Google announced earlier this year that Android Auto would be updated with new categories of apps, including tools specifically aimed at EVs.
And as it turns out, PlugShare, which right now is one of the leading apps in this category, is also one of the first to join the Android Auto ecosystem, as a beta build has recently been released to testers.
PlugShare is currently one of the top apps to find charging stations in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and it allows users to publish reviews and connect with other EV owners quite easily.
In North America, it supports the majority of charging stations, including Tesla SuperCharger, Blink, ChargePoint, Webasto, and SemaConnect, while in Europe, it can point drivers to innogy, Inonity, Enel, Polar, and Clever charging points.
Needless to say, PlugShare on Android Auto works exactly as you’d expect it to work. When you find a specific charging point that you want to go to, the app opens the navigation app you’re using on Android Auto, such as Google Maps and Waze, and then provides directions to reach it.
The experience overall is pretty straightforward, and each charging station is displayed within the app with ratings and reviews, while also providing users with a series of filters to only display compatible units, as per this reddit thread.
While the app is already in beta testing, there’s no ETA as to when it could go live for everyone, though there’s a chance it won’t take too long before this happens.
As for a CarPlay version of PlugShare, the parent company has so far remained tight-lipped on such an update, but there’s a chance it’d come rather sooner than later as well. Apple itself unlocked CarPlay for more app categories with the release of iOS 14, and now there’s a good chance PlugShare is already exploring ways to benefit from this update and bring its app to drivers using an iPhone.
PlugShare is currently one of the top apps to find charging stations in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and it allows users to publish reviews and connect with other EV owners quite easily.
In North America, it supports the majority of charging stations, including Tesla SuperCharger, Blink, ChargePoint, Webasto, and SemaConnect, while in Europe, it can point drivers to innogy, Inonity, Enel, Polar, and Clever charging points.
Needless to say, PlugShare on Android Auto works exactly as you’d expect it to work. When you find a specific charging point that you want to go to, the app opens the navigation app you’re using on Android Auto, such as Google Maps and Waze, and then provides directions to reach it.
The experience overall is pretty straightforward, and each charging station is displayed within the app with ratings and reviews, while also providing users with a series of filters to only display compatible units, as per this reddit thread.
While the app is already in beta testing, there’s no ETA as to when it could go live for everyone, though there’s a chance it won’t take too long before this happens.
As for a CarPlay version of PlugShare, the parent company has so far remained tight-lipped on such an update, but there’s a chance it’d come rather sooner than later as well. Apple itself unlocked CarPlay for more app categories with the release of iOS 14, and now there’s a good chance PlugShare is already exploring ways to benefit from this update and bring its app to drivers using an iPhone.