As reported by Portal Movilidad, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) is finalising the details of a platform for electric vehicle users to have at their disposal the location of public access charging points, in order to know their status, opening hours, availability and technical information.

Since the publication of Resolution No. 40223 of 2021, which establishes the minimum standardisation and market conditions for the implementation of charging infrastructure for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the task of making this tool available has been set.

In December, the first version was obtained and tested on a preliminary basis, where feedback was received from a number of stakeholders.

«It was very important for us to have feedback from some of the providers of the charging service, mainly to evaluate the functionality of the platform in terms of filling out and visualising the information», explains Lised Chaves, advisor to the MME’s Office of Regulatory and Business Affairs, to Portal Movilidad.

Last year, the Ministry, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), carried out a consultancy with an international expert to address all aspects related to interoperability, who evaluated the preliminary version of the platform and gave a favourable concept, as one of the first steps to achieve interoperability of the charging infrastructure in Colombia.

«In general it was well received, in good use. Some of the suggestions we are going to take and adjust as indicated. The intention is that in June we will be able to comply with the resolution and that it will be open to all cargo service providers,» he says.

Initially it will not be used for charging, but if the provider has a URL with prices and management of the shipper, it will be possible to attach it.

Today, the MME requires service providers to report the number of charging points installed. With this resolution and the implementation of the platform, the mechanism will change.

Charging service providers that meet the conditions of Resolution No. 40223 will be obliged to report the installation, among other requirements, in order to enable chargers.

This platform is part of the needs identified by the MME’s Office of Regulatory and Business Affairs to improve access to electric mobility.

«In the quest to boost electric mobility, we realise that this tool will be fundamental for users and will improve confidence in the technology. It can help in the decision to purchase an electric vehicle,» says Andrés Álvarez, advisor to the Office of Regulatory and Business Affairs.

It is worth mentioning that today users can use websites with charging point information but they do not reflect 100% of the state of the public access charging network in Colombia.

This development is also taking place in a context where Colombia is successfully meeting its EV uptake targets ahead of schedule. A total of 6,819 electric vehicles have been registered in the National Traffic Registry (Runt), against a target of 6,600 by August this year.