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How to Develop an EV Charging Station App: Practical Case

Published: June 17, 2024

17 min read

Nowadays, the EV industry is developing faster and becoming an affordable mode of transportation for any driver. This is not only a convenient and comfortable way to travel but also an environmentally friendly, economical vehicle.

Elon Musk, the owner of the well-known Tesla electric automobiles company and Tesla Supercharge stations, once said:

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors

I seriously believe that in 30 years the majority of cars produced in the USA will be electric. And I'm not talking about hybrid electric vehicles, but all-electric vehicles.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors

We can't predict the future, but Fortune Business Insights published a research report and by 2028 the market for charging stations will be estimated at about $111.90 billion. And the average annual growth rate is 30.26%. In addition to the growing availability of EV charging networks around the world, there is a demand to develop an online app for mobile devices that will help EV owners:

  • search for nearby stations;
  • find out the necessary information (type of charging, power, and so on);
  • calculate charging time and cost;
  • track all your charging sessions in one app.

During the EV charging app development, you may encounter problems such as how to create a map of charging stations, how to track the status and charge level of an electric car, or how to receive real-time data from the charging station. And in this article, we’ll explain in detail all the necessary information that’s useful for EV app development. Let’s start!

 
 

🤓 Understanding EV Charging Station Apps

Let's start with the basics: what is an EV charging app?

The EV (Electric Vehicle) Charging App is a mobile application designed to help electric vehicle owners find, access, and use suitable car charging stations.

Such applications play a crucial role for both drivers and EV charging station owners (especially when you aim to develop a BMS software to enhance battery management alongside charging.)Among the main benefits of using such an application are a simplified charging process, information about the location of charging stations, availability of free charging slots, and supported charging connectors.

An example of a charging stations app

An EV charging station app, utilizing advanced technologies, seamlessly integrates real-time data and smart grid features to provide users with efficient and convenient charging solutions.

(image by The VektorDen)

Additionally, in such an application, you can immediately see the cost of charging and other important station details, which we will discuss further in the article.

🥇 Best Real-world Examples of EV Charging Station Applications

Right now, there are a lot of EV charging apps on the market, and we've highlighted the most popular ones:

ChargePoint

ChargePoint is one of the largest EV charging networks, offering a variety of charger types and detailed charging statistics to users. The ChargePoint network has over 31,900 charging stations in the United States.

The benefit of this app is that you can search for stations from other providers outside the ChargePoint network.

Electrify America

Supported by Volkswagen's investment, Electrify America focuses on high-speed charging infrastructure with over 900 stations and over 4,000 DC fast charging connectors, making long-distance travel in an EV more feasible.

Electrify America offers a nationwide network of charging stations in app with real-time availability and pricing information. The app allows users to pay for charging sessions and plan their trips accordingly.

An example of accessible charging app development

An EV charging station app helps users locate and utilize electric vehicle charging points, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions by promoting the use of cleaner energy sources.

(image by Kristina Spiridonova)

PlugShare

PlugShare is the most popular EV charging station locator app. An app provide a wide range of features such as:

  • PlugScores are the places with the highest ratings from users.
  • Check-ins: share user evaluations and advice.
  • Vehicle profiles: choose plugs that are compatible.
  • Drivers are assisted with last-mile navigation by photos and station data.
  • Users can report problems or submit new charging sites through community moderation for public charging locations.
  • Drivers can refine their preferred locations with the use of strong filters.
  • Trip Planner is useful for organizing longer road trips that need to be recharged en route.
  • Users may quickly pay for charging at participating sites using our mobile app by using PlugShare Pay.
  • The PlugShare community's shared home chargers assist in bridging the gaps in the public charging network.
  • If necessary, messaging enables drivers to collaborate with one another.
  • Users can receive notifications when a new charging station is set up close by.

EVgo

An EVgo app specializes in DC fast charging and provides real-time information on charger status. The app also allows users to pay for charging sessions directly through the app. With a focus on fast charging, EVgo's network is expanding in urban areas and along highways, offering convenient charging options for electric vehicle owners.

An example of locating nearby charging stations

Also, EV charging station app is an essential tool for EV fleet operators, providing comprehensive fleet management capabilities to monitor charging status, optimize routes, and ensure efficient energy use.

