Q: How do I keep track of public charging points? There are at least three different apps on my phone already; do I need one for every charging network? – D Hurley, Co Cork
A: This is a perennially tricky question, and it highlights the inherent problem of trying to mix public and private investment for something as all-encompassing as electric motoring. The annoying fact is that there isn’t just one app that will cover you for all eventualities, so you might need to upgrade to a phone with more storage space.
In theory, you shouldn’t need any apps at all. The EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which came into force in April 2024, requires all charging points to have a simple tap-and-go payment system for using credit and debit cards. So it should mean you don’t need any app, just a contactless debit card.
Of course, it’s never that simple. For a start, the AFIR rules apply only to charging points installed since April 2024, which means there are still plenty out there that don’t have tap-and-go payments.
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Secondly, the charging providers are eager to secure your custom and will offer you the best prices for charging only if you sign up to use their apps and/or specific RFID cards, and usually only if you also pay a monthly subscription fee.
In fairness to the ESB, whose e-Cars programme has received plenty of criticism on these pages over the years, they’re not the worst in this respect – there’s around a 5c per kWh difference between the pay-as-you-go price, and the subscription price, although even that adds up pretty quickly if you’re charging a car with a big battery.
Much worse are the likes of Ionity, who will charge you the guts of 80c per kWh unless you sign up to a monthly subscription. At those prices, running an old diesel remains cheaper ...
What the EU’s AFIR rules missed out on was forcing the charging providers to always charge the lowest possible rate for tap-and-go. Don’t see that happening any time soon.
So, the best apps to have on your phone are the following.
The ESB e-Cars app helps you find all the ESB chargers. You can set up an account (even a free pay-as-you-go one) through the app and use it to activate any of the company’s chargers. It’s worth having a physical RFID card too, though, in case you end up trying to charge in an area with low or no mobile phone signal.
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The same goes for the EasyGo app, which again helps you find one of their myriad charging points, and turns it on for you as long as you’ve set up an account. Get the RFID card, though, because EasyGo has some chargers in underground car parks which are frequently impossible to activate by phone.
For all its costly charging, the Ionity app is worth having, and if you’re a regular long-haul driver then signing up for a monthly subscription is worth the cash, as you will get a much cheaper per-kWh charging rate.
The Fastned app is worth having if you’re planning to travel to Europe or the UK, although most of their very rapid (up to 400kW) chargers only accept tap-and-go these days, with no discounts available. If you’re heading abroad, ignore the BP Pulse app and its chargers – we’ve found them to be the most unreliable and infuriating we’ve ever tried to use.
Zap-Map is a well known app, and is certainly worth having as it lists pretty much all charging points across Europe and even the US, and it’s agnostic as to the network. You can use it to pay for some chargers by setting up an account, but just be aware that some of the information on locations and charging availability is crowd-sourced, so it’s not always accurate and up to date. When we finally have a sufficient number of charging points, that won’t matter so much, but right now it can be frustrating to arrive at a supposed charging location to find that it’s either out of order or simply doesn’t exist any more.
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Finally, if you’ve bought a new EV, you should definitely have the app from the company that made your car. These will often help you find charging points, and can help with payments too, including setting up plug-and-pay accounts that can avoid the need for cards, either credit or RFID. The car will have an account assigned to it, via the app, and some chargers will simply recognise that and start charging as soon as they’re connected. Some car brands also offer discounted – or even some inclusive – charging with a new car purchase, so make sure you’re set up for all of that.
A blizzard of apps? Afraid so, at least until charging points are (a) more populous and (b) significantly more affordable.
