Blu Dot Technologies lay the foundations for AI-driven EV route planning
Blu Dot Technologies delivers cloud-based solutions for the fuel retail sector, including mobile payments, loyalty, and forecourt services. The company is now expanding into the EV ecosystem, developing intelligent, user-centric routing and reservation solutions that integrate predictive insights for charging station availability.
The Challenge
Blu Dot set out to build a mobile EV route planner with real-time charger reservation and availability predictions. Challenges included fragmented and incomplete data from multiple charging operators, external factors like weather and traffic, and the need to forecast charger availability to reduce “charging anxiety.” Without historical datasets or a clear data strategy, Blu Dot required guidance on which data to collect, how to structure it, and which third-party sources to integrate to enable future predictive analytics and route optimisation.
The Solution
Over a focused two-day technical assist, Hartree Centre Northern Ireland Hub worked with Blu Dot to define the data foundations for predictive modelling. The team conducted requirements discovery and technical consultation to clarify operational workflows and integration needs. A data landscape review identified essential categories, including charging network status, vehicle signals, and environmental context. Hartree provided a detailed data schema, feature engineering recommendations, and predictive use-case alignment covering charger availability, wait times, and route optimisation. The engagement concluded with a comprehensive roadmap detailing required data sources, external APIs, modelling objectives, sample CSV templates, and derived features to guide future AI development.
Frank Kilpatrick, Founder & CEO
"The Hartree Centre NI hub helped us overcome a major hurdle in developing our Bookacharge by providing the expertise to identify the right data and sources for our predictive model."
Project Impact
Blu Dot now has a clear, structured data strategy to underpin high-accuracy predictive models for EV route planning. The roadmap accelerates R&D by highlighting missing data, reducing investment risk, and avoiding costly redesigns. It provides a foundation for scalable integration across multiple charging networks and positions Blu Dot to deliver a competitive advantage through predictive insights. Ultimately, the guidance supports an enhanced user experience, enabling drivers to plan journeys confidently with accurate predictions for charger availability, wait times, and optimal routing, reducing “charging anxiety” and boosting customer satisfaction. The early-stage intervention ensures Blu Dot can move forward with AI-driven EV services efficiently and effectively.
Further Information
This work was completed as one of our data projects. Our projects are up to 12 weeks in duration. We will work alongside your business to scope your project, demonstrate proof of concept, and explore options to deploy it within your business. If you would like to learn more about the Hartree Centre Northern Ireland Hub and our Programme, please get in touch with us at: info@hartreeni.uk
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