Charging an EV sucks...

… If you are not driving a Tesla. Let me explain why.

When you are on a longer trip, you will have to charge your electric car somewhere. For me, it is easy. I drive to a Tesla Supercharger, plug my car in, and it charges. It automatically charges my credit card and sends the bill to my Tesla account. The only things I have to do are plug it in and set the charge limit.

But if you’re not near a Supercharger and want to use a local charging station, then it gets complicated, in the best case. Let’s transfer the experience to filling your car up with petrol or diesel. You drive to the gas station, swipe your card at the pump, or pay in the shop, and then you can fill up your car.

It is not that easy for electric cars. First, you need a member card and an app. Every operator uses a different app. If you don’t live in that city, you won’t have the membership card.
As I was in Kassel, the local energy supplier used an app that allows you to charge your car without a card. You still need to create an account. Then you had to scan the QR-Code on the charger. It was pitch dark, and the app did not allow me to activate the flash. The rear lights weren’t bright enough to illuminate it enough. I would have needed to turn the car to light it up enough. I went a different route; I gave up after a while and drove 8 km to the next Supercharger the next day.

Why do we have to run through a maze of apps, sites, and accounts just to charge a car? It takes longer to type in all the credentials and information than to charge the car. That really bugs me, and I think it is the same for everyone else. So let me ask all the operating companies:

Dear charging station operators, why do I have to jump through hoops and just swipe my credit card like at every gas station?

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