Cenex has been appointed to maintain and develop the National Chargepoint Registry (NCR) ' the official UK database of electric vehicle chargepoints ' by the UK government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

The upgrades to the NCR will ensure the information is accurate and will allow developers to build mapping and journey planning applications using the best available data.

The NCR (http://national-charge-point-registry.uk) currently holds data provided by chargepoint operators on chargepoints' location, compatibility and hours of operation.

Several mapping tools and apps already use the data to help EV drivers find suitable charging facilities on their route. These include: ecarNI which shows chargepoints in Northern Ireland; Greener Scotland which shows Scottish EV chargers; PlugSurfing, a service covering EV charging locations across Europe; Open Charge Map, which shows chargepoints both in the UK and globally; Mitsubishi Motors which allows users to find compatible points for its plug-in hybrids; The New Motion, a charge card and app-based service providing access to the largest network in Europe; and Zap-Map which provides comprehensive coverage of UK chargepoint locations with popular search and route planning features.

Adrian Vinsome, head of energy systems at Cenex, said, 'Providing a flexible, accurate database of the UK's chargepoints is critical to deliver the government's vision for EV uptake.

'In many ways, the NCR was ahead of its time but it needs better mechanisms to upload and download the data in real-time. This will be our initial focus, and this will ultimately improve the EV motorist's experience as better tools and apps are built on a solid, reliable and accurate foundation'