A team of students from the University of Otago has won $30,000 to put towards the development of an app making it easier to track down power points.
Three students from the university won the World's Challenge in London, Ontario, on Friday with their idea for an app, E-Hop, allowing people to advertise their own power points to electric car users.
Rebecca Good (23), Nick White (22) and Carolyn Ding (22), who are all studying law, were flying back from the competition yesterday in time for their exams.
Ms Scott said E-Hop was "like Airbnb, but for electric vehicle charging points''.
"Anyone - people, shops, cafes and other businesses - who has a standard wall plug or electric car charger could become a charging host on the E-Hop app by offering up their plug or charger for use by members of the public who need to charge their electric vehicle.
"App users, or `hoppers' as they're called, would use their mobile device to browse a map of E-Hop host locations, known as `landings', and request permission from the host to reserve their charging station for a particular time period.
"Once approved by the host, the booking is confirmed and charging may commence.''
International Office director Jason Cushen, who travelled to Canada with the trio, said they made an "amazing'' presentation.
"It was a concept which the judges at the end of the week thought `yeah, this is achievable and will make a real difference'.
"It knocked them out of the ball park, really.''
The students were competing against teams from 15 other universities, from eight countries around the world.
Every team had to put together a concept based on one of the development goals of the UN.