(image by MindInventory)

Tesla

Tesla operates and owns the biggest fast charging network in the world, with over 50,000 Superchargers. You can check the availability of Supercharger stalls, keep an eye on your charge level, and receive alerts when you're ready to go via the Tesla app.

Recently, Tesla opened its service to all electric vehicle owners.

📱 Key Features of the Application for Charging Electric Vehicles

What are the main features that you should keep in mind when you started electric vehicle app development? We have collected all the useful information that will help you make your charging station business more successful. Read on!

 

View all EV charging stations on the map

Let the car owner see all EV charging points on the map. Thanks to this feature, the driver will be able to see and find charging stations in his city or country and feel more confident when building a route.

To make your map more user-friendly, electric car charging stations can be highlighted in different colors to indicate station hours and availability. This will help to locate the charging station.

An example of how to display a map in EV charging station finder app (image by By Elinor Weiss)

The map can be made a bit interactive. In addition to the usual charging station icons, add indications if the charging station is busy, if it is working (red or green illuminated), and if there are free places to charge.

 
 

Book a slot at the station

Slot booking at the electric car charging station allows the driver to take a certain time to use the charging station and the right connector.

Often, EV charging app developers confuse the concept of booking and reservation. The main difference between these two options is that booking allows you to book a seat at the station in the future (in a couple of days or weeks) and reservation - the ability to take a seat at the station after a short period of time. For example, a driver is driving around the city, found in the application the nearest station, and reserves it so that no one would take it during the journey to the destination.

You can add both features to your station finder app or choose one. When choosing the booking function, be aware of the problem that may arise and slow down stations. Sometimes EV drivers book a station several times in a row for their convenience. Half of this time the station is free and also not available to other users. An excellent solution would be to automatically vacate the station if the driver did not arrive in the first 15-20 minutes of the booking time.

 
 

Filters to search

Despite the fact that electric vehicles have been on the market for about 10 years, there’s no single standard for charging plugs. For example, in Europe, Mennekes and CHAdeMO are more common, and in America, CCS Combo and SAE J1772. Thus, the ability to find and select a suitable power plant right in the application is an important feature of EV charging applications.

There are a few key attributes that car owners expect to see in the app when looking for a charging station. These are:

Attribute

Example

Type of EV charging stations

• AC (alternative current)
• DC fast charger (direct current)

Plug type

• CHAdeMO
• Mannekes
• CCS Combo
• SAE J1772
• Tesla (Fast/Roadster)
• Type 2
• Type 3
• Three Phase
• Caravan Mains Socket
• Wall (Euro)

Charging networks

• Tesla Supercharge
• Allego
• GreenWay
• ChargePoint
• BP Pulse
• Fastned
• Ionity
• GE WattStation

Extra services

• Nearby EV charging stations
• Hotel/Lodging
• WiFi
• Cryptocurrency payments
• Parking
• WC

Except for the filters mentioned above, you may add a filter that will cut off all the electric charging stations that don’t match car’s requirements.

 
 

Guide to the right station

Imagine the situation: an electric car driver has a long road of thousands of kilometers. Of course, they need to think over their entire route in advance, taking into account charging stations nearby, so as not to stay at night in the middle of the road with a discharged car.

Building a route in EV сharging apps is slightly different from building a route on a regular car. In addition to calculating the time to the next charging station, it is important to remember a few other features of an EV: vehicle data, battery wear, air temperature, weather, driving experience, and altitude. All this affects battery life and is taken into account when building a route to the nearest charging station. You also need to take into account traffic jams, the occupancy of a particular station and the charging speed of an electric car.

In order to implement this feature in your charging station finder app, you can use various APIs, such as the Geopify Routing API to help you add this feature quickly and easily.

 
 

Detailed charging station info

Users always prefer apps that give them comprehensive information about EV charging station amenities as it helps them to make the right choices. At the same, it’s important not to overload the screen. So how do you keep the balance?

Add all the important information about the electric vehicle charging station to your app.

Demonstrative case of how to add all the important information about the charging station (image by PAHRI)

The basic information may include:

  • the name of the station;
  • address;
  • working hours;
  • the number, types, and station availability;
  • charging costs.

