ChargePoint App Flirts With Twitter And Facebook

Short on the heels of our last app shootout piece a few days ago, see here for Electric Car Apps You Shouldn’t Live Without. ChargePoint has updated its app with new features.

It’s All About Connection. In the world of electric cars, EVs and apps, especially when it comes to appealing to the 20 something generation, connectivity is the number one concern. While many apps do a stellar job at finding charging stations, as we covered in our July 12 piece, not all are made equal. If ReCarGo does a great job overall, ChargePoint just came back with a social network assault.

ChargePoint Connected. ChargePoint now provides electric car drivers a direct way to access their social network accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The idea is for drivers to easily check-in and leave comments on Facebook and other networks. With more than ten thousand charging spots in the United States, ChargePoint is hedging its bet to become a must for electric car drivers. This is especially important now as we are witnessing a trend to move away from free charging stations to a paying model. See: Charging By Amount Of Electricity Used Instead Of By The Hour. On top of adding reviews for certain stations, this new feature will certainly attract a younger generation who sees very little interest leaving their connection behind when sitting in a car traveling. ChargePoint locates and check station availability, as well as give the ability to make your reservation and lock in your charging time. Range anxiety? Qu’est-ce que c’est? The app also gives you the previous features of detailed information with price.

Real-Time Data. The trick for an app to be accurate is how time sensitive is the information. This is where ChargePoint has made sure it provides drivers with real-time charging station status, reservations, smart phone payments, location information and navigation, etc. According to Coulomb Technologies, ChargePoint maker, this is an industry's first and currently the only mobile app to provide this. Coulomb Technologies is also moving away from the hardware business as it settles into an energy management role.

The Low Down. ChargePoint has certainly made a come back with this version, although I did find the interface to have somewhat of a learning curve.

ChargePoint scores a high note with this update. Some might not like the idea of having to sign up for free or paid services involving credit card information, etc., but the ChargePoint does a good at finding stations, updating your online activity and facilitating fee transactions.