4 ms·

this isn't really the author's point - but woe on anyone who tries to sign up for the myriad of third party charging web sites to get charging to work. I am lo

this isn't really the author's point - but woe on anyone who tries to sign up for the myriad of third party charging web sites to get charging to work. I am looking at you EVGo, Enel X Way, Electrify America, Charge point,etc. None of these just let you swipe a card and pay. None of the level 2 or level 3 chargers has the basic functionality you get at a gas pump: you can just pay with a card. No - you need to download the app, sign up, do f*ing email verification, enter your credit card, enter the station number in the app because the QR Scanning doesn't work. All to find out that the stupid charger refuses to talk to your car. To add insult to injury -there are failure points everyway through this process. Not enough bandwidth to download the bloated app, the email verification doesn't work. Have you tried calling the support number on a charger? That's really an exercise in self torture. So yes, EV Chargers should be a lot dumber. Take my money, give my electrons, and screw off about everything else.

mulmen 3y ago
The really mind blowing part is that some chargers do have card readers on them but they are as reliable as the chargers themselves. The Electrify America app works exactly as well as you would expect. Which is to say barely at all. First it is slow. Like, calling-a-thousand-recursive-lambdas slow. Second, it will get stuck on previous sessions so you can't start a new one. Third, support's script tells them to make you log out even though this doesn't fix the problem. Fourth, the login form in the app doesn't tag the password field to utilize iOS keychain so after logging out you have to know your password off the top of your head. The entire experience is one unending papercut. It's modern UXD meets bootcamp quality code. And it's still the best network I have used! Chargepoint may as well not even exist!
- kccqzy 3y ago
  Download an Electrify America virtual membership pass and you'll never need the app any more. Just use NFC. I suspect the UX in the app is so poor because nobody really uses the app to initiate charging. Just tap your phone and done. It even works without cellular signal. With such superior UX I don't see why anyone still uses the app.
  - mulmen 3y ago
    Cool, I didn't know that was an option! I was on a road trip in a rental so it was all new to me. Electrify America did "ship" me a card but I never received it. Do charging sessions still get stuck with the NFC method?
  - bdcravens 3y ago
    If you have a promo plan, you want to make sure you set it to your default plan, otherwise the NFC pass may use the card you have on file instead. For those that use one EA account with multiple household cars, there's no easy way to jump between those plans without using the app.
    - harshaw 3y ago
      Yes. The only way I know to charge my ioniq5 is by doing it via the app to get the free charging. I didn't know I could make it my promo plan the default plan for tap to paly.
KirillPanov 3y ago
Unfortunately corporations are unable to allow your valuable data to be "left on the table".
kccqzy 3y ago
Electrify America does allow paying by card. And federal regulations are going to require it for all public charging stations. This, I'm not worried at all.
rsync 3y ago
I can only speak for chargepoint but I did, in fact, just tap a card and pay for charging a month or two ago. No phone, no app, no signup. Granted, it was a shared station that was sharing what was probably only a 20/240 circuit but ... it worked. (California)
dpkirchner 3y ago
I'm hoping that by the time I buy an EV regulators will force these charging companies to accept cash. Ideally, that would mean not having to use their apps.
- bdcravens 3y ago
  Gas stations that are closed but let you use the pumps have no such mandate. CC readers are all that is necessary, and many if not all charging stations have card readers.
vel0city 3y ago
> None of these just let you swipe a card and pay. None of the level 2 or level 3 chargers has the basic functionality you get at a gas pump I've absolutely done many charging sessions at EVGo, Electrify America, Chargepoint, and others by just swiping a credit card.
- harshaw 3y ago
  maybe I exaggerated - but there are certainly networks out there that do not allow swiping a card. But it's still really annoying that I have a 5-10 charging apps on my phone. why?
  - vel0city 3y ago
    > But it's still really annoying that I have a 5-10 charging apps on my phone. why? Because you installed them I guess? The only app I have on my phone is Plugshare and I use CCS chargers every now and then, every time its been either plug and charge or credit card chip read.
  - kccqzy 3y ago
    The only reason I download these apps is to sign up for their membership so I can get discounts. It's really no different if someone wants to download the Chevron app to get discounts at a gas pump. It's individuals' choice whether the hassle of an additional app is worth some discount.

mulmen 3y ago

The really mind blowing part is that some chargers do have card readers on them but they are as reliable as the chargers themselves. The Electrify America app works exactly as well as you would expect. Which is to say barely at all. First it is slow. Like, calling-a-thousand-recursive-lambdas slow. Second, it will get stuck on previous sessions so you can't start a new one. Third, support's script tells them to make you log out even though this doesn't fix the problem. Fourth, the login form in the app doesn't tag the password field to utilize iOS keychain so after logging out you have to know your password off the top of your head. The entire experience is one unending papercut. It's modern UXD meets bootcamp quality code. And it's still the best network I have used! Chargepoint may as well not even exist!

kccqzy 3y ago
Download an Electrify America virtual membership pass and you'll never need the app any more. Just use NFC. I suspect the UX in the app is so poor because nobody really uses the app to initiate charging. Just tap your phone and done. It even works without cellular signal. With such superior UX I don't see why anyone still uses the app.
- mulmen 3y ago
  Cool, I didn't know that was an option! I was on a road trip in a rental so it was all new to me. Electrify America did "ship" me a card but I never received it. Do charging sessions still get stuck with the NFC method?
- bdcravens 3y ago
  If you have a promo plan, you want to make sure you set it to your default plan, otherwise the NFC pass may use the card you have on file instead. For those that use one EA account with multiple household cars, there's no easy way to jump between those plans without using the app.
  - harshaw 3y ago
    Yes. The only way I know to charge my ioniq5 is by doing it via the app to get the free charging. I didn't know I could make it my promo plan the default plan for tap to paly.

KirillPanov 3y ago

Unfortunately corporations are unable to allow your valuable data to be "left on the table".

kccqzy 3y ago

Electrify America does allow paying by card. And federal regulations are going to require it for all public charging stations. This, I'm not worried at all.

rsync 3y ago

I can only speak for chargepoint but I did, in fact, just tap a card and pay for charging a month or two ago. No phone, no app, no signup. Granted, it was a shared station that was sharing what was probably only a 20/240 circuit but ... it worked. (California)

dpkirchner 3y ago

I'm hoping that by the time I buy an EV regulators will force these charging companies to accept cash. Ideally, that would mean not having to use their apps.

bdcravens 3y ago
Gas stations that are closed but let you use the pumps have no such mandate. CC readers are all that is necessary, and many if not all charging stations have card readers.

vel0city 3y ago

> None of these just let you swipe a card and pay. None of the level 2 or level 3 chargers has the basic functionality you get at a gas pump I've absolutely done many charging sessions at EVGo, Electrify America, Chargepoint, and others by just swiping a credit card.

harshaw 3y ago
maybe I exaggerated - but there are certainly networks out there that do not allow swiping a card. But it's still really annoying that I have a 5-10 charging apps on my phone. why?
- vel0city 3y ago
  > But it's still really annoying that I have a 5-10 charging apps on my phone. why? Because you installed them I guess? The only app I have on my phone is Plugshare and I use CCS chargers every now and then, every time its been either plug and charge or credit card chip read.
- kccqzy 3y ago
  The only reason I download these apps is to sign up for their membership so I can get discounts. It's really no different if someone wants to download the Chevron app to get discounts at a gas pump. It's individuals' choice whether the hassle of an additional app is worth some discount.