When it comes to electric vehicles, mobile apps are extremely important. They are not just simple apps, but rather extremely valuable tools which will help you navigate through the electric journey. These smartphone apps can make your life easier by mapping out where you’ll find electric vehicle charging stations. Other apps can help you find lodging with electric car charging capabilities, a must in today’s EV world.
Here are some must-have, free apps for electric vehicles drivers.
CHARGEPOINT
ChargePoint is one of the largest charging networks in the United States. It has close to 70,000 charging stations across the United States. Hundreds of these electric charging stations are in the Los Angeles area. Naturally, ChargePoint offers a mobile app to make it easy to find any of their stations. The app is quite smart also and uses the NFC technology.
Basically, all you have to do is tap your phone against a charging station and it will start charging. The user interface will display the charging level of your car, the elapsed time and the estimated miles gained. Remote starting a charge is one of the neat features.
The app can also control the ChargePoint home charging station if your house is equipped with one.
Download: ChargePoint for Android | iOS (Free)
EVGO
Like ChargePoint, EVgo is another nationwide electric car charging network. It is also one of the largest public DC fast charging network in the nation. EVgo has more than 1,100 fast chargers in 66 markets. The app is naturally smart as well. You can search for a charging station and get directions to the unit. Next, you can start the charging process with the NFC technology and see the real-time stats of your charging process.
Download: EVgo for Android | iOS (Free)
PLUGSHARE
This is one of the most comprehensive apps for finding electric charging stations. The app tracks over 140,000 charging stations including Tesla SuperCharger, ChargePoint, and GE charge stations. The app finds public charging stations that are compatible with your specific electric car, and you can filter down by the type of connector in your car. It also features a route planner to map out charge stations that work with your car.
You can also see user comments and reviews, and photos of each station.
Download: Plugshare for Android | iOS (Free)
CHARGEAWAY
Like PlugShare, ChargeAway is an app that tracks the locations of local charging stations. ChargeAway gives you a real-time status on what stations are online and if they fit your vehicle type. The app can also estimate how long it will take to reach a full charge and provides weather information for where the charging stations are located.
Download: ChargeAway for Android | iOS (Free)
GREENLOTS
Grenlots is a global charging network. The app provides flexible payment options for both prepaid and pay-per-use. The app provides some of the latest EV charging facilities. It enables the driver to scan the QR code or input the charging station ID, and it starts charging. So, you no longer need RFID cards to charge.
Download: Greenlots for Android | iOS (Free)
CHARGEHUB
The ChargeHub charging stations app allows you to find all the available electric vehicle (EV) public charging stations near you when you need to charge your electric car. It also offers access to EV guides and allows users to share their charging experiences at given locations with other EV owners. Think about a small social network of electric car owners.
Download: ChargeHub for Android | iOS (Free)
EV HOTELS
This is a mobile app designed to help electric car drivers find hotels with compatible electric vehicle (EV) charging. You can also book a room directly from the app. EV Hotels lists free public chargers and those limited to hotel guests are noted, along with charger-connector compatibility. It covers over 22,000 hotels worldwide and over 71,000 roadside charger stations.
Download: EV Hotels for iOS (Free)
OPEN CHARGE MAP
Just like the name suggests, this is a non-profit application supported by a large community of people. The service claims to maintain in its database nearly 136,000 units in over 67,500 locations. Just like most of the other apps, public stations can be searched by distance, location, and the charging network. It’s not as polished as the commercial apps, but it’s constantly evolving.
Download: Open Charge Map for Android | iOS (Free)
- EVMATCH
EVmatch is a peer-to-peer charging network which lets you reserve a spot at a home charger. You can filter your search to make sure the home charger meets your specific needs. It’s like the Airbnb of electric car charging, but without having someone sleeping over. To use the app, you can simply list your home as a place where others can charge their cars. It allows you to set your hourly fee, manage bookings, and get paid for your station.
