Driving electric can be a pleasure, but charging often feels like a pain. Public facilities can be hard to find, prices swing wildly, and hidden fees add up. Incompatible systems and long waits only deepen the frustration, leaving drivers anxious about where to charge — and what it will cost.

A Dutch startup called Tap Electric has ambitious plans to solve these problems. Founded in 2020, the company has built a platform to make charging transparent, accessible, and affordable. For drivers, the platform provides clearer choices, cheaper options, and tools to manage their charging sessions. For EV station owners, installers, and operators, it offers free management software that simplifies operations.

The strategy proved a big hit at TNW Conference. Tap Electric won the event’s pitch battle, impressing the judging panel of investors, industry leaders, and media insiders with a compelling vision for the future of EV charging. After scooping the grand prize, Nico Spoelstra, the startup’s co-founder and CEO, shared his mission for the business:

“If we want to speed up adoption, we have to make driving, renting, or owning an EV extremely affordable compared to other options,” he said.

The search for cheaper charging

Tap supports drivers in three key ways. First, it helps them find the cheapest charging stations. 

Through the Tap app, users can locate chargers, compare pricing, and understand their upfront costs. The app shows all public chargers with pricing directly on the map. Subscribers can also see the cheapest prices and choose to charge via the app or EV charge card across the startup’s public charger network. 

The system aims to cut through the complexity of finding the best deal. With different pricing models, varying network structures, and the growing popularity of dynamic pricing, the cost of charging a vehicle is increasingly unclear.  “In response, we use the driver’s charging behaviour to predict the price of their next charge on any charger, so that they can still compare the cost of different chargers,” Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra has experienced the benefits personally. “When I drove to France last year, I didn’t plan my route; I picked the next fast charger before leaving the previous one and then just drove to it.”

Optimising every session

The second strand of Tap’s plan is optimising charging. Using AI algorithms, the startup predicts the best times and places to plug in, giving drivers more for their money, with costs calculated in real-time during a session.

Within the app, a suite of tools turns scattered data into actionable guidance. Price Intel deciphers a single charger’s tariff, including idle fees and time-based pricing. Map Intel takes a broader view, analysing the entire Dutch public network to spot the cheapest operators — and the most expensive. Tap Insights lets drivers review the networks they’ve used in the past, see the impact on their charging costs, and then receive recommendations for cheaper alternatives nearby.

“We work with Dutch public charging operators to take this one step further and do this in the public domain, on the street,” Spoelstra said. “Helping people without their own driveway monetise their car’s flexibility to get a cheaper charge is vital for EV adoption.”

A third focus is simplifying the software behind charging. While many platforms grew bloated and confusing, Tap automated processes from the start. The streamlined approach keeps operations lean.

 “We give that advantage back to our customers by making our software free to use for managing chargers and providing the cheapest charge card in the Netherlands,” Spoelstra said.

Beyond the driver

Spoelstra is upbeat about the progress of EV charging, but still sees further challenges ahead. Chief among them are grid constraints and high energy prices. 

To ease the strain, Tap works with networks and grid operators to lower peak loads. That enables more chargers to run on the same cables, reducing the need for costly infrastructure upgrades.

The company also offers bi-directional charging, which allows energy to flow both to the grid and back into it. As a result, car batteries become valuable grid assets. “The more we help drivers monetise the flexibility of a battery, the more we can help lower energy costs,” Spoelstra said. 

Looking ahead

Spoelstra takes great encouragement from the rapid rollout of hyper-fast charging stations from companies such as Fastned and Tesla. He positions Tap as a powerful addition to the landscape, guiding drivers to the nearest fast charger for their needs.

He’s now setting his sights on another target: deeper integration with energy infrastructure. 

“Insights into price and power are vital, but the real difference is made with our charge control algorithms that establish symbiosis between cars, the grid, and energy markets. You’ll see us make some big moves there in the coming months.”

If those moves pay off, even charging electric could go from a pain to a pleasure.