How has TomTom Mapped 2 Million EV Charging Points Globally?

In December 2024, TomTom quietly mapped its two millionth EV charging point. 

Nearly a year later, the company has chosen to spotlight the milestone, not because of the big number itself, but because the milestone represents a turning point from counting chargers to ensuring the right ones are mapped, validated and globally accessible.

A journey in charging confidence

In a long journey in a petrol or diesel car, a dropping fuel needle rarely causes panic, because drivers are reassured by roadside signs and the certainty that a service station is never far away. 

For EV drivers, the situation is reversed. Without visible cues, confidence depends entirely on in-vehicle navigation.

TomTom’s mission is simple: make EV charging as predictable as refuelling an internal combustion engine vehicle. 

“Our goal is to make every EV journey worry-free,” said Manuela Locarno Ajayi, SVP for Product Engineering, TomTom. 

“Mapping more than two million charging points demonstrates our ongoing support for automakers and partners as they expand EV services and shape the future of emission-free mobility.”

Achieving this demands more than raw data. 

It requires an accurate, timely and personalised map that accounts for compatibility, pricing, charging speeds and local operator differences.

Mapping for a global EV market

China is already a leader in EV production, but adoption is spreading rapidly in unexpected regions. 

In 2024, Nepal recorded that 76% of cars sold ran on batteries, while Sri Lanka, Djibouti and Ethiopia also ranked among the fastest-growing importers.

TomTom is building navigation coverage to match this expansion. 

Beyond North America and Europe, it is mapping infrastructure in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, where many global data aggregators fall short. 

To achieve this, TomTom supplements global aggregator feeds with local intelligence teams who validate data on the ground, ensuring drivers in emerging EV markets are not left behind.

“Our goal is to really cover every region as much as we possibly can. All EV customers deserve a good experience and a complete dataset enables that across the navigation system,” says Drew Meehan, TomTom’s Senior EV Product Manager.

“We have local intelligence teams that help us identify partners in places where we're not getting enough information from these aggregators. 

“Our strategy is not just to take what we can get, it's to go out and find the best way of making this happen, even if it means overcoming a few hurdles.” 

Quality check and blueprint navigation

Quantity alone is meaningless without trust. 

Of the 2.1 million charging points mapped, only those that pass TomTom’s stringent quality threshold appear on live maps. 

Points are cross-referenced, duplicates removed and, in some cases, verified in person by local teams.

Currently, another 220,000 charging points remain in pre-production, awaiting validation. This deliberate filtering avoids unreliable data that could erode driver trust. 

TomTom’s EV data sits within its Orbis Maps platform, enabling automakers to integrate their own exclusive datasets from charging point operators (CPOs). 

Standards such as the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) make it simple to combine public and private data layers while safeguarding contractual rights.

This model ensures that baseline coverage can be enriched with real-time availability data, creating a seamless user experience. 

The integration of AI now helps drivers cut through database complexity, offering personalised guidance that is beginning to exceed what internal combustion navigation can deliver.

TomTom’s two million charging points tell a story not of sheer numbers, but of a philosophy: that EV adoption will only accelerate if infrastructure is not just present but reliable, intuitive and global.

As adoption spreads to both traditional and emerging markets, quality mapping could prove the quiet but critical enabler of zero-emission mobility worldwide.