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> Why does charging an EV require use of an app? It doesn't. Almost all DC fast charging I've done has been plug and charge or with a normal credit card termin
by vel0city 2y ago
> Why does charging an EV require use of an app?
It doesn't. Almost all DC fast charging I've done has been plug and charge or with a normal credit card terminal.
Meanwhile when I buy gas at QT or Sam's Club I pay through an app.
- johnea 2y agoFirst 2 steps on Walmart's instruction page: * Donwload the Walmart app * Scan the QR code
- vel0city 2y agoSo Walmart's chargers require it. But EVs can charge at places other than Walmart. So a valid response to "Why does charging an EV require use of an app" is, it doesn't, other places don't require it.
- johnea 2y agoThe article is about Walmart chargers 8-/ Even aside from that, many charging networks _do_ require "membership", "running the app", and often even require a pre-established balance on the account for the most convenient charging process. It seems Walmart is also planning to follow this strategy, which is the point of the original objection.
- vel0city 2y agoYour comment wasn't scoped to only Walmart chargers. It was scoped to "EV charging", which often doesn't require an app. As mentioned, the vast majority of my public DCFC experiences haven't used an app at all.
- dzhiurgis 2y agoAdd to tourism gatekeeping checklist - a verified US phone number or local bank account (popular in Europe). Oh and the "app is not available in your country".
- iwanttocomment 2y agoI've driven EVs since 2013 across several states and I've never once encountered a functioning public charging station in the US that has a credit card reader and does not require payment and/or access via an app. I'm all in favor of it, and I understand they technically exist, but perhaps your specific locality requires that? It's in no way my experience.
- fullstop 2y agoThere's an EVGo station near me which works with a credit card reader. Since my car supports plug and charge on that network, I used that.
- vel0city 2y agoI've driven EVs in the US across several states since 2021 and I've run across several dozen DCFC that accepted nothing but a credit card reader.
- iwanttocomment 2y agoYou should consider yourself a lucky individual who has had a very different experience than many of us longtime EV drivers have had. (I should note that I have occasionally encountered charging stations that had integrated credit card readers, but they have all been out of service.)
- floxy 2y agoElectrify America doesn't require you to use an app in the Pacific Northwest. You can just pay with a credit card.