Tarun Nagar 
“By investing in charging stations, we are investing in a sustainable future where our dependence on fossil fuels is replaced by clean energy.”
– Bill Gates
Are you looking to build an app like Plugshare? If yes, then you have read this blog. The electric vehicle market has experienced rapid growth in the past decade with the development of the automotive industry. Different governments around the world are more concerned about a cleaner environment, which has led to a greater demand for electric cars and an EV charging stations app like PlugShare. Due to the uniqueness of the idea and the need for such solutions, these apps are among the market’s fastest-growing trends.
It is expected that the global EV charging station market will be worth $279 billion by 2032, growing at a rate of 38% per year over the next seven years. Due to its huge demand, various businesses are looking to invest in in EV charging station app development. If you are also among those who wants to create an app like Plugshare, then you should read this blog till the end.
It will cover everything like development steps, how it works, why to invest in a key features to integrate, and how much it costs to build an app like Plugshare.
So let’s begin.
Table of Contents
What is PlugShare?
PlugShare is an app that helps owners of electric vehicles (EVs) find charging stations nearby. The app is compatible with both iOS and Android and features a friendly interface that shows charging stations on a Google map.
App also displays charging station type, pricing, and availability. PlugShare connects drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) with charging stations around the world.
This ev charging finder app provides a database of chargers that includes the type of charger, its availability in real time, and ratings from users.
PlugShare also has a community feature that allows users to read and leave comments on charging stations. This gives valuable insight into the quality of each station.
PlugShare also offers route planning and payment options for simple transactions. This app allows EV drivers to travel with confidence without worrying about running out of power or being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a charging station. So, if you are planning to build an app like Plugshare, then you must consult with an ev charging app development company.
Why Should You Invest in an EV Charging Station Finder App like PlugShare?
The development of an EV charger app like PlugShare has many benefits, mainly due to the fact that it is a relatively new market segment and there is little competition. Here are some important electric vehicle statistics and growth predictions that you should know:
- The U.S. will have over 138.100 charging stations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) by May 2023.
- From 2021 to 2030, the electric vehicle market is expected to grow by 26.8% per year. In 2021, there will be over 4093k EVs. This number will increase to 34,756 by 2030.
- Meticulous Research has released a new report that predicts the global electric vehicle market will grow 33.6% per year starting in 2020, and reach $2.495 billion in 2027.
- In 2020, the number of EV chargers that were publicly accessible was over 1.3 millions. One third of them were fast chargers. As electric vehicles grow more prevalent and mainstream, there will likely be more charging stations available.
- In 2022, China will have approximately 14,1 million electric vehicles in operation. A year ago, the country ranked first in the e mobility index.
- India’s EV market was valued at $5 Billion. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 44% between 2021 and 2026. By 2026, it will reach a value of $47 billion.
So, these statistics also show that the electric vehicle market is growing rapidly. It is the correct time to invest in EV charging stations app development by hiring professionals who can provide top-notch electric vehicle charging station locator app solutions which can be a great way to start a profitable future business.
How Does an EV Charging Stations Finder App Like PlugShare Work?
The app will help you find the nearest station compatible with your car and provide you with additional resources. Apps that locate charging stations are surprisingly easy to use. Let’s examine each part of the process in more detail.
Signing up for an account is the first step you should take when you use the EV Charger Finder app like PlugShare you downloaded from the App Store. Your car’s make, model, and year will be requested, among other information.
You’ll be asked to enter your location after creating an account. Simply put your location on a map to locate charging outlets close by. Based on a variety of factors, such as the charging port and approved payment methods, you may focus your search.
The panel would show both the standard and fast charging rates simultaneously. Users can add charging stations to the application if one is not already listed.
Top EV Charging Station Finder Mobile Apps
Below are the most popular EV charging station finder apps that are ruling the market.
1. ChargePoint
ChargePoint is a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. This is one of the best ev charging apps that uses NFC to charge your phone. Tap it against the charging station. The process can be initiated without even opening the app.
The app has more than 100,000 charging stations. You can see how much you have charged your car, the amount of power it received, the estimated miles gained and the cost (if charging is not free).
2. EVgo
App to find charging stations for electric vehicles EVgo. EVgo has the largest charging network of all the US. According to the user reviews, the app may be more expensive than its competitors. This is why it gets lower ratings. You can locate charging stations, and check which ones are available for use. The app does not show the amount of charge your car has received.
3. Chargemap
App to locate charging stations for electric cars Chargemap is used by over 330,000 drivers of electric vehicles. They can locate charging points in a blink of an eye.
