If you're on a road trip in the US, you have access to over 100,000 gas stations across the country. That's more than double the number of public charging stations where you can charge an EV.
Because charging an EV takes longer than filling up a combustion car, you should know exactly where to find EV chargers along your route. For that, you need to use apps on your smartphone, so here are the best apps for EV route planning.
1. Tesla App
According to Statista, Tesla is the most popular EV brand in the world. If you drive a Tesla, you would be better suited to use its app for route planning because it grants you access to over 35,000 Superchargers across the country—this is the biggest EV charging network in North America.
Owners of non-Tesla EVs with the CCS charging connector can also use the Tesla app to access Tesla Magic Dock Superchargers, which you can find in a handful of locations in North America. Brands like Ford, Rivian, Polestar, Volvo, and GM announced their EVs will access the Tesla Supercharger network by early 2024, and they will be equipped with NACS ports and adapters. This means that if you’re driving a non-Tesla EV, you will have the privilege of having native access to Tesla Supercharger stations in North America.
But if you're driving a Tesla, you have the privilege to request roadside assistance and schedule service maintenance through the app. Another cool feature is being able to track your vehicle's location on your phone. If you're not a Tesla driver, you could use other apps to track your car.
Download: Tesla for Android | iOS (Free)
2. EV Hotels
If you want to sleep in a hotel and charge your vehicle overnight, the EV Hotels app can make it easier for you. Its map displays hotels that offer EV charging stations along your route. It also lets you know which levels of chargers are available in the hotels: standard, fast, or Superchargers.
If you can't find a hotel with EV chargers along your route, the app will recommend amenities with ample parking and chargers nearby. Subscribed members can reserve a hotel room and charging spot in advance and garner reward points in their favorite hotel brands across the country.
Download: EVHotels for iOS ($2.99)
3. A Better Route Planner
A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is available on the Google Play Store and App Store; you can also install it on your car's dashboard screen web browser. Unlike Tesla's app, which is limited to its Supercharger network, A Better Route Planner covers all the public EV chargers on your route. Better yet, you can connect it to your Tesla account to share your driving data to help improve accuracy.
If you're not driving a Tesla, you can include your car model details on the app to calculate your range, charging time, and energy consumption. Beyond that, the ABRP app also tells you the road conditions, wind, temperature, weather, and routes to avoid—basically, everything you need to know to plan your trip without any hiccups.
Download: A Better Route Planner for Android | iOS (Free)
4. PlugShare
PlugShare is one of the most popular EV route-planning apps. What makes it unique is that it doesn't require you to register an account to find nearby public EV chargers. However, if you set up an account, you can include your EV car model to predict your range and charging time accurately. The app will also tell you the compatible plugs for your EV at each charging station.
What's more, you can use the app to find locations with amenities lodging, dining, Wi-Fi, restrooms, valet parking, and shopping. The best part is that the PlugShare app is free and covers almost all countries worldwide.
One downside is that the Plugshare app doesn't automatically let you know which chargers are occupied. You have to manually check which charging stalls are free every time you’re approaching a charging stop.
Download: PlugShare app for Android | iOS (Free)
5. Charge Point
If you hate driving to a station and finding a charger you thought was available is occupied, the ChargePoint app can solve that problem. If a charging station is busy, the app will notify you using a blue pin, and if a charger is available, you will see a location with a green pin on the app.
Before using a charging station, you can use the app to calculate how much you will spend to top up your EV. It also lets you know the charging status of your EV and the estimated charging time.
Besides that, you can use the ChargePoint app to access over 31,000 charging points in North America, including chargers located around major US university campuses. This makes it the second-largest EV charging network provider in the U.S. after Tesla. You can charge any EV brand at ChargePoint stations, and the service provider is also adopting Tesla’s NACS connectors.
We also like that ChargePoint has partnered with hotels and convenience stores to offer exclusive discounts to its app customers. Better yet, you can integrate this app into your home charger so that you can monitor your EV anytime you want—but you first need to make your home EV ready.
Download: ChargePoint app for Android | iOS (Free)
6. Google Maps
Even though you can't use Google Maps to estimate the range of your electric vehicle, it can tell you the speed and type of port supported by nearby charging stations. If you're living in the US or UK, Google Maps will provide real-time data on available charging stations, so you don't have to line up.
But what gives Google Maps an advantage over other apps for EV routing is that it can show all the amenities along your route—from garages, restaurants, and hotels to convenience stores. In addition to that, you can activate Google Assistant Driving Mode by using Google Maps.
Download: Google Maps for Android | iOS (Free)
Find the Best EV Route Planning Apps for You
If you're planning a trip in your EV, it's best to use several of these planning apps simultaneously. Yes, you read that right. For instance, if you want to find the most convenient hotels for charging EVs, your best options would be Google Maps and EV Hotels.
But if you want a route planner that can accurately tell you everything about your EV battery's status, you should consider A Better Route Planner and the Tesla app.
Similarly, the PlugShare app has one of the largest databases of public EV chargers in the world, and the Charge Point app will tell you if a charging station is busy. It's up to you to find the most suitable app for your EV route planning.