If you are a new owner of an electric vehicle (EV) or are planning to rent one, you might be worried about how to find a charger if you need one. Maybe you are planning a road trip, need to drive long distances for work, or just want to know where to find one on your way to or from a destination. Luckily, there are several EV trip planners available, both in online and app form. We’ll tell you about some of them so you can find the best EV trip planner to meet your needs.
ChargeHub
ChargeHub offers an EV trip planner that shows you charging stations along your route. You’ll need to enter a start and end location to begin, then you can enter trip details like what unit of measurement you’d like to use. There is also the option to customize your trip by choosing a maximum charging station distance from your route or distance between stations. The tool also offers turn-by-turn directions and the ability to save and share your routes. One thing to note: The trip planner is only available for the US and Canada.
Availability: Online, iOS and Android apps
A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)
You can use this app worldwide to plan your next trip in an EV. Enter the vehicle model and your destination, and you’ll get information like where to stop for charging and how long the trip will take. There is also the option to add waypoints if you want to make stops along the way. You can also use the app’s driving mode for navigation if you need to. However, users say that the tool is best for pre-planning your trip rather than relying on it for navigation, which can sometimes be buggy.
Availability: Online, iOS and Android apps
PlugShare
As both an app and online tool, PlugShare allows you to find nearby charging stations based on the type of charger you need, brand of charging station like Tesla Supercharger and Shell Recharge, and more. There’s also a trip planner where you put in your starting location and destination and it gives you driving directions and shows chargers along the way that correspond with your filters. You can name your trip and save it for easy access later when you’re on the road. You have to register to use the Trip Planner, but it’s free. Other features of PlugShare also require registration to use, like writing reviews, saving your vehicle and charger filters, and getting alerts when chargers open up near you.
EVNavigation
You can use this app and website to get turn-by-turn navigation and route planning for your EV. There is the option to find charging stations, but you can also enter your vehicle make and model and it will calculate the range you can cover based on different parameters like wind and temperature. The tool also takes into account the charging time and planned route, so you get the fastest route with the shortest amount of time waiting for charging.
Availability: Online, iOS and Android apps
Roadtrippers
The popular app and online road trip planner allows you to filter for EV charging. After entering your starting and ending locations, you can go to the Fuel & Rest Stops category and click on filters. Select Electric Vehicle Charging and you’ll see options along your route. You can sort by popularity or rating, and also click on each charger to see information about it like opening hours.
