Parking and charging Cloud connections Electric vehicle charging has the power to build customer loyalty and brand differentiation, says Sara Sloman, chief strategy officer, Paythru n the fragmented world of parking and charging, digital platforms are the glue binding together different companies and users. Think of Uber. It does not provide a physical service; rather, it offers a cloud platform that connects drivers and passengers. Both share their data while the app handles the locating, communication and payment split. Similar platforms can handle the complex relationships between electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints, car parks and drivers. Moving the user experience into the cloud opens channels of communication and data sharing between operators, customers and third parties. In short, they are the rich repositories of data and customer feedback for operators and their consumer users. Digital platforms also allow chargepoint operators to easily build added-value services on top, such as loyalty programmes and personalised marketing. As charging becomes open and commoditised, these allow chargepoint schemes to create differentiated offers, attract users and retain customer loyalty. We are already seeing this in the world of retail, where supermarket chains are latching onto the opportunities to enhance the customer experience. I Benefit balance Indeed, much as supermarkets have attracted customers with loyalty schemes that deliver rewards and personalised offers, chargepoint providers can start to offer similar benefits via apps or schemes to which users sign up. For example, a provider could offer a discounted charge rate to loyal users or a free coffee when they charge their vehicle next to a partner 22