How To Find Best EV Charging Station In 2023

How to find best EV charging station in 2023

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The availability of the best electric car charging stations is a legitimate concern for many people looking to make the switch from gas cars. Luckily, there are plenty of websites and apps out there that are going to help you find a charging station near you – if you have to pay and how you can pay the bill, you’ll find it all in a very simple way.

How to find the best EV charging station near you

If you are looking for a good charging station, the first thing you need to know is how your vehicle will be charged. Although fortunately, it is very easy. Any electric vehicle (EV) manufactured and sold in North America will be able to use a Level 1 or Level 2 charging station, which means there are plenty of them. If your vehicle is compatible with Level 3 DC Fast Charging (DCFC), you will often find those stations in the same area as Level 2, although there may not be as many available.

In fact, Tesla has its own network of chargers designed to work with its vehicles, and they are largely open to Tesla drivers only, although that may change in the near future. This means whatever type of EV you drive, you’ll be able to find a charging station nearby.

Third-Party Apps and Websites

Many EV owners who have a number of third-party apps want to see available charging stations from any charging network in North America. So you can see what level of charging is available at a certain station per kilowatt-hour, so these apps are kept fairly up-to-date that you have to pay. In which all users have also been given the facility to add photos of the station and leave comments.

Here are some of the more popular apps for EV charging.

PlugShare: available for iOS/Android
Open Charge Map: available for iOS/Android
ChargeHub: available for iOS/Android
Charge way: available for iOS/Android

All of these apps also have websites you can easily access from a computer or other device, although usually a map is displayed with clickable pins indicating charging stations that you click on one. And more easily see what charging network the station is on, what the rate per kilowatt-hour is, how many plugs are available, and in most cases what the station is occupied. it’s all you can know

Speaking of the same, other online resources include the U.S. Also included is the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center site, where Google Maps will show you all nearby charging stations with reasonable accuracy.

However, some of these resources, such as Google Maps, won’t tell you what level the charging station is – they will only display their output in kilowatts. It’s still fairly easy to figure out the level from the power output,

EV Manufacturer Apps

Indeed, EV makers like Tesla and Nissan often bundle an app with their cars that can tell drivers where to find a charging station, the EV charge rate when connected, and other useful information. Tesla is probably best known for this, in that other EV makers like Ford and GM also have their own apps that you can use to find a charging station that will work with your vehicle.

EV Charging Network Apps

However, the major non-Tesla EV charging networks in North America include Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint, Volta, FordPass, and more. All of these have an app you can use to find a station, and session fees and kilowatt-hour rates apply to which one can pay.

Some of these companies, such as Electrify America, offer monthly subscriptions. Electrify America has a subscription rate of $4.00 per month as of this writing which lets you waive the $1.00 session fee which lets you lower the kilowatt-hour rate at the stations. And FordPass also has a partnership with Electrify America which gives Ford EV owners deals on access that you can easily access

The drawback of all these apps though is that they will only show you nearby charging stations on your network, so it can be hard to search through multiple apps to get the full picture.

How will you pay at EV Charging Station?

The rate you pay for the best charge will depend on factors including which network you use, whether you have a subscription to a certain network, what the kilowatt-hour rate is, and the battery capacity of your EV. What is it, and how full was that battery when you hooked it up to charge? If you’re using a DCFC station, it will probably have a higher rate to charge.

Would recommend you stick to one of the free stations first or charge one at home if it’s possible. Here are some of the ways you can make payments in which any charging network will usually allow you to pay through their app, although people have reported problems doing so. Of course, all can pay by credit or debit card at the charging station itself. However, you can easily pay the bill through whatever app you use to find the charging station.