81–90 of 101 posts
Germany already has a pretty good charging network, yet EV adoption is very slow. This will not change much. Charging infrastructure is only a small part of making EVs appealing, although it is obviously a necessary prerequisite.
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So Walmart's chargers require it. But EVs can charge at places other than Walmart. So a valid response to "Why does charging an EV require use of an app" is, it doesn't, other places don't require it.
The article is about Walmart chargers 8-/ Even aside from that, many charging networks _do_ require "membership", "running the app", and often even require a pre-established balance on the account for the most convenient charging process. It seems Walmart is also planning to follow this strategy, which is the point of the original objection.
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US-specific issue
Is it? I think it's a problem in the UK too. Every charging network seems to have its own associated app. Planning long journeys means having an app for every stop. It really shouldn't.
Makes a lot of sense from my amateur perspective. It takes a bit of time to charge a car, and you might as well use it to buy your groceries. Plus I'm sure WM can get a sensible bulk discount on electricity. Add to that, you can make people use your app and show them targeted adverts. You can get them to buy any bulk goods for pickup when they are charging the car.
If they force you to use an app it'll make their charging stations useless for me and anyone else who refuses.
Sigh. Plug and pay charging is so much better. It’s not like this is a Tesla only feature. Ford has thousands of chargers beyond SuperChargers that just work for plug and pay.
Germany already has a pretty good charging network, yet EV adoption is very slow. This will not change much. Charging infrastructure is only a small part of making EVs appealing, although it is obviously a necessary prerequisite.
All because VW ID series flopped due to awful software while keeping pretty high cost when compared to competition (and Germans generally buy German cars).
The IDs right now are also selling quite well, with VW Brand leading the manufacturer charts.
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Yeah, basically every public charger in the continental EU is going to be on the intercharge network.
I'd love it if that's now true, has there been some change in this? Last time I looked into it InterCharge (OICP) was still just 1 of 4 competing protocols along with OCPI, OCHP and eMIP. Has OICP displaced the others now or are they still fighting it out?
The salient point is the consumer perspective: I can have one generic app to handle charging payments for basically any public charge point and I interact the same way with all of them, I put the plug in my car and scan a QR code.
The debate in that unified market is more about price discrimination, because prices at a given charge point may vary depending on who operates it versus who your e-mobility provider is. Which is quite annoying in itself and should be fixed. But paying 59 ct/kWh vs. 69 ct/kWh is quite different from having a dedicated "car charging apps" folder on your phone.
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It depends on where you live and the time of day. I've seen some above $0.60 in Pennsylvania.
Sure, but in Texas?
DCFC is a good bit more expensive than a L2 charge.
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If they force you to use an app it'll make their charging stations useless for me and anyone else who refuses.
The State of Charge YouTube video that covered the announcement and visited a site in McKinney, TX indicated it did need the Walmart app[0]. Sigh. Plug and pay charging is so much better. It’s not like this is a Tesla only feature. Ford has thousands of chargers beyond SuperChargers that just work for plug and pay. [0]: https://youtu.be/_UIVp8Upvj8?si=eX9EMWKi6sho4DnT