Ochlos Holdings Pte Ltd has launched PokeSpace, a Google Maps-like platform created for electric vehicle (EV) drivers to search for available parking spaces and EV charging stations in real time.
The platform aims to alleviate the frustrations of landlords, drivers, and carpark operators as it aids in the space management of parking lots and EV chargers, as well as time management of drivers looking to secure one.
“You don’t want to spend 10 to 15 minutes in the building trying to look for a car park. Every time you spend time looking for a [spot] to park, that will likely mean that you are likely to be late for a meeting that doesn’t set up a good atmosphere or mood to enter into a meeting,” said Curve Khong, CEO of PokeSpace, in an interview with Singapore Business Review.
How can drivers use the app to secure a parking lot?
Most parking lots in Singapore are equipped with beacons to guide drivers. These beacons flash red or green, to indicate their availability to the drivers.
Despite this feature, Curve pointed out that drivers still tend to get lost, especially at parking spaces with two lanes.
Aiming to solve this pain point, PokeSpace enables users to reserve a parking space or charging stations beforehand, and will update users of the space before their arrival.
Once they enter the car park and launch its app, a pop-up map will appear, guiding you to the car park space that you have reserved.
In the event where a user is not able to book a parking space, the app also offers a satellite view of the whole car park.
In addition, the app has a convenient feature that guides users back to their cars once they are ready to leave the area.
“That’s how our navigation works. It is very close to what a global positioning system [GPS] would do in your Google Maps when you drive but this is all indoor,” said Curve.
While the features of this app eases the processes of finding and securing parking spots and EV charging stations, the success of the app is still riddled with obstacles.
The developers of PokeSpace said that landlords are still hesitant to include their parking lots in the app due to privacy concerns.
These landlords are also barring hourly parking, as some of their tenants have purchased seasonal parking which allow them to park their vehicles at a specific space regularly at a fixed rate.
According to PokeSpace, 75 per cent of a car park’s space is usually occupied by tenants with seasonal parking. Hence, the platform can only utilise 25 per cent of a parking space to allow users to book a space for hourly parking.
Currently, PokeSpace is in the process of updating their system by enforcing solutions for seasonal parking and traditional car park users.
Exploring partnerships and expanding overseas
PokeSpace is currently exploring partnerships with the government and commercial centres to provide their landscape information on its app.
By partnering commercial centers, PokeSpace will be able to engage customers of shops housed within a commercial center and provide better experiences to them, said Vas Jagarnath, CMO of PokeSpace.
Meanwhile, by engaging and partnering with the government, PokeSpace aims to collate data and provide more information to its users, such as the parking landscape of a HDB building.
In the next five years, PokeSpace is looking to manage over 300,000 parking lots for its users to book through the platform. The team also has plans to expand the usage of its app in other markets.
“We have inquiries from overseas partners who also operate in the same field, especially since they are very similar to Singapore. They are all housing in other high-density cities where time is most important to everyone,” said Curve.
Featured Image Credit: PokeSpace