Time is the most valuable commodity of all. It’s this principle that inspired CAFU’s mission — “find a better way to do things.” Since 2018, the company has provided on-demand fuel and delivery services for a host of customers in the United Arab Emirates. This year, CAFU brought its new mobile EV charging solution to Canada. As the first service of its kind, CAFU simplifies the charging experience for drivers with on-demand electricity, delivered in just minutes.
Through the organization’s expansion to Canada, CAFU realized the importance of understanding and addressing the distinct needs and unique dynamics of each market segment. In order to ensure the product was relevant, beneficial, and tailored to the communities it served, CAFU looked for an API solution that could localize the app’s product offerings and delivery results.
Range anxiety, or the worry that EVs will run out of charge before their intended destination plagues both owners and would-be customers alike. To increase EV adoption and electricity accessibility for those without home chargers, CAFU complements public charging networks with on-demand EV charging in residential neighborhoods, public parking lots, and community events.
EV charging that comes to you
As Canada’s first mobile EV charging station, CAFU brings simple, reliable service to the masses directly through its mobile app. Customers can order a CAFU vehicle to meet them at a location of their choosing, streamlining the stressful process of locating and ensuring the availability of public charging stations. By eliminating wait times and dispensing on-demand, high-speed charge, the company aims to reduce range anxiety and empower greater convenience for its users.
Once connected to the mobile app, customers will also receive real-time status updates, and reminder notifications for low battery — even when the app is not in active use. This action then prompts customers to schedule charging when most applicable. In this “set it and forget it” manner, CAFU users save time, and can instead focus on where their vehicles can take them next, instead of where they’ll find their next charge.
We chose Smartcar because of its strong presence in North America, the right amount of engineering capabilities and support, and its reliability and experience as a trusted solution.
— Aadam Zaidi, Principal Product Manager at CAFU
Bridging the individual market gap
After recognizing that all of the vehicles CAFU intended to serve were IoT-enabled, the search began for an API solution that provides comprehensive location and charging data, while also improving the customer experience. To better prioritize orders, CAFU needed a hardware-free way to get an EV’s approximate location and required charge. While the app asked for this information from customers manually, the company felt that this process was too time-consuming, and ultimately turned users away from booking.
Using Smartcar allowed CAFU to streamline the mobile app’s experience in both registering new vehicles and enabling bookings. Broaching new, international markets is no easy feat. Through Smartcar, CAFU gained a stronger understanding of its customers’ charging behaviors, their willingness to connect to the CAFU platform, and the technical nuances of different makes and models. This detailed vehicle information ultimately facilitated better customer interactions with faster service and appropriate amounts of energy to fulfill each order.
Launching our offering with Smartcar grants us the ability to serve our customers more efficiently, and learn how we can better tailor our offerings to the market.
— Jean-François Lapierre, Senior Vice President International & Head of Special Projects at CAFU
Expanding charging accessibility worldwide
The Canadian and UAE markets represent just the beginning of where CAFU’s on-demand EV charging services will go. Currently, CAFU is also developing a licensing model that allows the company to provide authorization to operators interested in bringing this service to other cities and countries — with CAFU providing both the specialized vehicles and the technology. These licenses further accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and address long-held consumer confidence concerns surrounding EVs and general range anxiety. CAFU’s efforts will ideally help governments achieve EV adoption targets as well, with Smartcar helping improve access every step of the way. Visit the Google Play or iOS App Store to download CAFU and learn more.
