Zap-Map, the Bristol-based electric vehicle mapping service, has strengthened its senior leadership team by appointing an interim CEO and commercial director as it charts further rapid growth.
Richard Bourne, pictured, joins the firm, majority owned by renewable energy group Good Energy, in the interim CEO role and work alongside its board to develop the long-term strategic plan, positioning the business for scale and potential fundraising. 
Chippenham-based Good Energy described Richard as a dynamic start-up to scale-up business leader who has operated across a broad range of industries.
He has a track record of developing and executing sophisticated and disruptive go-to-market strategies to deliver high revenue growth and value creation in venture capital and private equity-backed companies, including Ubiquisys, the Swindon-based mobile phone network firm bought by US giant Cisco for £206m in 2013.
Alex Earl has joined as commercial director and will be focused on driving continued growth of new revenues and services to Zap-Map’s chosen markets and working in collaboration with the founders and board to embed commercial strategy, delivery and target success.
Alex, pictured, has more than 20 years’ experience in a range of commercial roles, with the past 10 years in electric mobility, most recently setting up Dutch electricity supplier Alfen’s business in the UK as country manager. He previously helped launch New Motion, the Shell-owned electric vehicle (EV) charging firm, as its head of product and energy.
Good Energy snapped up a 12.9% share in Zap-Map’s parent company Next Green Car two years ago for just over £1m, taking its stake to 50.1% last June.
At the time, Zap-Map – which was founded in 2014 by Ben Lane and Melanie Shufflebotham with a mission to accelerate the shift to EVs and help the drive towards zero carbon mobility – had 70,000 monthly subscribers who used it to plan routes, locate charge points and check their availability.
Good Energy, which has a special tariff for EV drivers, said the partnership would also give it access to an “engaged EV community” at the start of a rapid growth phase, broadening its market potential.
Today Zap-Map is the UK’s leading EV mapping service with more than 120,000 cross-platform users a month from a rapidly growing fleet of around 200,000 pure-EVs – its core user group – and 230,000 plug-in hybrids.
Good Energy CEO and founder Juliet Davenport, who chairs the Zap-Map board, said: “Richard and Alex join at a crucial inflection point for the decarbonisation of transport. Their experience will help Zap-Map take the next leap in its exciting growth story and reinforce itself as a leading player in the EV market in the UK and beyond.”
Richard Bourne added: “I’m delighted to join the Zap-Map team and have the opportunity to accelerate the go-to-market strategy in one of the most exciting companies in the UK.
“As a key enabler in the EV ecosystem helping all EV drivers to seamlessly search for charge points, plan their journeys and easily pay will be a crucial step in the mass adoption of electric vehicles.”
Zap-Map’s board also includes Good Energy non-executive directors Tim Jones and Charlie Parry and founders Ben Lane (CTO) and Melanie Shufflebotham (COO).
