AmpUp is leveraging Super SIM to give EV drivers and site hosts consistency with ultra-reliable connectivity.
A forward-thinking US infrastructure bill sets its sights on the advancement of electric transportation. Federal investments associated with the bill will crest $7.5B for EV charging infrastructure alone. The administration has committed to building out a reliable and user-friendly network of 500K additional EV chargers by 2030.
All data points to skyrocketing growth of the EV charging industry as the world pushes towards zero emissions.
While this looks great on paper, deploying EV chargers that work consistently is complex. EV drivers often dread the logistical nightmare of planning long road trips because chargers along the route aren’t always functional. AmpUp’s R&D teams found evidence of this when they put boots to the ground to test area chargers and found that many were inoperative. This discovery mirrors an early 2022 study in California that found more than 25% of publicly accessible EV charging stations were not operational – a frustration for the estimated 3 million EV drivers in the US.
AmpUp is a software company founded on the premise that the long-term societal benefits of electric transportation are worth working towards. It thrives on the belief that making EV charging a universal utility is necessary. The company is focused on ensuring functional EV charging is an easily accessible, widespread amenity in the US, and is doing so with a carefully designed, end-to-end cloud management software solution.
Its team of engineers designed AmpUp’s SaaS product to make charge station management easier for site hosts and fleet owners. Their accompanying driver-facing app allows EV drivers to find, charge, and pay for their charging sessions effortlessly.
AmpUp partners with 3rd party hardware manufacturers who load their charging stations with AmpUp software before shipping to site hosts. For hardware manufacturers like Legrand, Ledvance, and BreezEV, AmpUp is the perfect partner solution for a high-quality product with a fast time to market. AmpUp has done the legwork designing station management software so that the hardware is ready for deployment. It takes less than 60 seconds to activate an AmpUp-compatible charging station, so site hosts and property managers immediately have granular access controls, on-demand customer support, analytics, and reporting capabilities for simple OCPP compliance. Station managers even have the ability to set up automated, tiered pricing structures for different end users.
AmpUp’s developers recognized that for EV charging to be a ubiquitous amenity nationwide, it would need to be accessible even in remote areas. They would need to be proactive with a modern, dependable connectivity solution.
Finding the right SIM provider for every site host was an issue. Testing and swapping SIM cards to find just the right local carrier for every area could make deployments time-consuming, and delay time-to-value for site hosts and fleet operators. A multi-SIM solution would mean navigating multiple portals and billing accounts.
Choosing the wrong SIM solution would mean connectivity problems—leading to missed opportunities and stranded EV drivers. Disconnected charge stations would interfere with timely analytics and reporting. Connectivity problems would cost man-hours and ultimately revenue for site hosts.
Additionally, many on-site connection issues could only be determined by a master electrician with the proper equipment and training to test the cellular network signal strength. Service calls like these can range anywhere from $150 to $200 per hour. This expense could fall on the site host or even AmpUp, and service interruptions encumbered operational flow. AmpUp sought a communications partner whose API was flexible, developer-friendly, and whose SIM provided ultra-reliable connectivity options– regardless of where AmpUp-powered charging stations were being deployed.
KORE Super SIM proved to be the proactive solution AmpUp needed to ensure reliable connectivity for every charging station, regardless of location. AmpUp was able to order trial SIMs online with no need to talk to a sales representative. They could test run them for compatibility without spending a dime in subscription fees using Super SIM’s READY state feature.
“Instead of going back and forth to figure out which carriers we need and shipping them SIM cards, we just send Super SIM. It just works. ”
Li ZHANG | Chief Technology Officer, AmpUp
The installation process is easy, with no need to test and swap out SIM cards or navigate a complicated multi-SIM solution. AmpUp can guarantee maximum coverage to its customers, even in remote areas, with Super SIM’s automatic carrier switching. Any fleeting lapse in connectivity triggers the SIM’s network failover response, putting the charger back online within minutes, sometimes only seconds, with no manual intervention required.
AmpUp has been able to utilize Super SIM's straightforward API to build a series of alerts to indicate any connection anomalies that charge stations experience. This proactive, low-level visibility into connection issues decreases time spent troubleshooting for AmpUp, as well as the drivers and site hosts it serves. Additionally, AmpUp was able to leverage the API to embed network and SIM data in their console, making monitoring easier.
The partnership between AmpUp and Super SIM has made deployments and operational flow simpler, translating to time and money saved. Site hosts who utilize AmpUp get unwavering charger connectivity to meet government uptime reliability requirements, and maximize revenue.
Together, KORE and AmpUp are working to remove the barriers that hold back advancements in the electrification of transportation. The partnership has helped to enhance AmpUp’s brand image, keeping drivers and site hosts from associating AmpUp with connectivity problems. Being known for simple deployments, effortless charging, and reliability has led to word-of-mouth advertising from site host to site host– increasing revenue opportunities.
AmpUp can push OTA product updates to every charging station simultaneously, leaning into the concept that drivers should have a consistent charging experience no matter where they stop to power up.
The company is poised to extend into Canada easily, thanks to Super SIM’s extensive global network of top-tier carrier options.
With a SIM that can work in 185 countries on 400+ networks, AmpUp is providing simple charging solutions for EV drivers, end-to-end management solutions for site hosts, and sustainability in the transportation space.
“Super SIM has simplified our operational flow. It’s made deployments easier, and given us more visibility into troubleshooting connectivity issues. ”
LI ZHANG | Chief Technology, AmpUp