Demonstrated at the Plug-In 2011 event in Raleigh, North Carolina, it will allow drivers to find their nearest charging point, reserve them in advance and view information including its power, connector type, availability and pricing. The service will also navigate using charging points en route.

Pat Romano, president and chief executive of Coulomb, said:  ‘This partnership announcement is a milestone for the EV industry. The successful adoption of electric vehicles will depend on the ability of EV drivers to easily locate charging stations and more importantly to ensure that the station is available, especially now when there are more EVs than stations in many locations.’

ChargePoint covers 14 countries, and provides EV owners with access to locations and availability of charging stations all over the world via its website and smartphone app.