What are the best apps for EV drivers?

Electric cars are packed with technology, and the latest models often include everything from creature comforts such as heated seats and climate control, through to the latest and most advanced batteries.

To make the most of your new EV and ensure that you are not only enjoying the most hassle-free experience, but also a budget and climate friendly one, you might want to consider downloading some highly rated apps.

There are many different EV driver apps available, from ones designed to help you make the most of your car, to ones that help with charging.

To make life easier for you, Tusker has put together a handy list of the ones that our drivers rate the best:

1. The manufacturer app designed for your car.

The best way to understand your EV and to benefit from all of its features is usually through the official ‘companion’ app that manufacturers design to go with each car.

Designed to help you operate your car easily, these apps can give you access to a host of remote features such as heating and cooling, a precise location of where the car is and even how long until the car is finished charging. They also show you some really useful data.

If you like the idea of getting into a warm car on a frosty morning, or a nicely cooled on a hot summer’s day, being able to precondition your battery for a rapid charge or even check your car’s state of charge from anywhere, then one of these apps will be ideal.

Installing the car’s manufacturer companion app often gives you access to many features such as:

• Checking your battery’s charge state without having to get into your car
• Monitor servicing needs and the car’s overall condition
• Scheduled charging times to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates
• Checking when battery charging will be complete
• Viewing estimates of your car’s available driving range
• Turn the climate control system on or off so your vehicle is at the perfect temperature when you get in
• Precondition your battery for faster charging or optimum range
• Location tracking of the car (handy if you can’t remember where it’s parked!)
• Lock and unlock the car without a key (although this is not a standard function of all vehicles)

2. Zap-Map

One of the most trusted apps to help you find a charger, Zap-Map, is so good that Tusker has made it an official partner. Free to use, Zap-Map is full of handy features for EV drivers.

With this app, you can plan journey routes, find charging points on a journey, search for chargers near your current location or destination. With Zap-Map Premium, you get additional features, such as information on which chargers are in use or out of service. You can filter your search results by charging speed and read comments from users about their charging experiences to make sure that you are on your way to an easy charge, every time. Additionally, Premium users can access the app via Apple Car Play and Android Auto for a hands-free experience when on the move.

3. Zap-Pay

Sadly, there’s not an obvious ‘silver bullet’ app that gives you access to every EV charger in the UK, but Zap-Pay comes close. A new service from Tusker’s partner, Zap-Map, allows you to search for chargers, plan a route and pay for charging all in one app. Zap-Pay works across most of the UK’s most popular charging networks, meaning that users no longer need to set up multiple accounts across each one, with this app, you can pay for charging, keep track of your charging progress and see all of your charging costs in one place. Simple!

4. Plug Share

Are you planning on heading abroad in your EV? If so, check out Tusker’s guide to driving an EV in Europe here.  After that, you might want to download an app like PlugShare that lists chargers close to your locations or at a given destination on the Continent. It covers most of Europe and North America, which makes it an ideal companion when you are exploring new places and need to charge. As an additional bonus, PlugShare allows you to filter your results by chargers best suited to a given EV, so you can find the best option for your car.

 5. EV Hotels

Before you plan a road trip in your electric car, why not make life easy by finding a hotel that has a charging point. The EV Hotels app costs £2.99 and provides you with access to online maps which include hotel charge points, and hotels near charge points, all around the world. With the ability to find and reserve (with selected hotel groups) the perfect hotel for you and your car, this app makes it easy to find somewhere to stay where you and your car can recharge your batteries together.

6. WhenToPlugIn

Adopting an EV is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint, but the UK’s power grid isn’t yet powered by entirely green energy. WhenToPlugIn is a great app for the environmentally conscious looking to charge their cars in the greenest way. Sorted by region, users can monitor the electricity supply and charge their vehicles when high levels of renewable energy are powering the grid or avoid charging using fossil-fuel generated power.

The app measures and forecasts the levels of green energy available up to 48h in advance, with the ability to set reminders to charge your car at the greenest possible charging times.

7. Optiwatt

Energy prices go up and down and while driving an EV remains cheaper than fuelling a combustion engine car, there are always additional ways to save money. Charging at cheaper times can dramatically reduce your running costs, and Optiwatt helps you do just that.

This app can automatically schedule charging when the rates are at their lowest or can be set to charge your car using greener electricity sources. For total efficiency, you can even optimise charging an EV using cheaper or greener rates in time for you to set off with a full charge.

8. Co Charger

The UK has around 400,000 home chargers across the country, and by helping drivers share their chargers, CoCharger is helping to make life easier, through sharing. This clever app allows people with EV chargers to share them with neighbours and manages the entire process of matchmaking between ‘hosts’ with chargers, and guests who want to charge. You can communicate with hosts or guests for your electricity use, through the app, making borrowing a charging point an easy and simple process.