Additionally, you can enhance this feature with an advanced UX. For example, draw or animate a charging station, add real photos, enable adding stations to "Favorites" or share them with others. We also recommend adding a button that will immediately turn on the navigation to the station.

 
 

Charging status

The ability to monitor the charging status of electric cars will greatly simplify the lives of car owners. The user can calculate their time and drink coffee with friends while charging.

What should be displayed on the charging status screen? First of all, this is the time until the car is fully charged. Other important points are the cost of charging, and the amount of energy received. Some of the mobile apps also provide the ability to set a charging limit and automatically stop charging when it’s reached.

The main indicators that should be displayed in EV charging station apps: how much energy is delivered, what is the cost of charging, time to full charge, and more.

Main indicators on the charging status screen (image by PAHRI)

To implement this feature, open protocols are used that ensure uninterrupted data exchange between the charging station and the EV. These protocols are supported by the Open Charge Alliance (OCA) global platform and the EVRoaming Foundation. Keep reading as we’ll tell you more about the ways to receive real-time data from the electric vehicle charging stations later!

 
 

Charge history

Based on the charging sessions of an electric vehicle, the user can analyze the amount of energy consumed and calculate the charging costs for a certain period (a week, month, or year). After analyzing all the data, the EV charging stations app can calculate the amount of money saved compared to fuel cars, and once again prove the advantage of electric vehicles.

 
 

In-app support

Web service Kayako published statistics in which 41% of application users prefer to seek help in online chat. This is more convenient for both the user and the support manager. It's much faster to get help via the app's chat rather than via email or call.

A study from the Kayako web service showed that 41% of app users prefer to communicate with the support team in an online chat.

Live chat statistics (from Kayako web service)

There are different ways to support customers: real-time or chatbot. Based on common questions, the chatbot can quickly provide the necessary information, and if the client has a more complicated problem, then the operator connects and helps to solve it.

Moreover, you can add an FAQ section to your app. There you can cover the most typical questions your users may have, like how to connect to a charging station or pay for a charge. Thus, users will be able to deal with some questions on their own, reducing the workload for your support managers.

 
 

Preferred payment method

Integrating a payment gateway into your EV charging station app is a very important and necessary thing. It’s better to provide users with multiple payment options: pay with a debit/credit card, PayPal, Braintree, Stripe, EWallets, UPI, cryptocurrency, etc.

Any payment provider has its own software development kit (SDK) and all the necessary information about the integration of the payment method. All you have to do is to ask your EV charging app development team to implement it.

Here you can compare the capabilities of popular payment systems:

Want to learn more about payment gateway integration?

Read Here

PayPal

Braintree

Stripe

Visa

Mastercard

American Express

Apple Pay

Android Pay

MasterPass

PayPal

Bitcoin

JCB

Maestro

Discover

 
 

Push notifications

Push notifications are an essential feature of any application. With their help, car owners can get status updates (battery capacity, charge, pending payments, etc.), news, and personalized offers. In some apps, push notifications are quite aggressive, sending a bunch of unnecessary information and reminders. Therefore, it’s very important to set them in a way that contains only useful information and doesn’t distract by the frequent vibration of the smartphone.

You can add the ability for the user to customize push notifications. For example, send alerts when the electric car is fully charged or charged to a certain percentage, when there is an EV charging station nearby, and so on.

 
 

📬 How to Receive Real-Time Data from the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

We asked our experienced developer, Cyril Troitsky, to share his insights on How to Receive Real-Time Data from Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Let's dive in!

This is the most EV-charging-specific part of the app. To communicate with the commercial charging stations by different charge point operators (CPOs) you’ll need to use a communication protocol, a popular example of which is Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP). Using it, you’ll have a unified communication interface between specific charge stations and your backend.

To give you an idea of how this works, you can have a look at the following diagram:

Receive Real-Time Data can be made possible through the use of communication protocols, such as OCPP, through which data is exchanged between the charging station and network management system.

The process of data exchange between the network management system, the charging station, and the electric vehicle (image from LeewayHertz)

As you can see, charging stations use a charging protocol (OCPP in this case) to send data to the network management system, or an eRoaming network.

