E-charging, the saviour in an emergency? Hectic glances at the battery gauge and the kilometres to the destination drag on endlessly. This is still as much a part of driving an electric car as buckling up and pressing the speed pedal with your foot. Range anxiety is what experts even officially call it. Electromobility is many things: progressive, efficient, ecological, economical. But it also requires good planning in order to always have a charged battery.
It's easy to find a place to charge and pay by mobile phone - our trainee Chris explains in the video how the "E-Charging" app works.
APP TRACKS CHARGING STATIONS
According to the Federal Network Agency, there are currently more than 7,000 publicly accessible charging stations with around 14,000 charging points. But their distribution does not always meet the needs of drivers, especially in rural areas.
Publisher: Federal Network Agency, source reference: (c) GeoBasis-DE/BKG 2019
A new app now helps to optimally use the infrastructure of charging stations for one's own purposes and at the same time simplify the payment process. This way, you can promptly find the nearest station and, if available, also a fast charging station where the charging process sometimes only takes a few minutes.
PULL OUT YOUR MOBILE PHONE, PAY FOR ELECTRICITY
Current "Stromer" models can travel between 200 and 400 kilometres on one battery charge. Then it is necessary to drive to the next charging station. But access to and handling of these charging stations is often still complicated for owners of e-cars. This is the result of a charging station check by an electricity provider in cooperation with the research and market research institute statista. Confusing tariff structures, different access requirements as well as a variety of billing methods complicate the everyday life of customers, according to the study.
But there is a remedy. The new "E-Charging" app offers a convenient overview of the charging station infrastructure and simple payment at the same time. Payment is made via the mobile phone bill as standard. SachsenEnergie and other partners throughout Germany, as far away as Hamburg and Rostock, have joined forces for the app.
And this is how electricity refuelling works via the app:
- Download the "E-Charging" app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
- Register with your mobile phone number.
- Select one of the twelve providers according to region.
- Let the app navigate you to a charging station or open the app directly at the station.
- Press the Euro sign. The app then checks the availability. Then confirm "Start charging process".
- Connect the charging cable.
- When loading is finished, you will find this process (and all others) under "Transactions".
- Payment is made automatically via the selected payment method.
A nice gimmick of the app is that it can also remember where you parked your car. This is extremely practical if you use different charging stations and easily lose track of them or are travelling in a foreign city. The network of charging stations is constantly being expanded. The operators are currently converting more and more stations so that they can be operated conveniently and quickly via the app.
DON'T PAY VIA YOUR MOBILE PHONE BILL? IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE with "e-charging"!
Anyone who wants to use the practical "E-Charging" app, but has activated a third-party provider block in their mobile phone contract, for example, can store additional means of payment. In the app, there is a menu item called "User portal". Note: A new window opens with the "TraviPay" offer. The parking app is linked to "E-Charging", both applications belong to the same company.
In the user portal, e-mail and mobile phone data can be stored in just a few steps. Afterwards, the bank data, a credit card or soon the Paypal account can be saved. Due to the linking of the mobile phone number, billing now works conveniently at the charging station with the preferred payment method. By the way: the apps "TraviPay" and "E-Charging" can be used with the same login. Many cities now offer this method for mobile payment of parking fees. In future, the two services are to grow closer together.
FILLING UP WITH ELECTRICITY: THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!
Our conclusion: "E-Charging" is a system that already works relatively comfortably in many cities in Germany. The additional payment methods are a practical service. The operator has also recognised the confusion between the brands "TraviPay" and "E-Charging" and is making improvements. In principle, it is good that both apps can be used with one login. All in all, this system is definitely worth a try for e-car drivers.
Those who use their e-car predominantly in Saxony have also been able to use SachsenEnergie's "StromTicket" for some time. Here you register once and then leave your payment details (credit card, direct debit or prepaid). This system has been working reliably for years.
