Smartcar is partnering with EV charging startup Recharge to provide the first seamless, unlimited fast-charging experience across 2,500 DC fast chargers in the United States. Today, Recharge launches its mobile app EVPassport. In an EV charging industry that struggles with fragmentation and poor user experiences, EVPassport is the first EV charging app to encompass all major U.S. charging networks and to offer unlimited fast-charging for a monthly flat fee. Smartcar’s technology allows Recharge customers to view important information about their vehicles at any time in the EVPassport app.
Recharge simplifies EV charging
Co-founders Aaron Fisher and Mohammad Mehrabani started Recharge out of frustration with a fragmented, hard-to-navigate EV charging landscape. Electric vehicle owners often struggle to find and use the nearest chargers, as different charging stations are operated by different networks. Each network requires customers to download and sign up for a different mobile app. Charging rates vary depending on the network and geographic region. Some networks even require customers to pre-load money or pay a membership fee before they can start charging their vehicles.
Recharge is the first EV charging company to solve these problems. Instead of dealing with different apps and fragmented pricing, electric vehicle owners can use the EVPassport app to find and charge at 2,500 different EV chargers in the United States. For a monthly flat fee, customers receive unlimited access to all compatible DC fast chargers across the Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, and Greenlots networks.
Smartcar powers the Recharge experience
While developing their app, Recharge noticed the need to provide customers with helpful information, regardless of whether their vehicle was currently plugged into a compatible charger. Most EV drivers want to know how long it will take them to charge their vehicles before heading to a particular station. Thus, Recharge partnered with Smartcar to integrate not only with the EV charging networks but also with the electric vehicles themselves.
When signing up for EVPassport, EV owners will connect their vehicle within just a few clicks from the EVPassport app. Once a vehicle is connected, Recharge can easily retrieve its charging status and state of charge using the Smartcar API. When customers search for different charging stations in the EVPassport app, every charger displays a real-time estimate of the number of minutes it will take them to fully charge the vehicle.
“EVPassport by Recharge is the perfect example of what our customers have built using the Smartcar API,” said Smartcar CEO Sahas Katta. “While EVPassport makes it easy for EV owners to use charging stations across different networks, Smartcar makes it easy for developers like Recharge to integrate with vehicles across brands. Our products really go hand in hand and our missions are perfectly aligned. My team is incredibly proud and happy to be partnering with Recharge.”
The EVPassport iPhone app is going to launch within the coming weeks. EV owners can sign up for the EVPassport waitlist and will be notified as soon as the app is available in the App Store. Later this year, Recharge will expand its services to Android users, additional charging networks, and further geographical markets in the European Union.
“We’re excited to partner with Smartcar to launch EVPassport because our priorities are very closely aligned,” stated Recharge Technologies Corporation CEO Aaron Fisher. “Making EV transportation easier is our main priority. By partnering with companies like Smartcar and bringing innovative features to our users, we can really move the industry forward.”