However, if you don’t want to build an EV charging management software or go through the entire EMSP application development process from scratch, you can use existing solutions like Hubject.

Then, on the app side, you will need to implement a subscription to any updates in the backend database. This would ensure that as soon as there is any change in the data of the charge point, the backend would immediately push that update to the app so the new data can be displayed to the end user.

There are numerous options out there to implement subscriptions, the choice of which depends both on your app's framework & platform, as well as on the backend framework.

The library that we often use at Stormotion for this purpose is Apollo Client, which both allows for very advanced type-safety (due to being a GraphQL framework) and integrates greatly with React Native on both iOS and Android .

 
 

⚙️ Tech Stack to Create an EV Charging App

Here we have tried to collect for you useful technical tools that will help in the EV charging station app development and release of your application:

  1. With Firebase Cloud Messaging, you can set up push notifications in your app. You can distribute messages to specific devices and take into account the user's time zone.
  2. Implementing AWS IoT Core will allow you to securely and efficiently transfer data and interact with cloud storage and other devices. All EV vehicles data (device signals, power, temperature, energy) can be stored in this cloud service. AWS IoT Core supports communication protocols over MQTT over WSS, HTTPS, and LoRaWAN.
  3. Map feature: depending on the language, different app solutions should be chosen. For example, for React Native a popular library is react-native-maps
  4. Subscriptions to get real-time data: SignalR, Apollo Subscriptions, etc.
  5. Protocols: OCPP, OCPI, OpenADR, OSCP, etc. (depending on charge point operators’ requirements)
  6. You can use the Google Maps API to integrate the geolocation service in EV station finder app. Or if you are using React Native, there are separate plugins and libraries, for example, react-native-geolocation-service, react-native-geolocation.
  7. There are several options for developing support chat: using XMPP, MQTT, WebRTC and MML libraries (supported in any language) or using development tools like Firebase or WebSockets & Socket.io. But an app development company might prefer to work on top of a dedicated chat API and SDK solution. Consult with your mobile app developers about the choice of the most optimal option.

 
 

🧑‍💻 Steps to Develop an EV Charging Station App Based on Our Experience

By following these steps, you can create an EV charging station app that meets the needs of users and contributes to the growth of the electric vehicle ecosystem.

So, how to develop an EV charging station app?

EV Market Research and Planning

Determine if your target market is the owners of EVs, organizations, or the government interested in popularizing the use of EVs. Then, research your competitors.

You can analyze EV charging station apps for the following features: the functions provided, the charges involved, user experiences, and strategic placement. Discover what market niches are not served by any other application at the moment.

Define Features and Functionality

This is the conceptualization part where one has to visualize all the characteristics that the application will possess.

  • Ensure the ability of users to find where these stations are on the map and information regarding their current status, their price, and what types of stations are available, such as fast charging, level 2 charging, etc.
  • Ensure that users can schedule charging sessions and pay for them through the application. Use a secure method of payment to facilitate the transaction.
  • Allow users to create profiles and add their favorite places, set preferences regarding the charging rate, and notifications, and view the list of transactions.

Similarly, during scooter sharing app development, you can also include a map of charging points to enhance user convenience and ensure seamless navigation to nearby charging locations.

Design User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)

To create a general view of the application for electric vehicle mobile app development, focus on a user-friendly design and clear structure. This will ensure users can easily navigate the app and won't be confused between registration and payment processes.

EV App Development

Choose the right technology for your EV charging mobile app development based on the targeted platform (iOS, Android, Web), future expandability, and ease of maintenance. Design and implement on the backend all the necessary infrastructure to support the features of registering users, and managing data from charging stations, booking, and multiple payments.

Develop the portions of the UI that will run on the client side on any device and screen it is to be displayed on.

For the API integration, you can use Google Maps, OpenStreetMap for mapping, payment services like Stripe or PayPal, and any other third-party services.

App Testing

Confirm that all the functions are operational, from searching and booking charging stations to payment and transaction history. To get the best results, check how it performs under various circumstances (e.g., at high speed, on various devices).

The main goal is to collect feedback from the end users and analyze it to identify any usability problems and make adjustments if necessary.

