EV Connect, Flash and Qmerit have formed a partnership that will accelerate the expansion of electric vehicle charging solutions by uniting an integrated charging management platform by EV Connect; the scale of Flash’s North American digital infrastructure; and the installation, integration and maintenance services offered by Qmerit.
The companies are combining these services to provide a seamless charging and reservable parking experience for drivers while simplifying management for asset owners and operators.
Each partner will contribute their specialized technology and services: Flash’s cloud-based parking technology ecosystem with over 10,000 parking assets and digital demand network exceeding 100 million drivers via native partner integrations; EV Connect’s software platform and services for EV charging networks; and Qmerit’s expertise in electrification infrastructure, installation and maintenance services.
EV drivers using Flash’s network through one of its many native integrations will now be able to access chargers on the EV Connect network and vice versa. This allows users to reliably find, reserve, access and pay for charging when they park — all via a single platform and a single payment. The integration will likewise tie together the various aspects of charging and parking management by giving asset owners and operators one hassle-free platform supported by Qmerit’s installation and service options.
The rapid adoption of EVs in the United States — EV sales in 2023 were up more than 50% from 2024 — presents a problem: the expansion of the nationwide EV charging network must outpace demand or become a limiting factor for electrification.
Much of the focus on closing this gap is concerned with public, government-funded charging infrastructure, which must exceed a forecasted 1.2 million chargers by 2030 in order to support demand, per the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The same report calls for 28 million private chargers, including the commercial sector, which must evidently bear most of the EV charging burden. To reach those goals, the existing charger network will have to increase 20-fold.
“The transition to EV in this decade requires all-hands-on-deck, especially as the next generation of EV adopters make the switch, and we can’t rely on public charging infrastructure alone,” says Dan Sharplin, CEO of Flash. “Facilities with private parking, from retail and hospitality to events and community venues, are a key part of the solution and must be prepared to meet EV driver expectations.”
“Our state-of-the-art EV charging technology is a key component to driving this partnership forward, representing a significant leap with unmatched reliability, performance and uptime through our Network Operations Center and round-the-clock customer support,” says Daniel Bryant, vice president of Customer Operations for EV Connect.
“We’re excited to bring our top-tier implementation and maintenance services to this partnership, laying the foundation for a robust and efficient charging network,” adds Tracy Price, founder and CEO of Qmerit. “With a 26% increase in publicly available EV chargers and a 59% surge in EV sales in the first three quarters of 2023, as reported by J.D. Power, our partnership aims to expand reservable infrastructure, catering to the rising demand for combined parking and charging solutions.”
Over the next 12 months, a series of new agreements with major operators in the hospitality, events and mixed-use sectors will be announced, together with details about where and when the unified system of charging and parking will be made available. As a result, thousands of new ports likely will be installed in 2024.