Aachen, 2021/04/07 - Drivers of electric cars must be able to quickly and easily locate available and suitable charging points. To some extent, the onboard nav system can help. In addition and in order to pay for the obtained kilowatthours, it is almost indispensable for the driver to also have a selection of e-mobility apps ready on their smart phone.
But how well do these apps work in practice? How successfully do they support the search for an available charging point with the required plug type and the desired charging performance? Do they inform about the expected costs before starting the charging procedure, and are these indications reliable? Does the app provide real-time information about an ongoing charging process? Can the charging be unequivocally ended, and is the subsequent data in the charging history accurate? Is it possible to manage more than one electric vehicle? And how well does the app help if something does not work as expected? And how secure are the apps? We have examined and answered these and many more practice-oriented questions in our big test of eMobilty apps.
The tested apps are: EnBW, Plugsurfing, Maingau, Shell, Innogy/DKV, E.ON, EWE.
All in all, electric car drivers are well advised to have several of the apps tested here on their smartphones and, if necessary, to book the associated charging tariffs, particularly those which have no fixed costs. The reality of the electric mobility market is that there is still no all-rounder who would cover all cases and charging points. However, if electric car drivers don‘t want to pay too much, they also have to know the tariffs – or compare them within the apps before charging.
Hakan Ekmen, CEO Telecommunication at umlaut: „We would like to congratulate EnBW for the overall win and our congratulations also go to Plugsurfing for a very good result in the security category. It is always very relieving when we do not discover any serious security gaps during the checks.“
You can download the full report below.
