The transition from fossil fuels to clean and sustainable energy isn’t always easy in the automotive world. As individuals lean towards using electric cars, they need to find suitable charging stations to rev up their vehicles.
Hence, there are some “must-have” apps for electric car owners to improve their driving experience. Whether or not you are conducting home charging, you need the best apps for finding EV charging stations.
Whether you’re planning a cross-country road trip or simply need to find a nearby station, these apps will provide you with accurate and up-to-date information, saving you time and eliminating any range anxiety.
Are you an EV owner or a prospect? Then, it would be best to look through these helpful apps in this guide to aid in discovering charging spots.
Top 12 Best Apps for Finding EV Charging Stations
There are a handful of apps that could help you plan your trip. Google Maps has been of great use, showing charging station locations, but you can get more from these “EV apps.”
However, discovering a suitable charging station for electric vehicles involves considering multiple aspects that differ from gas cars. These include the quantity of chargers at a station, the speed at which they can charge, and whether they provide the appropriate charging connector for your specific vehicle model.
On top meeting the said criteria, the list below showcases the best apps for EV owners, which reveal charging stations along your route, their payment option, charging speed, connector type, distance from where you are, and other helpful details.
01. ChargePoint
ChargePoint is a giant within the EV charging station market, holding the largest charging networks. Their app reveals over 100,000 charging points, with set filters that allow you to take out incompatible stations and monitor your car’s charging progress.
It displays the estimated miles traveled by your car, each charging station’s cost rate, and the amount of cost the vehicle receives at a time. You can also use this tool in managing your home’s ChargePoint station.
The only downside to using this app is that it doesn’t divulge the location of charging points from other networks. Folks can use the roaming feature it provides.
How does the roaming feature works?
When you allow the roaming feature on the app, you can use your ChargePoint account on charging points from other providers. It is one of the best EV charging app in the USA and other parts of the world and runs on iOS and Android.
Price: Free
02. PlugShare
Plugshare is another renowned app that reveals the locations of more than 300,000 charging stations across the world. Using this app can help you avoid delays, as you can find out which charging stations are open for use.
The Plugshare app filters the options that pop up based on the plug type, and you can learn about the station’s rate and read through people’s comments about their services. Most reviews suggest this app to be one of the best tools for accurate information on charging stations.
Comparing Plugshare vs. ChargePoint, you should know that Plugshare is not among the charging providers, but only a connecting tool. This free-to-use app is available for iOS and Android for EV owners in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world.
Price: Free
03. EV Hotels
If you are keen on breaking your journey and seeking suitable lodging facilities with EV charger stations, you can rely on EV Hotels to help you out. This app reveals free public chargers and options reserved strictly for hotel guests.
Another impressive feature is this app’s ability to list charger-connector compatibilities and has a directory of over 22,000 hotels and 71,000 roadside EV charging stations worldwide. With unique features for Tesla drivers, this software also has reviews and rating services for the public.
More than 170 international brands signed to create synergy for the platform from the increased loyalty points of hotels, as increased by EVHotels users. It is one of the best apps right now, offering a running charge of $2.99 on Android and iOS devices, and should still top the list of best EV apps for 2022.
Availability: iOS
Price: $2.99
04. ChargeHub
ChrageHub offers details of various charging stations across the United States and Canada and provides EV car owners with driving directions to charge points across their route. You get to see some EV charging network’s live availability on this app and filter your searches by-charger types.
Folks enjoy the visual display on the dashboard that makes local charging strategies emerge transparently.
Furthermore, this platform can aid you in planning trips, thanks to its customizable profiles – individuals can check in, add photos, and leave comments. ChargeHub currently has over 100,000 users, and you would find them chatting and leaving experiences and helpful comments about charging stations.
Price: Free
05. NextCharge
This software is an excellent option for electric car owners. The good news is that this app is available in various languages – English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Romanian, and Portuguese.
NextCharge supplies station reviews, travel itineraries, and charging status about more than 200,000 charging spots. Individuals can also leave comments about stations that they visited.
Many users rate this app as one of the best for specific charge station network searches with helpful information. With the map or list views, users can choose the most suitable way to see the app’s details.
Price: Free
06. EVMatch
The EVMatch app holds a database of hundreds of EV charging stations; hence, it is an effective tool for EV owners to find charging solutions while on road trips. This package filters the results according to charge speed, connector type, hourly or daily availability, cost, and instant bookings.
One impressive feature that makes this app stand out from the others is its peer-to-peer technology. With such attributes, folks can use public stations and pay local businesses or your neighbor to use their private charge spots.
It doesn’t matter if you have a home charging point, as the software allows you to join the community and provides opportunities for you to earn some cool cash by letting out your private charging station.
Price: Free
07. Chargeway
Chargeway is an app that has a focal point for identifying charging networks that operate with a unique charger type. This app runs for free on iOS and Android devices and works well for folks who need a specific charging system and model.
Since its displays, available stations for the exact EV model preferred charging levels, and network, its streamlined services make the charging process fun. Thanks to some utilities, car dealerships, and various stakeholders, the app creators offer more awareness on developing charging systems within America.
Once you open the app, tap on any visible station, and you will find a charging network and how many connectors are available within that area. It further uses color-coding to differentiate between 240 V, 120 V, and DC fast charging levels from CCS and ChaDeMo supercharger.
Price: Free
o8. Tesla
Tesla is one of the top EV manufacturers and has an excellent portfolio for offering excellent EV charging solutions. Tesla owners can now access Tesla energy products from anywhere globally using the Tesla app.
In essence, you can find close Supercharger Tesla charging stations on your Android or iOS. This software holds 11,583 charge points that span across 1,386 locations worldwide. Another trait of this app is its ability to monitor and track your car’s charging process, notifying you when the vehicle reaches its full charge.
