CES 2021: Here to aid EV navigation

EV drivers have to consider 'something completely different' from those in ICE vehicles
Classification & Data Collection / January 13, 2021
By Ben Spencer
 113923790 © Xdew77 | Dreamstime.com
Here: EVs will come with 'more flexible models of mobility' (© Xdew77 | Dreamstime.com)

Here Technologies is positioned to capture specific information that electric vehicle (EV) drivers require for navigation, according to vice president of sales Knuth Sexauer.

This was one of the key themes covered at an online session during CES 2021 this week. 

Sexauer said: “That's what we did for three decades, gathering information from 80,000 different sources into one database."

"So all the charger types and precise position of EV charging point, all that is there.”

He emphasised that EV drivers calculating a route have to consider “something completely different” than those driving an internal combustion engine (ICE).

“If you have reduced range, you need to have potentially more stops and a different route, and then comes the range anxiety,” he continued.

“At Here, we are adding topology, because depending on the topology, the consumption is different - plus weather, plus traffic - to be as precise as we can in the range calculation.”

During a session called Transform anxiety to delight for EV drivers, Sexauer pointed to some trends the industry should keep an eye on 2021.

“You will see more flexible models of mobility: having a car for a weekend or a couple of months," he said.

"There are OEMs today already who are using this as a differentiator element in their marketing and positioning."

He said that EVs and drivers are also increasingly connected.

“So that's basically a channel which can be used also as a distribution channel to provide additional services and some of the OEMs are using that already for features on demand - so why not for having power over the weekend, if you're driving alone or doing a long tour,” he added. 

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