Deployment

Finalize and package the application for publication in app stores such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store, among others, based on the guidelines laid down by the various app stores.

Launch and Marketing

Develop a marketing strategy to publicize the app through different outlets, such as social media, news articles, and collaboration with organizations that deal with EVs, emphasizing its contribution to emobility meaning and sustainable transportation solutions. Promote the application by providing consumers with special offers like free charging times or inviting friends.

Maintenance and Updates

It is important to constantly review the app and its operations in relation to performance, users’ responses, and new tendencies on the market. Continuously work on the app to add new features, fix some of the glitches, and include the changes that users are likely to suggest or that the technological enhancements offer.

 
 

🗃 Case study: DeftPower

Deftpower is a white-label EV charging app platform, that we at Stormotion helped to build an EV charging station app for. The app has most of the common features: maps with charge points, the ability to start a charging session via the app and link a way to pay for it, as well as the ability to see charging history.

The app provides a great example of clean minimalist design with a focus on the UX:

Deft Power app

Shots from the Deft Power app

From the technical point of view, the app uses React Native, Redux, and Redux-Saga, as well as SignalR to make a subscription to the backend to get real-time updates from the charge points during the sessions.

 
 

💡 Takeaways

Electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly popular means of transportation, so build an EV charging station app is a good idea for both a business and a startup.

For those who have their own EV charging station business, it’ll help to attract new customers and make charging more convenient for existing ones. Those who want to learn how to make an EV charging app will be able to develop a demanded product for the rapidly growing charging network market.

Let’s sum up the main aspects of EV charging station app development:

  • Define the key features for your MVP. Don’t make it too complex from the very beginning.
  • Choose a suitable data exchange protocol. Consult with your Tech Partner if you need some help with this.
  • Build a dedicated In-House Team or find a reliable Tech Partner to deliver your app.

Do you want to create an EV charging station app? We will gladly help you with this! Contact us and we'll discuss all the details of the work together!

Contact us

Questions you may have

Take a look at how we solve challenges to meet project requirements

How do you ensure the app integrates seamlessly with various types of EV charging stations and payment gateways?

We use standardized protocols such as OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) for compatibility with different charging stations. For multiple payment gateways, we integrate popular app solutions like Stripe, PayPal, and others, ensuring compliance with their APIs and secure transaction handling.

What security measures do you implement to protect user data and transactions?

We implement robust security measures including end-to-end encryption, secure APIs, OAuth for user authentication, and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. Regular security audits and penetration testing are also conducted to ensure data integrity and protection.

How do you handle compliance with regulations specific to EV charging?

We stay updated with regional and international regulations related to EV charging, such as OCPP compliance and local energy regulations. Our legal team ensures that our app meets all necessary regulatory requirements, and we adapt our solutions as regulations evolve.

How do you ensure robust and secure API integration?

We use secure communication protocols (HTTPS), authentication methods (OAuth), and adhere to best practices for API security. Our development process includes regular code reviews, automated app testing, and monitoring to ensure API stability and security.

Can you describe your experience with integrating third-party APIs for payment processing, location services, and connectivity with EV charging station hardware?

We have extensive experience in custom EV charging app development integrating with various third-party APIs. For payment processing, we have integrated with Stripe and PayPal. For location services, we use Google Maps API and Mapbox. For connectivity with EV charging station hardware, we use OCPP and custom APIs from hardware manufacturers.

What approach do you take for data collection, storage, and analysis within the app?

We use cloud platforms like AWS or Google Cloud for scalable data storage and processing. Data is collected through secure APIs, stored in encrypted databases, and analyzed using big data tools like Apache Spark. We ensure data is anonymized and processed in compliance with privacy regulations.

How do you implement user behavior analytics to improve app functionality?

We integrate analytics tools like Google Analytics and Firebase to track user interactions. This data helps us understand user behavior, identify pain points, and improve app features. Regular updates and feature enhancements are based on this data-driven approach.

How do you ensure the app adheres to industry-specific protocols and standards, such as OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol)?

We incorporate OCPP compliance from the outset of the electric vehicle app development process. Our mobile app developers are trained in industry standards and protocols, and we conduct regular compliance checks and updates to ensure ongoing adherence.

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