Best App for finding nearest Public Charge while on the road? ( Plugshare.com is winner so far )

dtbaker61

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I was on the road yesterday, stopped for lunch in Taos, NM, and looked for a public charger so I could grab *some* charge before heading home as I was going to be very close to empty otherwise.

I tried Ford Nav, searched for chargers by distance... It found NONE in Taos.
I then tried maps.google , and it found 3 (slow 7kW, but something!). The most handy on happens to be a three-plug Juicebox station that is right in the central Park; not networked, but installed by a non-profit with 'suggested donation' link and Qcode on a sign.

what App do people find most effective for all available public chargers (networked or not), including Tesla 'destination' chargers if you have a TeslaTap ?

================ winner (so far) is Plugshare.com =================

several people responded right away w Plugshare being accurate and up-to-date.... I took a look, and yup it found the Chargers in Taos, so it passed my test. I was hoping for more chargers in Northern NM on the side roads, but it is slim pickings currently.
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JamieGeek

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The two go to apps for EV driving:

Plugshare
and
A Better Route Planner

That is all you need
 

Wonky_Donkey

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I was on the road yesterday, stopped for lunch in Taos, NM, and looked for a public charger so I could grab *some* charge before heading home as I was going to be very close to empty otherwise.

I tried Ford Nav, searched for chargers by distance... It found NONE in Taos.
I then tried maps.google , and it found 3 (slow 7kW, but something!). The most handy on happens to be a three-plug Juicebox station that is right in the central Park; not networked, but installed by a non-profit with 'suggested donation' link and Qcode on a sign.

what App do people find most effective for all available public chargers (networked or not), including Tesla 'destination' chargers if you have a TeslaTap ?
I’ll give another +1 to PlugShare - use it all the time - and it works with CarPlay if you are an iPhone person. :)
 

Tim_C

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I agree with the PlugShare + ABRP recommendation, but in the Ford navigation did you maybe have a filter set to only view CCS chargers? I’m looking at the FordPass app, which I believe has the same data, and it found Level 2 chargers.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Best App for finding nearest Public Charge while on the road? ( Plugshare.com is winner so far ) 1640984495478
 

hawkeye3point1

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Plugshare FTW, but Chargehub.com deserves some cred. also.
 


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dtbaker61

dtbaker61

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I agree with the PlugShare + ABRP recommendation, but in the Ford navigation did you maybe have a filter set to only view CCS chargers? I’m looking at the FordPass app, which I believe has the same data, and it found Level 2 chargers.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Best App for finding nearest Public Charge while on the road? ( Plugshare.com is winner so far ) 1640984495478
interesting that the App found them, but center Console Navigation did not. I looked only via Console when I was driving around.... I try hard to never pick up phone when driving.....
 

ElectrifyCLT

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+1 to PlugShare. Also have each major charge network app + login (ChargePoint, EA, EVGo, etc) in the event a CC reader or P&C are nonfunctional.
 

joebruin77

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Plugshare is the best overall app. But another good app to have installed on your phone is EV Match: https://www.evmatch.com/

EV match helps you find private level 2 chargers that people rent out by the hour. Plugshare is supposed to have a similar function, but the last time I used EV Match, it identified several local chargers that did not appear on Plugshare.
 

ChasingCoral

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PlugShare. Hands down.
 

TheVirtualTim

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PlugShare is easily the best for finding chargers ... and filtering for special conditions (e.g. chargers located at hotels is a handy one).

ABRP is better for planning a road-trip far enough to require several charging stops. But not as good if you just need to find the nearest charger. It has filters, but they are a bit more cumbersome to use.

Having said this ... I paid for a month of ABRP Premium ($4.99/mo). This supports the real-time weather, real-time traffic, and real-time vehicle data (if you own a Bluetooth OBD monitor). I found it was very sluggish, really ate through battery power, wasn't nearly as accurate as the in-car system and didn't like it at all. So while I'd use ABRP to plan a future trip and get an idea of where the chargers are located along the route ... I prefer Ford's in-car system which will automatically add charging stops as needed.
 

dbsb3233

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1. Electrify America
2. Plugshare

I say it in that order because EA is nearly always 1st choice for mid-drive road trip charging (vs overnight). They're simple and consistent. It's easier to check their map first without all the other clutter. And you can quickly memorize their general locations (cities/towns) when planning a trip.

But to see everything, then Plugshare.
 

dbsb3233

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I was hoping for more chargers in Northern NM on the side roads, but it is slim pickings currently.
I keep hoping those Francis Energy Allsup DCFCs finally get installed around the state. There's a bunch planned, but we've already been waiting a year so far. We live north of Denver and have been doing a lot of road trips (usually to Vegas), but I'm always looking at other things to see where we can tack on a few extra days (flying sucks during COVID so we're heavy into road trips now). We're thinking of looping down to see Carlsbad Caverns, but we really need those Allsup chargers to open first.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/2...-greatly-expand-in-new-mexico-part-1-sort-of/
 

mdolan92869

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I keep hoping those Francis Energy Allsup DCFCs finally get installed around the state. There's a bunch planned, but we've already been waiting a year so far. We live north of Denver and have been doing a lot of road trips (usually to Vegas), but I'm always looking at other things to see where we can tack on a few extra days (flying sucks during COVID so we're heavy into road trips now). We're thinking of looping down to see Carlsbad Caverns, but we really need those Allsup chargers to open first.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/2...-greatly-expand-in-new-mexico-part-1-sort-of/
Don't think about seeing Carlsbad Caverns, go see them. I did years ago, enjoyed it! And as we continued the travels north, stopped in Roswell NM. Spent a lot more time there than I thought I would, cheesy but awesome!!!!
 

dbsb3233

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Don't think about seeing Carlsbad Caverns, go see them. I did years ago, enjoyed it! And as we continued the travels north, stopped in Roswell NM. Spent a lot more time there than I thought I would, cheesy but awesome!!!!
Yep, both on the route. Definitely on the agenda. Just need those charges to go in!
 

Tampamike

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1. Electrify America
2. Plugshare

I say it in that order because EA is nearly always 1st choice for mid-drive road trip charging (vs overnight). They're simple and consistent. It's easier to check their map first without all the other clutter. And you can quickly memorize their general locations (cities/towns) when planning a trip.

But to see everything, then Plugshare.
I second that.

I look for the EA’S first, then look on PlugShare to see if they’re working. Then I tell the car where I’m going and let it figure it out on its own For a second opinion.

If I need to get off the interstates, then PlugShare first with car as a backup.
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