ChargePoint

Review by eFreeware

ChargePoint is a free Android app from ChargePoint, Inc., the company behind the charging network of the same name. It sits in the Maps & Navigation category and does two jobs at once: helping you find a place to charge when you are out and about, and managing a ChargePoint Home Flex charger at home.

The main reason to consider it is breadth. The developer says the app opens up more than a million charging locations across North America and Europe, and that a single payment method works not only on ChargePoint stations but also on hundreds of thousands of ports run by partner providers such as EVgo, FLO, Blink and EV Connect. For a driver who would rather not juggle several accounts and cards, that consolidation is the pitch.

It has been on Google Play since June 2011 and carries a 3.8 average from 53,922 ratings, with more than a million installs. There are no ads and no in-app purchases, so the app itself costs nothing to use.

Finding a station that fits your car and your route

The core of the app is search. You can narrow the map to stations compatible with your car, then filter further for AC or DC fast chargers depending on how long you are willing to wait. That distinction matters on a longer drive, where a fast charger is the difference between a short stop and a long one.

Each station entry carries the details that decide whether a stop is worth making: whether a spot is available, what it costs, when it tends to be busy, and what other drivers have said about it. Charging history is there too, which is useful when you are trying to remember how a particular site performed on an earlier trip.

The app also folds in what is around the charger. You can pick a station because there is a restaurant nearby, a grocery store to duck into, or a coffee shop to wait in. That is a small feature in theory, but it changes how a charging stop fits into a day rather than interrupting it.

Navigation and paying for a session

Once you have chosen a station, the app provides turn-by-turn directions on your phone and through Android Auto. Routing to a charger is not complicated in itself, but having it inside the same app you used to find the station removes a step, and Android Auto support means the directions can appear on the car's display.

Starting a charge is handled through a payment method you set up once. The developer lists credit and debit cards and Google Pay among the options, and says the same method covers partner networks as well as ChargePoint's own stations. If you prefer not to reach for a phone at the charger, you can add a virtual card to Google Wallet and tap to begin, or request an RFID card and activate it for the same purpose.

The appeal here is consistency. Whatever combination of card, wallet or tag you choose, the goal is that it works at any station the app supports, rather than requiring a different routine at each network.

Home charging, workplace charging and your own numbers

For drivers with a ChargePoint Home Flex, the app is also the control panel. Setup and control happen in the app, and the developer says the unit charges up to nine times faster than a standard household outlet. You can schedule charging for the hours when electricity rates are lower, and set reminders so you remember to plug in when you get home.

Utility discount programs can bring the cost of home charging down further where a provider offers one. The most recent update included a fix for a utility event opt-out option that was not appearing, along with improved guidance for updating your account profile and general bug fixes.

Workplace charging gets its own treatment. You can join your employer's program to pick up whatever benefits it includes, and if every station is occupied you can join a waitlist instead of circling the lot. At the end of the day you leave with a full battery.

All of it rolls into one activity view. Home, work and public sessions appear together, with figures for cost and energy use, so you can see what your driving actually costs rather than estimating it.

What the app expects from you

The trade-offs are mostly about what the app is built around. It is tied to the ChargePoint ecosystem: home charging management assumes a ChargePoint Home Flex, and workplace features assume your employer runs a program through the network. Neither is a flaw, but both mean parts of the app will sit unused if you drive a different brand of charger or work somewhere without a charging setup.

Payment is the other thing to think through. To start a session you need a payment method on file, whether that is a card, Google Pay, a virtual card in Google Wallet or an activated RFID card. That is standard for a charging app, but it does mean browsing stations comes with a payment method attached.

The rating is worth noting as context rather than a verdict. A 3.8 average across tens of thousands of ratings is respectable without being glowing, and a charging app's usefulness depends heavily on hardware and network conditions that vary by location, so your own experience may differ from the average.

Drivers who will get the most from it

This is an app for EV owners who charge in more than one place. If your week involves public stations, a charger at the office and a home unit, keeping all of that in one account with one payment method is the point. The nearby-amenities search and the combined activity view reinforce that: they are features for people who treat charging as part of ordinary errands and commutes rather than a rare event.

It also suits anyone planning longer trips across North America or Europe, where the ability to filter by connector type and charger speed, check availability and read other drivers' notes before committing to a detour saves real time. Turn-by-turn directions and Android Auto support fit that same use case.

If you own a ChargePoint Home Flex, the case is stronger still.

Support is part of the offer as well. You can reach a real person by chat at any hour, which matters when a session will not start and you are standing at a station.

A practical pick for multi-location EV charging

ChargePoint is a well-established, free app that covers the two halves of EV ownership: finding and paying for public charging, and managing charging at home. The catalog of locations across North America and Europe, the filter options, the partner-network payment and the Home Flex controls add up to a genuinely useful tool for the right driver.

The caveats are structural rather than surprising. Home charging features revolve around ChargePoint's own hardware, and workplace features depend on your employer's program. None of that undermines the app; it simply defines the audience.

If you drive an EV and charge in several places, this is worth installing. If your charging happens entirely through a different brand's home unit or a single workplace setup outside the network, the app will be less relevant to you, and the 3.8 average suggests that experiences vary by location and hardware.

What's new

-Improved account profile update guidance. -Fixed utility event opt-out option not showing up. -Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.