenses its service to Nissan for use on its customer portal and partners with Go Ultra Low. It also offers its Smart Route Planner app for longer journeys, which is planned for integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and its Zap-Pay charging app that can be used to pay across multiple networks.

Zap-Map also offers access to the Zap-Home network of private charging locations owned by households and businesses who have chosen to share electricity with other Zap-Map registered drivers. Access times and charging costs are set by the owner – or supplier – of each charging point, with some choosing to offer electricity for free. Any payments can be securely made within the Zap-Map app.

Commenting on the deal, Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, said: “As Good Energy leads in genuinely renewable energy supply, Zap-Map has the UK’s largest EV online community. Together we will lead in the emerging energy sharing economy in which homes, businesses and EV owners will trade and exchange power using the local energy grids of the not-too-distant future.”