Anyone using a routing app that shows status of charging station?

[macgyver60]

I just took my first long range toad trip where i needed to use a fast charger and found the process of locating an available charger from the road clunkier than it should have been. Luckily we planned the route ahead of time but when we got to the Walmart 2 miles off the highway all 4 of the the chargers were occupied. We got lucky and someone left shortly after we got there but had they not that would have been miles out of the way for nothing.

I know ABRP can show charger status on the paid version but I don’t do long trips more than a couple times a year so $50/year for something I may use twice? The built in MachE maps doesn’t do this either. It seems like it should be a basic feature on EV routing apps, especially the built in routing map. We could really use a better app that provides more status details. Any suggestions?

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[hybrid2bev]

I know ABRP can do this on the paid version but I don’t do long trips more than a couple times a year so $50 for something I may use twice? The built in MachE maps doesn’t do this. It seems like it should be a basic feature. I tried using the built in app to find a charger recently and when I got there it was in a garage that required a fee just to enter. We could really use a better app that provides more status details. Any suggestions?

FordPass does. EA app does. ChargePoint app does. PlugShare has comments and tips too.

Onboard navigation does too with 1.7.1 OTA. Put in a route, click on the charging stop, hit details.

 

[veronicablack]

I know ABRP can do this on the paid version but I don’t do long trips more than a couple times a year so $50 for something I may use twice? The built in MachE maps doesn’t do this. It seems like it should be a basic feature. I tried using the built in app to find a charger recently and when I got there it was in a garage that required a fee just to enter. We could really use a better app that provides more status details. Any suggestions?

I'm assuming ideally you're looking for something free (and also note: I don't have my Mach E yet and have never owned an EV before so I haven't used these planners yet), but I know ABRP Premium also offers a monthly plan for like 5 bucks a month or something. So maybe signing up for that when you do the road trips and then cancel at the end of the month could be an option to look into.

 

[macgyver60]

FordPass does. EA app does. ChargePoint app does. PlugShare has comments and tips too.

Onboard navigation does too with 1.7.1 OTA. Put in a route, click on the charging stop, hit details.

ill have to check to see what update I have. The ford pass app doesn’t allow you to plan a round trip which is what I needed to do yesterday. ABRP does but couldn't get the station status with the free version. Charge point isnt much use in this area if you need a fast charger, they are all level 2’s.

 

[hybrid2bev]

ill have to check to see what update I have. The ford pass app doesn’t allow you to plan a round trip which is what I needed to do yesterday. ABRP does but couldn't get the station status with the free version. Charge point isnt much use in this area if you need a fast charger, they are all level 2’s.

Free version of ABRP does show the station status.

 

[macgyver60]

Free version of ABRP does show the station status.

What I wanted to know is whether the station is available for use. Isn't that just telling you whether its functional or not?

 

[macgyver60]

I'm assuming ideally you're looking for something free (and also note: I don't have my Mach E yet and have never owned an EV before so I haven't used these planners yet), but I know ABRP Premium also offers a monthly plan for like 5 bucks a month or something. So maybe signing up for that when you do the road trips and then cancel at the end of the month could be an option to look into.

Thanks, Thats right. Not a bad idea.

 

[macchiaz-o]

What I wanted to know is whether the station is available for use. Isn't that just telling you whether its functional or not?

As @hybrid2bev showed through screenshots earlier in this discussion, you can see in-use status in a bunch of ways.

Try using PlugShare, the built in Ford navigation in your vehicle, FordPass on your phone, or the apps from the various charge providers (ChargePoint, EA, etc.).

 

[hybrid2bev]

What I wanted to know is whether the station is available for use. Isn't that just telling you whether its functional or not?

Ah, okay. The onboard navigation or the fee EA app or FordPass might be what you’re after.

EA

FordPass

 

[macgyver60]

Onboard navigation does too with 1.7.1 OTA. Put in a route, click on the charging stop, hit details.

It looks like I don't have the latest update. I had set it up for autoupdates and connected it to wifi but somewhere along the line it lost connection. I reconnected it. I'll have to see if the system updates in the next day or two.

 

[Chuck]

What I wanted to know is whether the station is available for use. Isn't that just telling you whether its functional or not?

Look at the screenshot. See the blue segments? In this case two of them on each charger. They indicate the number of plugs on that charger. If they're blue, they are available. If grey, they're in use. Very subtle and not exactly intuitive but it is what it is.

 

[stmache]

It looks like I don't have the latest update. I had set it up for autoupdates and connected it to wifi but somewhere along the line it lost connection. I reconnected it. I'll have to see if the system updates in the next day or two.

After reading this, I went out to my Mach-e and found it was not connected to my Wi-Fi when at home. Probably happened after the dealer update done to fix PaaK back in August. D'oh! Mine just says, "system is up-to-date" but no recent update information. Reconnected to my network so maybe now I will get an update notification sometime this week. Autoupdate is turned on.

 

[macgyver60]

After reading this, I went out to my Mach-e and found it was not connected to my Wi-Fi when at home. Probably happened after the dealer update done to fix PaaK back in August. D'oh! Mine just says, "system is up-to-date" but no recent update information. Reconnected to my network so maybe now I will get an update notification sometime this week. Autoupdate is turned on.

I did the same thing. Then I noticed I didn't have a day of the week set for the updates. Not sure if that is necessary or not but I set it for Monday nights. We'll see what happens

 

[rodhx]

I did the same thing. Then I noticed I didn't have a day of the week set for the updates. Not sure if that is necessary or not but I set it for Monday nights. We'll see what happens

Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to matter what schedule you set. ?‍

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