Public Charging – Ewing VinFast of Plano

The biggest EV hurdle—access to convenient and reliable public chargers—has been quietly improving, with numbers increasing faster than in previous years. Paren is a data analytics company that monitors the growth of public charging stations. It shows that multiple charging networks are on track to add 3,000 more DC fast charging stations in 2025 compared to 2024. Ewing Vinfast provides some details.

The year 2024 was significant for public charger growth, but the process encountered some obstacles, including permitting and charger vandalism. Although many thought this would slow down or stop charger expansion, it now seems these were more like speed bumps than roadblocks. Charger companies have found solutions to the problems and are now making progress.

Paren chief analyst Loren McDonald sees signs of things changing for the better. “The fast-charging industry is deploying new [DC fast-charging] ports and stations at its highest pace ever in the U.S.,” McDonald posted on LinkedIn this week. “Don’t believe the FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt). The charging industry is moving full speed ahead, building larger, higher-power stations with amenities, greater reliability, and a better customer experience.”

One ominous sign occurred in April 2024 when Elon Musk seemingly impulsively fired his entire Supercharger team. Ironically, the incident happened just as many EV manufacturers were pledging to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) port in future vehicles, supply NACS adaptors for their current EV models, and thus increase business at Tesla Supercharger stations. The adapters had a shaky start but are now becoming readily available, and the Supercharger side of the business appears to be a major growth opportunity.

McDonald points to more companies building charging networks, including automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Rivian. It is possibly analogous to the early sixties when electronics manufacturers helped support color production for TV shows to boost color TV sales.

Additionally, companies focused on highway travel, such as Pilot/Flying J truck stops, Buc-ees, and Walmart—which simply have locations everywhere—see opportunities and are adding charging stations. This expansion is also coming from dedicated charging firms like Ionna and BP Pulse. Another development is that you are starting to see more amenities at these locations, including covered areas, bathrooms, and even customer lounges. McDonald calls this the “Charging 2.0” era and believes it could lead to a bigger growth leap than what the industry has experienced so far.

No manufacturer wanted to fall behind in the EV transition, and that may have led to more vehicles being produced before the infrastructure could support them—but now the infrastructure is catching up. Meanwhile, multiple studies show that EV owners rarely go back to gas-powered vehicles, which is a positive sign for the industry and indicates a steady, long-term flow of charging customers even without sharp increases in EV sales.

Of course, this only matters when EV owners decide to travel. For everyday use, nothing beats a Level 2 charger at home, where you can charge when you get back and head out each day with 200 to 300 miles or more at your disposal. See why EV owners don’t want to go back by checking out our attractive VF8 and VF9 models, and find out how you can get a free Level 2 VinFast home charger at Ewing VinFast.

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.

Tag: Public Charging

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