[Dayle Frame]

I see a few of different apps for location charging stations. PlugShare, EV ChargeHub, ChargePoint (am I missing any?).

Is any one superior (or inferior) over the others? It seems like they all do the same thing but my 'newb' status makes me think that I may not be looking at the right aspects of each app.

Dayle

 

[Cardyin]

I use all of the sources above, but tend less to use the apps, but usually do some research on the web on those sites to plan my trip before I start driving. Most of the time, I primarily use PlugShare as the first resource, then do further research on other sites.

 

[DucRider]

I've only used public charging a handful of times in 3+ years. Most find it too unreliable and/or inconvenient and charge at home (or work). It's a nice "security blanket" for many, but they don't often use it unless they are part of a free charging program like Nissans "No charge to charge". It generally costs about 3x as much as home charging, and charging overnight (usually much less) is much quicker (10-15 seconds a day to plug/unplug).

That being said, Plugshare seems to have the biggest following and is generally the most up to date.

 

[eops]

As funny as it might sound, checking the Starbucks APP might help. I know they wanted to get into the business of installing charging stations and odds are there's a function on the APP to search for them.

And we all know how common Starbucks locations are .... although that might be different in MI.

 

[gaulfinger]

In the TN-TX region, I've used Blink, ChargePoint, and EVGo. I've been driving Volts, so thankfully it's not critical when they fail. Blink has been the most common of these and unfortunately the one more likely to be broken.

There's a consortium that shares accounts, so you should be able to use membership in one to use the others.

 

[EldRick]

I think you will find the EV Chargehub map to be fairly useless, as it does not differentiate between CCS and Chademo stations. It's also annoying to be unable to filter out the Tesla stations.

 

[HotPotato]

Just use PlugShare. It covers all of the above, plus private individuals willing to share their chargers with a request in advance. And you can filter out ones you can't use, like Tesla and Chademo chargers.

 

[EldRick]

I think you will find the EV Chargehub map to be fairly useless, as it does not differentiate between CCS and Chademo stations. It's also annoying to be unable to filter out the Tesla stations.

The Chargehub guys showed me how to select only CCS stations and eliminate the Tesla ones. It's hidden at the bottom of the Filters panel, which is scrollable.
Based on that, it appears to have the same information as Plugshare, although I did not test this exhaustively.

 

[bolt2nde]

Chargepoint

It's really going to depend...for me - I have cards and access to Blink, EvGo and Chargepoint. Over 2,000 charge sessions under my belt while driving a Leaf. Half of them at home, half at Chargepoint (there are about 2 dozen spots within 2 blocks of my job) and one at Blink when I was about to turtle. I keep all of the apps on my phone just in case, but Chargepoint is my choice. Also - over that nearly 4 year period - Chargepoint had 100% availability. Always worked.

 

[LAX_David]

I like PlugShare the best as it shows everyone, has user feedback, check-ins, and user photos which are super helpful for finding chargers in giant mall parking lots. A ChargePoint account is useful. EVGo can be accessed by calling the number on the charger without having an account. Also, I recently discovered that some Walmart stores have FastDC charging stations! Used one in Norco last weekend.

 

[Bazinga]

PlugShare is really handy for finding personal chargers that owners don't mind you using and ChargePoint seems to be the better choice for those last minute charges. They're probably the two main apps you should get.

 

[eops]

What will help some people here is keeping location services on their phone active since Google Maps should be able to send you notification on chargers that are near well before you park/stop/decide where to park/etc. They're already doing this with a lot of other things we do day in and day out. Scary and useful at the same time.