The app was developed in France, and it emphasizes the many countries and networks that are supported. The interface is very polished and has many filter options. You can’t access the app until you create an account.
Features to Build An App like PlugShare
Both the need for EV charging stations and the demand for station apps for electric vehicles are rising. You can have a wonderful experience driving an electric vehicle, but it is important to know the best places to charge your car.
However, it is important to have a charger station finder app like PlugShare that will tell you the distance you can travel and where you can charge your battery when it runs low. So as per the android app development services provider, here are some key features that you must integrate when you build an app like Plugshare.
● User Sign-Up
Users must register using their phone number, email address, and password after downloading and installing the app. You can make the process easier by allowing them to sign up with their Google Account, or any other social media handle.
● Create a profile
The user may edit and change his profile. He can, for example, add his name, model and number of vehicles, profile picture, etc.
● Geolocation
The app must be able to determine the location of a user’s phone in order to display nearby charging stations. If a user wishes to manually search for chargers in a particular area, they should be able enter their preferred location to see the options.
● Nearby Charging Stations
According to the user’s location or the location put into the app, an app like PlugShare will display charging stations nearby. By enabling users to charge at the closest station, this functionality is meant to save customers time and energy. When you build an app like Plugshare, it is vital to integrate nearby charging stations.
● Station Details
When browsing nearby EV charging stations, the app should display the relevant information regarding the specific stations. The app should show the relevant information about the stations, such as the name, car models that are compatible, price, address, photos and reviews.
● Slot Booking
Once the user has selected the charging station via the app, he can reserve a time slot to charge his car. This feature is very useful, as it allows the user to save time when the charging stations are crowded. By booking in advance through the app, he will not have to wait in long queues. It is vital to add slot booking feature when you build an app like Plugshare.
● Rating and Review
The car owner can write a review after getting their EV recharged. Ratings and reviews allow other users to learn about the station’s service quality and other features. You can help the station improve its services by sharing a bad review.
● Multiple Payment Options
You should integrate different payment methods into your app to allow users to pay with the method they prefer. You can, for example, allow users to pay using a credit/debit card, PayPal or UPI.
● Billing History
It’s important that car owners know how much power they use and what they pay on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The app like PlugShare should be able to track all bookings, including the power charges and payment amount.
● Notifications
Users should receive alerts and notifications about charging stations nearby, about new offers, about reminders for booking in advance, or when a charging station is added.
● EV Trip Planner
If the user plans a long-distance road trip, they will need to charge their vehicle at several points. To make it easier for users, you can include a trip planning feature where they can enter their starting point and destination. The app will display all charging stations along the route entered.
● Filters
Users can use filters while searching for or browsing charging stations to find the station they are looking for. Users love this advanced feature because it saves them a lot of time.
If there are multiple stations in a certain area, but not all are compatible with a user’s vehicle, the user can use the filters to only see the stations that are suitable. Filters can be used for compatibility with charging points, power levels, networks, and whether the station has a fast or slow charger.
● AI-based Chatbots
Intelligent chatbots help your users by answering questions and providing support whenever needed. Chatbots can be programmed to answer questions based on the most common ones asked by people. Chatbots can transfer any questions that they can’t resolve to human support executives.
● Reward Points
You can reward users for using your app frequently with discount coupons, promotional coupons, a free month of membership, or other benefits.These bonus points will help you improve client retention and attract additional users to your app. You should incorporate rewards points feature when you build an app like Plugshare.
Crucial Tech Stack to Build an App like PlugShare
It is important to use the most advanced tech stacks for each feature when developing a robust EV charger station finder application. A business should hire mobile app developer who are experts in advanced technologies, such as Internet of Things, cloud services, and other modern technologies.
To build an App Like PlugShare that helps users find EV charging stations, the following tech stacks will be essential:
1. Front-end
Mobile Framework | Native iOS/Android, React Native or Flutter |
User Interface | HTML, CSS and JavaScript |
Mapping | Mapbox, Google Maps API |
2. Back-end
Server Framework | Node.js and Ruby on Rails,Django and Laravel |
Database | MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL |
API Development | Express.js and Ruby on Rails, REST frameworks. |
Authentication | JWT (JSON Web Tokens), OAuth |
3. Infrastructure
Cloud Platform | AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure |
Hosting | Amazon S3, Heroku and DigitalOcean |
4. Additional Tools
Payment Gateway | Braintree, Stripe and PayPal |
Analytics | Google Analytics and Firebase Analytics |
Push Notifications | Firebase Cloud Messaging, OneSignal |
Testing Framework | Jest, Mocha and Cypress |
Version Control | Git, GitHub and Bitbucket |
How to Build An App Like PlugShare?