Tesla car owners can also unlock and start their EV with such an effective app, restrict trunk and glove compartment access (while leaving the car with a valet), turn on climate control, and vent the sunroof using their smartphones.
Price: Free
09. EVgo
EVgo is another giant that supplies EV drivers with numerous efficient charging solutions. The EVgo app is a must-have for EV owners, as it offers real-time updates and directions of charging stations along your routes and operates a user-friendly interface.
This network provides more than 1,000 DC fast-charging sites that can handle many electric cars within an hour. Since the software focuses on fast-charging solutions, you can find excellent charging stations along your route, quick charge, and continue your journey.
EVgo offers its services across 34 states within America, including big cities like Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston. Furthermore, this app has live customer service and operates on Android and iOS devices.
Price: Free
10. Greenlots
Greenlots is an app owned by Shell, a renowned oil and gas company and giant within the EV charging station market. This software works across the US, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, and other areas.
From real-time updates on EV charging to balance and history information, drivers can get a planned trip while accessing the locations of public charging spots. It filters stations based on charger types while creating and saving a list of favorites.
This cost-free app has QR code and RFID code functionality; hence, it is more convenient for folks to make searches and charge payments. You can also avail of their active customer support service to get some of your questions answered.
One challenge with this software is that it doesn’t set apart charging networks as seen on some other apps. Nevertheless, it is one of the best EV apps for 2021, as you would find ChaDeMo, CCS, and other extensive options and access varying features that make it easy to use.
Price: Free
11. Chargemap
Chargemap remains one of the most famous apps employed by EV drivers to plan road trips. This software offers crowd-sourced details alongside user reviews and pictures of the charging points.
It holds a database of around 166,000 EV charging stations. Thus, you can find charging stations in the United States and various European countries across your charging routes. With more than 330,000 EV drivers registered on this app, it feels more like a community.
Since the app is interactive, you can save yourself the stress of going to unsuitable or non-working charging points. It operates a free-to-use medium with some ads, and individuals can access in-app purchases ranging from $5.49 to $14.99. You can download this tool on your Android or iOS app store and start navigating.
Price: Free
12. Open Charge Map
Open Charge Map is another excellent tool that can help EV drivers plant road trips. Although not as trendy as other apps that come from reviews and comments, you can find charging stations from any location around the globe using the Open Charge Map app.
This software is a non-service and non-commercial platform that supplies EV drivers with the addresses of nearby charging stations. It has a database of more than 136,000 units found across 67,500 locations.
The Open Charge Map app is compatible with iOS and Android. With claims from the operators that this app is the largest open global registry holding EV charging stations worldwide, this app further encourages users to submit details of charge locations close to them.
Availability: Android
Price: Free
FAQs
Is there one app for all EV charging stations?
You can find excellent apps that reveal all EV charging stations closest to you or across your route as you head on for your trip. Some excellent options include EVgo, ChargePoint, PlugShare, ChargeHub, Greenlots, amongst the others mentioned in this piece.
The good news is that these options reveal interesting information order than the location of these stations, as you can learn about the payment plan, charging speed, and other crucial details of these charging stations. Kindly install any of these apps on your smartphone, and you are good to go.
Where can I find EV charging stations?
There are large networks of EV charging stations worldwide, with various companies aiming to set up more technologies to serve EV owners as they seek to charge their cars. With over 150,000 charging locations worldwide, you can find a suitable option for recharging your EV batteries.
Some of these EV charging solution companies, in partnership with some automakers, EV battery manufacturers, and other businesses, provide relevant apps that hint you at the location of charging stations. You can always look through these apps designed to reveal the details of the charging solutions near you.
Can Google Maps find EV charging stations?
By simply opening the Google Maps app or website and searching for EV charging stations, users can now easily find nearby locations where they can recharge their vehicle’s batteries. The search results not only display the closest charging stations but also provide comprehensive information about each one, including availability in real-time and types of chargers available.
Google Maps takes it a step further by offering additional details, such as reviews from other drivers who have used the charging stations before.
Is there an app to find Tesla charging stations?
You can find Tesla charge stations in various EV apps designed to help people get details on charging points close to them. Nevertheless, this automaker and charging station company has a specific app for Tesla car owners.
With about 11,583 EV charge spots scattered across 1,386 locations, you can find a suitable Tesla charging station for recharging your car’s EV battery. It has various intriguing features, including real-time monitoring of the charging process.
Is it difficult to find charging stations for electric cars?
It is not easy to find excellent charging stations across the wide networks available. Although newer charging stations are popping out each day, it is merely enough for the increasing number of EV cars purchased within the industry, and most people have fewer details about these charging locations.
Not to worry, some manufacturers design apps that streamline this search process, and some businesses provide third-party services for such. These platforms often hold a database of charging networks worldwide and aid in offering directions to these charge points.
How do I add EV charging stations on Google Maps?
Even though there are better options, Google Maps is one effective way to find EV charging points. All that is needed for you to do is open the integrated Google Maps of your vehicle and enter the destination of your road trip.
Then, click on “add charging stops.” This program would automatically pull out the EV charging points and their locations along your travel routes.
Final Words
Yes, knowing strategic charging points would go a long way for electric car owners to improve their driving experiences as they embark on road journeys. Highlighting the most popular apps for finding EV charge stations, this article has done a great service to EV car owners.
The EV automakers and some of the top giants within the charging station markets are designing great platforms that help divulge information about charging spots from different locations. So, reaching the right and nearby option may be challenging but an app can come to your easy and happy rescue here.
Are you keen on finding excellent solutions to search for EV charging points and more convenient? Kindly, look through this piece on the best apps for finding EV charging stations worldwide.
