Monta aims to establish an open network of charging points

By Mauro Mereu

While electric vehicles – EVs – development is up and running, the same can’t be said for charging points-related technologies, which keep offering a start and stop experience. The frustration of not having a charging system technology that could live up to the standards of more and more demanding vehicles is what pushed Anders Pedersen and Casper Rasmussen in founding Monta. It is a start-up offering a platform intending to foster a new approach to the EV charging network. Monta’s software is able to manage and set up charging stations. Recharging points owners can then set them up for the use they’re intended for. Then they can provide charging free of charge or as a service.

In this episode of the start-up of the day series, Monta’s chief operational officer Max Scherer introduces the company and its mission.

What does Monta do?

“Monta is an electric vehicle charging platform that is looking to revolutionize EV charge point infrastructure across Europe. By providing an app for car owners and a management system for charge point owners, Monta connects drivers, site owners, and charge installers to supercharge electric vehicles and create an open, accessible network of charge point infrastructure.”

What features does your software offer?

“The Monta software allows any company, organization, and public entity with available sites and space to view, manage and set up charge points for employees, guests, and public EV drivers. Charge point owners can then manage users, power usage, pricing, access, and transactions through the Monta app. Through peer-to-peer charging, homeowners can share their chargers with a community of EV drivers. This can work as a source of additional income while helping save the planet. By connecting personal EV chargers to the Monta app, private charge point owners can do multiple things. They can view their charging history, manage access to the charge point, and set their own pricing and usage.” 

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How can a charging point be integrated into the system? 

“By simply registering the charge point – filling info such as the brand and the model – it can be connected to the Monta platform. We can be flexible with the brand of hardware a customer chooses through the integration method we use for linking up the charging station with the platform.”

What gap are you bridging? 

“On one hand, electric cars are full of incredible technology. On the other, charging was limited to the basic – start or stop. At the same time, lots of apps and services were being promoted to EV drivers. This created a fragmented and confusing experience for drivers. We aimed to combine these services into one simple platform so that drivers can get the most out of their EV experience.”

Is this gap constraining electric mobility’s development? 

“The EV market is currently shifting from early adopters to a more mainstream audience. While your early adopters might have been okay managing their charging data on a spreadsheet and subscribing to multiple apps and platforms – most mainstream consumers aren’t. If we want EV adoption to continue to grow and to encourage the decarbonization of transport, we have to make EV charging simpler while still providing all the cutting-edge tech that people want.”

What other problems are you facing?

“Furthermore, the EV market is still fairly young so consumer understanding can be tricky. A big challenge we face is educating our users about their EV while also explaining our product and service. We know that to help the growth of EV adoption, we also have to help dispel the myths around EV ownership and help people transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles.”

Be sure to read other instalments in this series.

Each day, Innovation Origins puts a start-up in the spotlight. Read them all here.