To make an EV charging station finder app, you need to understand what happens in each stage. So we have divided the app like PlugShare development process into stages. The length of each steps to build an app like Plugshare will depend on the features and technical feasibility.
We will discuss this in more detail here:
● Market Research
Firstly, you should validate your EV charging station app idea from an EV charging app development company. They can conduct market research in order to identify opportunities, audience expectations, competitors, etc.
Find out the number of EV charging stations in your area and the number of electric vehicles on the road before you begin developing. Look at the existing EV charging apps and see how they work. It is important to consider all these factors for the success of your app.
● Choose Features
With the features we’ve discussed thus far , you can now step ahead to build an app like Plugshare. To improve the user experience and fulfil their expectations, they incorporate both basic and complicated aspects. Your app needs to be innovative and unique in order to attract new users and remain competitive on the market.
● Decide on Platforms
Your market research will tell you whether your audience is more likely to use Android or iOS. You can have your app developed for both platforms and distribute it via Google Play and Apple App Store. If only a small portion of your audience is using iOS, it’s better to stick with Android.
● Hire an App Development Company
The success of a mobile app is determined by its functionality, performance and user experience. If you want your app to be strong and perform well, then it is important that you hire a reputable firm with experience developing these apps.
You should also look for an android or iPhone app development company that is capable of handling UIUX design and app testing. You will save time by having a single-source to bring your business idea into reality.
● App Testing
The EV charging station app must be tested before it is released. App testing is done by a group of mobile app experts who use their tools and approaches to find and fix any bugs that may remain after the development.
If these defects and faults are not corrected, users will face a number of problems and may abandon your application. Prior to release, make sure your software has been extensively tested.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App like PlugShare?
You must analyze your app’s needs, features and functions before you can create an EV Station Finder application.
You can estimate the cost of your project by using this information. The overall cost of developing an app is affected by several important factors.
- App Type (native vs. hybrid; web vs. native)
- Platforms — iOS Android and Windows Phone
- Add any extra features to your project.
- App complexity — A complex app will cost more than one that is simple.
- Type of development team
- App developer’s location.
- Third-party integration.
The scope of the mobile application development services provider you choose, the functionality you wish to include, the platform you select (Android, iOS, or both), and the application’s complexity are all crucial factors.
Regardless of the aforementioned variables, developing an EV station locator app would typically cost between $10,000 and $25,000 on average.
Wrapping UP
In the near future, we expect to see a flood of electric vehicles on the market. Electric vehicles are becoming more popular, which has led to an increase in the demand for mobile applications and charging infrastructure.
If you want to build an app like Plugshare, it is important that you contact a professional mobile app development company for app development as soon as you can. This will help you meet the needs of your audience and keep you ahead of the competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Long Does it Take to build an App like PlugShare?
The average hourly rate for a basic EV charger station finder app development is between $15 and $25. However, it would be helpful that you should take assistance from a GPS Tracking app development company or Hire mobile app developers who have experience in developing EV apps to ensure a quick turnaround.
2. What is the Future for the EV Charger Finder App?
Around 4100K electric cars are believed to be on the road today. By 2030, there will be 35,000K electric cars on the roads. The most lucrative opportunity in this respect is to develop a mobile app that helps drivers locate EV charging stations.
3. How Can an EV Charging Station App Benefit EV Owners?
Apps for EV charging stations offer several benefits to owners of electric vehicles. Let’s check out:
- Locating nearby charging stations is easy. Planning routes and routes are also convenient.
- Accessing real time data on the availability of charging stations and their pricing.
- Estimating charging time accurately can help in trip planning.
- Receive notifications about station availability and personalize your charging preferences.
- Paying for services with ease and security.
4. How to Develop A Location-based App ?
In order to Develop A Location-based App, you need to follow the below steps:
- Define app objectives and target audience.
- Choose a suitable platform (iOS, Android).
- Design the user interface and experience.
- Implement location tracking functionality.
- Integrate maps and geolocation services.
- Test, refine, and deploy the app.
5. How Can I Monetize My Location-Based App?
There are several monetization strategies for location-based apps:
- In-app advertising: Display targeted ads based on user location and preferences. You can integrate ad networks like Google AdMob or Facebook Audience Network.
- Freemium model: Offer a free version of the app with basic features and provide additional premium features or content through in-app purchases or subscriptions.
- Sponsored listings: Allow businesses or services to pay for improved visibility or priority placement in your app’s location-based listings.
