VinFast has worked hard to provide customers with an excellent mobile app that allows owners to schedule and monitor vehicle maintenance, approve vehicle repairs, check the charging status of their VF8 or VF9, and plan a trip with scheduled stops for charging, among other useful features. One feature that seems to elude most manufacturers of other electric vehicles is the ability to use just one app to pay for charging at any station in America. However, VinFast has easily figured this out and provided it to customers in the VinFast mobile app.
The VinFast Mobile App
While the VinFast mobile app is a great all-in-one accompaniment to your VinFast, there are good reasons to ensure that you have other charging apps downloaded just in case. For instance, there could be a network or server outage where the VinFast app has an issue when paying at the pump. While this is unlikely, it is nice to have a backup plan just in case. Below are some other apps that can handle finding charging stations and payment with various pros and cons.
Some of the Different Charging Companies
Each charging station company, such as Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, etc., all have their own apps that may even offer discounts if you choose to pay for a low monthly membership to use the chargers. This could be helpful if you live, work, or run a lot of errands near one of the major charger brand stations.
PlugShare Mobile App
One app that all EV owners should download and utilize is PlugShare, which not only shows you the locations of all charging stations, including Tesla Superchargers, but also provides user data with reviews and photos of each station to help you avoid areas that are always busy, have inoperable chargers, and the like. On both iOS and Google, the app has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. The app also allows you to connect your credit card information to pay at any station quickly and easily. As one of the five-star reviews says, “Last month’s round trip between east coast and Kansas was our first … Being able to map out entire 1500 mile northern and southern routes, planning for adequate charging and our overnight stops was pretty easy and confidence building.” However, it’s not all wine and roses for PlugShare. As one reviewer said, “Used this for a trip from LA to San Fran. I’d say the best way to use plugshare is to open Google Maps first and figure out in which city you want to make a stop, then go in plugshare and search that city. The trip planner is a good idea but needs work.”
ChargePoint Mobile App
ChargePoint is the largest EV charging network in the world. In the United States alone, there are more than 30,000 stations with about 50,000 Level 2 and Level 3 DC fast chargers. The app reviews are good, averaging 4.5 out of 5 on iOS and Google devices. One reviewer says, “ChargePoint is a great service and they did a great job with this app—so much so that I bought a home EV charger from them. The app makes it pretty easy to find and monitor charging stations … The home charger integration works seamlessly allowing you to control charging times and even choose from multiple utility rates (or set manually) to track spending.” On the not-so-positive side, though, multiple users have complained that the app has been buggy due to recent updates with their personal home ChargePoint chargers.
EVgo Mobile App
Another large charging company, EVgo, has its own app that assists EV drivers in finding their respective chargers. The app has an average rating of 4.2 stars for iPhone users and 4.6 for Android users. While users seem to enjoy the app, they don’t like that the chargers seem unable to work without the app. Also, sometimes, the chargers themselves are down for maintenance issues, which the app does not seem to fully disclose when drivers are on their way to a station. It seems VinFast owners should probably steer clear of EVgo in general until the user experience improves.
Electrify America Mobile App
Electrify America is one of the largest networks that aims to try and give EV owners a good, non-Tesla Supercharger experience. While they have fallen short of that over the years, the company has dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to updating and upgrading their charging system to make the chargers more reliable for owners. The app has a cumulative 4.7 stars on the Apple App Store and 4.6 on the Google Play Store. With over 4,000 Level 3 DC fast chargers across America, they offer drivers the ability to drive cross-country or from state to state without having to wait forever to charge their vehicle from 105 to 70 or 80%. The app allows you to track your charging status and will even notify you if you are waiting for a charger at a busy station. However, users complain that the app is confusing and convoluted. Some even say that the app will let you know that your vehicle is charging, and then minutes later, they say there’s a charging error, except the car is still charging. So, obviously, there are some kinks.
The VinFast App Seems to Reign Supreme
While it is important to check out the other EV charging apps to ensure you have all of the information you can get about stations and overall networks as you drive around, especially in unfamiliar areas, it seems that some of these apps lack usability. That’s why it’s essential to use the VinFast mobile app as the primary way to charge your vehicle at stations, along with the other apps as backups, just in case. Everyone must remember that EVs are still relatively new, and the charging networks, while not perfect, are getting better at a quicker rate than before. Although, patience is key.
Why Choose Ewing VinFast of Plano
At Ewing VinFast of Plano, we have the best prices on dozens of new VinFast EVs and used cars. Our well-educated sales staff and finance department will happily assist you with your EV questions and needs. Our fantastic service department will ensure your vehicle stays in the best condition.
We look forward to serving you.
