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Apps make your daily life a little easier, and this also applies to electric driving. With the wide range of navigation, charging station, and car apps available, choosing the right ones can be challenging. We have listed our recommendations for you.
Get the most out of your electric car with useful apps
Do you drive an electric car for work or private use? Then you will notice that there is more to it than using a simple navigation app and making quick refueling stops, as with non-electric cars. Electric cars take longer to charge en route, and there are fewer public charging stations available compared to petrol pumps.
To help you get started, we have listed a number of useful Android apps for you. These apps will allow you to make the most of your car and hopefully make charging and navigating a bit easier.
Plan your route in advance
If you know where you need to go with your electric car, it is useful to plan your route in advance. Using a navigation app is the obvious choice, and you can do this with Google Maps. However, this app does not automatically add charging stations to your route.
That’s why we recommend using Chargemap and A Better Route Planner. These apps allow you to easily navigate from point A to point B while taking charging breaks into account along the way. You can specify the details of your car (battery size and charging speed), and the apps will calculate your trip for you. This saves a lot of searching while you’re on the road.
Before you get into the car
Before you leave, it is useful to check if your electric car has a companion app. Many car brands offer apps that allow you to connect your own car. For example, Tesla, BMW, Polestar, and Volkswagen all have their own apps.
In some cases, these apps let you unlock your car with your smartphone, control your heating, or remotely check your car’s battery level to plan for charging stops en route.
Recharging is easily arranged
If you haven’t planned in advance which charging station you need, you can easily search for one using your smartphone. For example, you can use the apps from the charging station providers themselves, such as Fastned and Shell Recharge.
In these apps, you can find maps with public charging stations in the Netherlands along with the relevant information. This way, you can determine the types of chargers available and check if they are occupied.
You can also use Tesla’s network of car chargers with the aforementioned Tesla app, even if you don’t drive a Tesla. You can easily find a Supercharger, connect your car to the charging station, and pay via the app.
With Plug Share, you can not only use public charging stations but also access private individuals who offer their own charging stations at home. This is especially useful in areas with limited public charging stations or when they are all occupied. Please note that private stations may charge your car at a slower rate.
Found a charging station? Instead of paying with a physical charging card, you can choose to pay with your smartphone. The Smoov app comes in handy for this. This application makes digital payment easier. You can link your credit card to your account, and Smoov ensures that your payment is processed correctly.
We hope that these apps will be helpful for your future rides. Of course, these are not the only apps you can use for your electric car, as the Play Store is full of providers that can help you find charging stations, make payments, and plan routes.
If you have any other recommendations, please let us know in the comments below, and we might include them next time.
More useful Android apps:
Source: Android Planet