One of the challenges facing electric car drivers is the issue of payment at public charging stations. Only a few of them allow payment by credit card, and the rest require the driver to download and register separately with each charging company's application.
Now, for the first time, a large charging company will allow payment through an external application that is already on the smartphones of many Israelis.
Sonol EVI will also allow payment through the Pango parking application. Sonol EVI already has over 1,500 slow and fast charging stations across the country. Payment will also be possible at the company's urban stations, established in cooperation with local authorities, such as in Jerusalem.
Pango users will be able to find a nearby Sonol EVI charging station on an interactive map that centralizes public charging stations in Israel, and also provides up-to-date and useful information, such as real-time availability, charging speed, and connector types.
The year 2023 was a particularly good year for the electric car market, with close to 45,000 electric vehicles delivered - a share of 17.7% of total deliveries in that year, an increase of about 80% compared to 2022. This trend continued in the first quarter of 2024 with around 22,000 new electric vehicles, a market share of 25%.
Accordingly, only in the past year, SONOL EVI installed over 300 new public charging stations in a variety of new locations, including over 60 fast and ultra-fast charging stations at Sonol fuel stations and additional strategic locations. Now, its charging chain counts over 1,000 public stations in hundreds of different locations.