While nearly one in four new car sales in Europe is a plug-in EV, charging infrastructure still needs to catch up to demand, especially in rural areas. Meanwhile, villages off the beaten path could often do with a few more visitors and the money they spend.
Renault aims to solve both issues with Plug Inn, an app-based platform connecting French drivers with owners of private charging points. The app makes it easy for drivers to reserve and find a charger. For owners of residential chargers — estimated at over 475,000 — Plug Inn includes a financial dashboard that shows potential profits to be earned by providing juice to fellow EV-enthusiasts.
As Renault's Plug Inn campaign (developed by Publicis) points out, while travelers wait for their vehicle to recharge, they have time to spend money at local shops, cafes and restaurants, turning range anxiety into recharge tourism.
