The electrification of vehicles has opened up entirely new avenues in the vehicle industry. One such market is for services for Electric Vehicle (EV) owners. Developers have created entire apps that allow you to manage, control, and get insights about your EV right from your smartphone.
With that, here are our picks for essential apps for electric vehicle (EV) owners.
Charging Station Locator Apps
Charging locator apps can be a lifesaver, especially if you need to charge your car in an emergency and don’t know about any nearby stations.
While you wait for your car to charge, you can use one of the 15 million Spectrum Internet WiFi hotspots nationwide. Now, here are my picks for the best apps for tracking EV charging stations.
PlugShare
PlugShare is a must-have app for any EV owner as it helps locate nearby charging stations. Currently, the app’s database has more than 250,000 charging stations in the US and Canada. It also provides information about their pricing and availability in real-time, which makes it easy for drivers to plan their trips.
You can also filter your search based on your needs, such as connector type, charging speed, and other amenities at the station.
The interface is extremely user-friendly and the app also has a web platform to use. The app is free and is available for both iOS and Android.
ChargePoint
ChargePoint is one of the smartphone apps for EV drivers to use if they already use their charging stations. Their database has more than 20,000 stations with real-time information about pricing and availability.
The app offers seamless integration with charging stations by ChargePoint. You can also locate, pay, and reserve any charging stations, without needing any additional payment method or memberships. The app can also notify you when charging sessions are complete.
You can also filter your search and the app provides real-time updates on the status of various stations. The app is free and is available for both iOS and Android.
Vehicle Management Apps
Unlike traditional cars, EVs have a lot of computerized components which can be controlled remotely. This allows for a new branch of apps that lets you control various aspects of your car from your smartphone or even get insights about your car. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Tesla
The Tesla app is the one app you need to have on your phone as a Tesla owner as it’s one of the most useful apps for managing electric vehicles with features that enhance the driving experience. With the app, you can control different parts of your car from your phone, such as locking or unlocking doors, opening the trunk or the frunk, and even honking the horn.
The app also lets you check the status of your car, including the battery level, charging status, and the current range. You can also start and end charging sessions using the app which ensures the Tesla is fully charged when you need it; this makes it one of the best apps for monitoring EV battery health. Not only that, you can also change the climate using the app.
The app is free and is available for both iOS and Android.
MyGreenCar
MyGreenCar is a great way to virtually test a car and find insights about the current car you have. It also has tools to automatically record your trips. You can also predict costs and understand how much you can save with any car.
This app can help you understand if getting an EV can save you money in the long run. You can also check if an EV fulfills your car needs, the number of charging stations nearby, and the cost.
The app also gives personal recommendations based on the user’s needs and also helps you connect to nearby car dealers.
The app is free to use on both iOS and Android.
Navigation Apps
With EVs, you won’t find a charging station in every block. This means that you need to be mindful when planning a longer trip to ensure there’s always a charging station during your commute. Thankfully, there are a lot of handy apps that are great for navigation.
A Better Route Planner
You’re missing out if you’re an EV driver and haven’t used A Better Route Planner. It’s one of the best apps for planning EV routes and trips that offer granular control over the route you’re taking compared to the other options in the market. With ARBP, you can select the model of your vehicle, and enter a location and the app creates a trip plan that includes total charging time, charging stops, total trip time, and more.
You can also integrate the app with CarPlay to use it as the main navigation interface in real-time, which will allow you to see any changes, traffic, or other things that can affect your route. This makes it one of the best apps for maximizing EV efficiency.
If you want to use another app for navigation, you can create the plan in ARBP and import it into Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze.
The app is free to download but has a $4.99 per month subscription. As an EV driver, this is probably the best $5 you’re going to spend.
Waze
Waze is a great app to have as a driver, regardless of whether you own an EV or not. The app has a beautiful interface that’s easy to use and has community-driven data. Drivers can share information about incidents, speed cameras, road conditions, and traffic.
The app has an additional feature for Tesla owners as they can access a dedicated Waze interface, which is fully optimized for the screen and allows you to take full advantage of the community updates and real-time data.
The app is free and can be used on both iOS and Android.
Wrapping Up
When making this list, we tried to add apps that are free to use. Feel free to download these top-rated apps for EV owners on your phone and give them a go.
As an EV driver, do you have any apps that you just can’t live without? Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below.
