Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android Platform

May 23, 2017 | Contact media relations

More drivers than ever now have the ability to locate fueling stations offering alternative fuels on the go since the new Android version of the Alternative Fueling Station Locator App launched last week. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the new mobile application for DOE's Clean Cities program. Clean Cities supports local stakeholders across the country in an effort to promote the use of domestic fuels in transportation at the local, state, and national levels.

The latest version of the Alternative Fueling Station Locator App joins the original iPhone version. Both mobile versions of the Station Locator allow smartphone users to select an alternative fuel—including electricity, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol (E85), propane, and hydrogen—to find the 20 closest stations within a 30-mile radius. Users can view the locations on a map or as a list containing station addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation.

In making the app available on the Android platform, an estimated 107.7 million more U.S. smartphone users now have access to the convenience and reassurance the Station Locator offers. In 2015, the country boasted 82.5 million iPhone users.

"We are really excited about this release because the Android platform more than doubles the user base for the mobile Station Locator," said NREL's Trish Cozart, who manages the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC). "The app will allow this valuable data set to penetrate even further into the market, and continue to advance the use of alternative fuels."

The app draws information from Clean Cities' AFDC, which houses the most comprehensive, up-to-date database of alternative fueling stations in the United States. The database contains information for more than 23,300 alternative fueling stations throughout the country.

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Tags: Transportation