EVwire brief: Tap Electric has raised €4 million ($4.58 million) to take aim at one of EV charging's nagging problems: public charging that keeps getting more expensive than charging at home.
The Amsterdam startup's round was led by No Such Ventures, with existing investors Shamrock Ventures, Fair Capital Impact Fund and LUMO Labs taking part. Tap will put the money toward expanding its charging-management platform across the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and Ireland, and into its driver app.
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Drawing on hundreds of thousands of charging sessions in the Netherlands, Tap Electric says a public AC charger now costs €0.47 per kWh on average, against €0.26 per kWh for household electricity, both including VAT. That puts public charging 77% above the home rate, up from a 68% gap a year ago.
For drivers without a home charger, Tap reckons that adds up to roughly €500 in extra cost a year. The squeeze is sharpest lower down the speed range: DC fast-charging prices rose 6% over the past year while AC prices held steady, widening the gap between public AC and fast charging from 18% to 26%.
Tap Electric counts nearly 100,000 monthly users.
Context:
Tap has posted triple-digit annual revenue growth two years running and now counts close to 100,000 monthly users. Beyond payments, its platform spans Tap Radar, which flags fraud in shared-mobility fleets; Price Intel, which shows charging costs before a session starts; and Power Intel, which nudges drivers toward grid-friendly charging times. The company was founded in 2021 by Nico Spoelstra and Dan Pezim.
With the new capital, Tap plans to push further into energy, with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) projects, smart home charging, open smart charging for public infrastructure, and features that automatically steer drivers toward cheaper, grid-friendlier sessions.
Source: Tap Electric
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