Finding an Electric Car Charging Station Nearby Plugging in your electric car while traveling is a challenge that requires planning and patience. Like gas stations, there are no giant billboards along the roadside with charging spots.

Still, the trend is clear. Automakers and municipalities are pushing for electric vehicles; GM plans to phase out all gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Jaguar has pledged even earlier to sell only electric vehicles by 2025. Also, some European countries like Norway have announced plans to ban combustion engine vehicles, while in the U.S., California will ban the sale of such vehicles starting January 1, 2035

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Therefore, if you are thinking about switching to electric vehicles now, you need to consider where you will charge your car. Some charging stations may be close by when you are on the road, while others may be far away. Especially if you know you are running low on gas and it will take 40 minutes to refuel. Here are some things to consider if you are considering an EV and want to know where to charge.

As most electric vehicle (EV) owners will tell you, charging stations are not widespread. It also depends a lot on where you live. Plains and western mountainous areas, where distances between towns are farther apart, have fewer charging facilities than in California or the northeastern United States.

Auto companies are trying to make it easier to find a charger. Tesla has literally started by building its own network of red and white stations in places like hotel parking lots and interstate service centers, but its high-speed "Supercharger" stations are only compatible with Tesla EVs. Other electric vehicles can use Tesla's destination chargers (usually free), but they must use a Tesla to J1772 adapter (J1772 is the standard plug used by most EVs in the US), and the adapter costs $150.

Fortunately, other car companies have developed their own networks and partnerships. Thus, when you purchase an EV, you get access to their network. For example, Ford has the FordPass charging network, which offers more than 13,500 charging stations through partners such as Greenlots and Electrify America.

For several reasons, one should start with stations suggested by automakers. Automakers are the most accurate regarding the selection of on-road charging stations because they have the most accurate information about when they may run out of fuel. Furthermore, charging stations in the network are usually free to new owners.

Finally, sticking with a car manufacturer's network can be more reliable, especially with newer car models. This is because compatibility is not just about plugs. New battery types may confuse some charging stations, and software updates will be required before some EVs will be compatible.

There are several independent charging networks across the country. Some are already working with car companies to support branded services. For example, GM works with partners such as EVgo and ChargePoint. However, they can also contract directly with companies like Blink and ChargePoint.

An advantage of joining a network is that you typically get a discount; Blink offers its members a 20% discount on fees on its network, and registration is free. In addition, these operators have better and more accurate information about their charging stations, including live data on whether a particular station is available.

There are plenty of apps for EV owners. In addition, network operators such as ChargePoint and Blink (Android and iOS) have very good apps that display location information as well as recent photos and rates for their facilities. There are also independent apps such as PlugShare, Open Charge Map, and ChargeHub. These apps, regardless of network, will show you as many locations as possible, from Whole Foods Market parking lots to nearby garages, but you can also narrow the results to just fast chargers and free stations, for example.

Yes, Google Maps and Apple Maps will show charging stations with a very important caveat.

You can search for "EV charging stations" in Google Maps to see nearby locations, but you cannot have them automatically plotted like hotels or pharmacies. However, once you set up a route, you can then search for EV charging stations, and Google Maps will show a handful of spots. However, in our testing, Google Maps included only a fraction of the actual available locations, so there is considerable room for improvement. It is also certainly not reliable enough when fast charging is needed.

Apple, on the other hand, is trying to do better by automatically including locations in the EV routing feature. This is available in OS 14, but there's a catch: it only works through a specific automaker's app. In other words, it basically just uses the apps you already use in your Tesla or Mustang Mach E--as long as the car company has updated their apps to work with Apple Maps.

Yes and no. Most chargers do not have the old-style credit card readers and instead rely on contactless payment systems. For example, charging networks like ChargePoint require you to first set up an account with a credit card. Then, when you arrive at the station, you open the app and tap to pay using either Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Fees can vary widely, from free to fees set by the facility where the charger is installed. So ask first or only stop at stations where you already have an account.

Surprisingly, they do not. Ideally, there would be one shared database where all apps, car companies, and EV owners could pinpoint stations and their statuses, but that day has yet to come. But such a move could happen. Google's popular traffic navigation app, Waze, is considering adding charging stations to its routes, but no date or timeline has been announced. At this time, you can select "Electric" as your vehicle type in Waze, but it cannot point you to the location of charging stations.

Various companies are competing to provide a comprehensive list of all charging station locations. For example, ChargePoint includes independent stations that are not part of its own network, but it cannot independently vet them, relying instead on information provided by the operating company.

"We try to make it as frictionless as possible," Colleen Jansen, ChargePoint's CMO, told Tom's Guide.