MyRouteMonkey software is now live online and free to use, which the makers claim will banish range anxiety by optimising routes for electric cars.

New EV route planning software launched

The company behind the software, Route Monkey, which is part of the Trakm8 Group, says MyRouteMonkey is particularly useful when planning longer journeys, as it calculates the complete route and recharging schedule in a matter of seconds – far quicker than manually planning a route.

Livingston-based Route Monkey developed the dedicated EV journey planner software with the aid of Scottish Enterprise who provided a R&D grant of £285,451 towards the overall project cost of £749,931.

Michael Cannon, Head of Innovation Grants and Open Innovation at Scottish Enterprise said: “With the help of our R&D grant, we’re supporting this technology development to take place in Scotland and supporting Route Monkey to achieve its growth ambitions.”

The web-based software operates by a driver choosing their start point, destination and type of electric vehicle. From this data, MyRouteMonkey calculates the best route and provides instructions on when, where and how long recharging stops should take. The software also displays the cost of each charge point, the plug-types available, supplier network operator and power level possible.

A useful feature not previously seen on other EV routing software is the ability to define the charge limit for the EV, e.g. to 80%, in order to both preserve the battery and reduce time spent at a charge point.

Colin Ferguson, Managing Director of Trakm8 Group Fleet and Optimisation, said: “MyRouteMonkey builds on our award-winning work to help fleets make the switch to EVs. Thanks to the support of Scottish Enterprise, we are now exploring a range of global opportunities to commercialise this technology for fleets.”

The standard version of the software is available online: www.routemonkey.com and requires a free registration to begin planning a route.