The charger is there, and that is not the question
Charging an electric car is almost entirely a software problem. The hardware is usually fine, and the trouble is knowing which unit is live, which connector it has, whether it will accept your payment, and whether the three cars already there have left. One map app, one route planner and the accounts for the networks on your usual roads covers almost all of it.
Three apps, three different jobs
| Job | What it is | Why you need it separately |
|---|---|---|
| Finding chargers nearby | A map covering every network | No single network has enough sites |
| Knowing whether it works | Check-ins and comments from drivers | Status icons are fed by the operator |
| Planning a long drive | A planner that models your car's battery | Distance alone does not predict stops |
| Starting the session | The network's own app or an RFID card | Many units still will not take a bank card |
| Charging at home | Your energy supplier's app | The cheap overnight window lives there |
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The apps
The map with the best driver comments and photographs, which is the information that actually decides whether you stop. Strongest in North America and good almost everywhere.
The widest European coverage of the free maps, with filters for connector and power that work properly. The sensible first install on that side of the Atlantic.
For the United Kingdom specifically, with the most reliable local status data. Reviews are mixed since a redesign, and the data is still worth it.
A Better Routeplanner. Models your exact car, the weather and the elevation, and tells you where to stop and for how long. The one app that changes how a long trip feels.
ChargePoint. A large network in its own right and a map of others, and the app many drivers end up starting sessions from daily.
Shell Recharge. Hard to avoid in Europe because of the sites it covers. Reviews are poor and it is worth having the card as a fallback.
Electrify America. The main fast charging network at American motorway stops, and the app that gets the best pricing on it.
EVgo. The other large United States network, with reliable in-app session starting and a clear price per kilowatt hour.
IONITY. High power sites on European motorways, where the subscription changes the price per kilowatt hour enough to matter on one long trip.
Fastned. Small network, consistently well run sites, and an app that reports occupancy honestly.
EnBW mobility plus. The widest single roaming network in Germany and useful well beyond it, which makes it a good default for a trip across the continent.
A roaming account that starts sessions on a great many networks you do not have accounts with. Useful as the fallback rather than the first choice.
Increasingly common on smaller operators' hardware and on shared chargers at workplaces and flats, so worth installing before you need it.
bp pulse. Large United Kingdom network with fast sites at service areas, and the app is how the cheaper rate is applied.
For a Tesla, the car's own app, and also the way into the Supercharger network. Other makes can now use many of those sites, which is a reason to have it either way.
The home side, for United Kingdom customers on a cheap overnight tariff. Charging at home is most of the mileage for most drivers, and this is where that cost is controlled.
An offline map for the part of the journey where the charging apps have no signal. Download the country before you set off.
Before a long drive
- Plan the route the night before, not in the car A planner needs the starting charge, the weather and the load. Doing it while parked at home takes three minutes and removes most of the anxiety.
- Pick one planned stop and one alternative The alternative is the whole trick. Arriving at a broken charger is annoying; arriving with no plan B is a problem.
- Check your accounts work before you leave Expired cards are the single most common failure at the unit. Start a session at a local charger if you have not used the app in months.
- Carry an RFID card as well as the phone A dead phone, no signal or a failed app leaves the card as the only way in. They are free from most networks.
- In winter, precondition the battery before a fast stop A cold battery charges slowly whatever the charger says. Most cars will warm it on the way if the stop is in the navigation.
- Plan to stop around twenty per cent and leave around eighty Charging above eighty slows down sharply, so two shorter stops are often faster overall than one long one.
- Showing every network on one map
- Driver reports of broken units
- Modelling a realistic arrival charge
- Applying the cheaper member price
- Live availability on small operators
- Whether a bay is blocked or iced in
- Pricing that changed yesterday
- Telling you a unit is limited to a lower power
Why a session will not start
In rough order of how often it happens: the app has lost its payment method, the connector is not fully seated, the unit needs the cable plugged in before the session is authorised rather than after, the unit is on a network you do not have an account with, or the charger genuinely is faulty and the operator does not know. Working through them in that order solves most of it without a phone call.
If none of it works, the number on the unit is answered by a human more often than people expect, and they can usually restart it remotely.
One map for the comments, one planner for the long day, accounts for your usual networks, and a card in the glovebox for when the phone cannot help.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an app for every network?
Not quite. A roaming account covers a surprising number, but the networks on your regular routes are cheaper through their own apps, so two or three accounts plus a roaming fallback is the practical arrangement.
Why does charging slow down so much near the top?
It is how the battery works rather than the charger. Above roughly eighty per cent the rate drops sharply, which is why planners route you between twenty and eighty on a long day.
Is a map app enough on its own?
For local driving, yes. For a journey longer than your range, a planner that models the car is worth far more, because it converts a map into a schedule.
What if there is no signal at the charger?
This is why the RFID card matters, and why the offline map is on the list. Some units will also start from a contactless bank card, which is worth checking before you rely on it.
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