NRG Energy subsidiary NRG eVgo is set to introduce a new EZ-Charge platform, which will allow US-based electric vehicle (EV) drivers to access multiple EV charging networks with a single all-access card.

NRG eVgo’s new EZ-Charge card will cater to all eVgo public charging plans and will allow EV drivers to enrol in participating partner network plans either through their charging company or directly with eVgo.

NRG Energy president and CEO David Crane said EV drivers have only been limited to the chargers in their network, so they might pass a number of charging stations from other networks before they could reach one with their current provider.

"The EZ-Charge platform takes a critical step to modernise EV charging, making it more convenient and more accessible than ever for EV drivers."

"The EZ-Charge platform takes a critical step to modernise EV charging, making it more convenient and more accessible than ever for EV drivers," Crane said.

Distribution of EZ-Charge cards is expected to begin this year with participating plans in San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas-Ft Worth, Houston, Sacramento, Seattle, Portland, Nashville, Phoenix and Washington, DC.

Although the EZ-Charge platform will support all EV drivers and manufacturers, the initial launch will be a part of Nissan’s expansion of its ‘No Charge to Charge’ programme, which will be the first industry promotion to use the EZ-Charge all-access card.

The programme will launch in the first ten EZ-Charge markets on 1 July, with Nissan adding 15 additional markets to the promotion by mid-2015.

NRG eVgo president Arun Banskota said: "By making charging more accessible and convenient, we hope to expand electric vehicle ownership and make it easy for EV drivers to confidently enjoy the benefits of driving electric."

The EZ-Charge platform is available to car manufacturers as a package with their electric car models on a promotional or optional basis.