Complete Guide For EV Charging Station Finder App Development
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Ankit Patel - April 07, 2023
- 6 min read
The electric vehicle market is undergoing an immense revolution. This is why entrepreneurs are investing in EV charging station app development.
If we have to understand why business owners are channeling their efforts toward building these solutions, the reason is to ensure a clean environment.
Developed countries around the globe like USA, UK, and Germany are already funding this model. Therefore, for forward-thinking business owners, it is recommended to leverage their skills in EV charging app development services.
To make this process easy, we have brought this article for you. It covers the advent of these solutions, followed by reasons contributing to their popularity. Last, we will discuss the different stages of app development. We will also provide you with an estimate of the cost to build an EV charging app.
With a comprehensive idea of all these facets, you can create a cost-effective electronic charging vehicle app that helps to propel your automobile industry forward.
What is an Electric Vehicle Charging Station Finder App?
The EV charging station finder app is a platform that helps customers access nearby charging stations. This follows next by also enabling them to get information such as port types available, waiting time, and so on.
Having extremely simple operations, and filled with the most unique set of features, the app is slowly and steadily accomplishing immense popularity.
How Does EV Charging Station Finder App Work?
Check out how does EV charging station finder app work to understand how it streamlines the way customers find electric vehicle charging stations nearby to charge their vehicle.
- User registers on the platform entering details like name, mobile number, and email address after which they will receive an OTP to verify their profile.
- They next need to add their location detail to get the list of EV charging stations nearby.
- They get the flexibility to select a station from different station choices and get its details, time slot, etc.
- The user books a slot from different time slots available and makes the payment after choosing a mode from multiple options.
- Upon successful payment, the user receives a notification once their booking is confirmed and payment gets done.
Relevance of EV Charging Station Finder App
In case you plan to digitize the operations of your electric vehicle charging station with an app, you need to know first its relevance. In other words, you need to know why it is beneficial to build this platform in the first place.
- Since maximum electric vehicle owners lack the space or facility to charge the vehicle from their house.
- During emergencies, it enables users the flexibility of getting immediate charging support in case their e-car is discharged.
- It prevents the woes related to riders having to modify their trip while returning home or to their desired destination.
- These platforms have extremely simple operations.
- They act as a medium to help charging stations gain increased exposure.
Facts & Figures about Electric Vehicle Market Popularity
Do you want to know how to develop an EV charging station app? Do you want to get acquainted with the reasons for investing in the electric vehicle market? Yes? We have added the facts and figures below to educate you on this.
Image source: statista.com
- The electric vehicle market will earn profits of $457.60 billion in 2023.
- Growth in profits is expected at a CAGR of 17.02% between 2023 to 2027.
- Sales through the market will be 16.21 million in 2027.
Statistics source: statista.com
Business Model For EV Charging App
To enable the EV charging station finder app functions effectively, it implements the following standout business models.
- Premium app model wherein the user is charged for service subscription and the business earns considerable profits.
- Freemium app model which involves one downloading the app to avail different offerings from the EV charging app for free for a particular duration. Once the duration is completed, they have to pay for taking their advantage.
Popular Examples of EV Charging Station Finder App
We have discussed the factors above to suggest the reasons for the popularity of the EV charging station finder app. Let us now educate you on some popular platforms that have helped the electric vehicle market to attain a prominent position.
- Plug Share – Founded in 2009, PlugShare available on iOS, and Android assists users to find charging stations nearby, live track to that destination, and connecting with plug-in vehicle owners nearby.
- EVGo – Launched in 2010, EVGo is an app popular in over 850+ locations in the USA alongside 34 states there too. Known for offering industry-leading reliability, it is known for offering its EV charging services to over 375,000 customers.
- ChargePoint – Another popular EV charging station finder app, ChargePoint. The platform was launched in 2007 to enable customers to connect with nearby electronic vehicle charging stations. Through its online platform, it helps users to charge their electronic vehicles in 14 countries globally, alongside in the USA as well.
How to Perform EV Charging Station Finder App Development?
To enable smooth EV charging app development, it is recommended to keep in mind some important steps.
• Get Idea in Place
Gather an idea. Comprehend the purpose your EV charging station finder app will serve. Gain perspective of an app design strategy and select the platforms where you will launch the app.
Research the activities that your competitors are performing and understand the needs of your target market. Send emails, conduct surveys, etc. to make this activity achievable. All these factors will allow your solution to boost user engagement and ensure maximum user retention.
• Add Out-of-the-Box Features
Do you want to educate yourself on how to develop an EV charging app? It is important to gain perspective into its benefits. So, apart from these stats, the platform has these out-of-the-box features to enable smooth operations.
- Advanced search filter to enable users to find stations matching their preferences along with getting a list of payment options.
- Get station details with their hours of operation, the services they provide, etc.
- Book a slot in advance to enable the user to save time before they visit the EV charging station.
- Share residential chargers for charging vehicles with other users for free or after they have paid.
- AI-powered live chat support to help users in case they get stuck or face challenges while using the app.
- EV journey planner to plan activities like booking a slot in advance, scheduling time for EV charging, etc.
- SOS button to alert in situations like for example their battery getting discharged, or if their tire gets burst.
- In-app navigation to assist end-users to use geolocation functionality in real-time to travel to the charging station they have selected.
• Design Your App
Here, you need to select a design strategy for your app. It is recommended to work towards implementing a user-friendly design.
To make this achievable, conduct competitor research thoroughly. When you perform this task, you can comprehend on the techniques to adopt for reaching out to customers faster. It will also boost users and help you accomplish maximum user retention.
• Select Appropriate Revenue Model
The EV charging station finder app incorporates the following revenue-generating streams to make considerable profits through the charging services that the station provides. Select from them, one that is appropriate to your business needs.
- Advertisement fees wherein for advertising displays, the EV charging station app earns revenues.
- eCommerce integration wherein through the customer making payment for membership, the business generates profits.
• Build the App
Here, you work towards creating the front-end and back-end of your app using relevant technologies during the buildup.
This follows next by tasks such as:
- Writing code to enable seamless feature integration for Android and iOS platforms.
- Performing quality testing while adding features so that any possible discrepancy in the app is located and immediately rectified.
Read Also: Native vs Hybrid vs Cross Platform: What to Choose?
• Test & Deploy the App
The last stage of the EV charging app development is to test and deploy the app. Your team of developers performs compatibility testing, usability testing, and other respective testing methods to locate bugs.
Once they identify this, they work towards getting them rectified so that app publishing takes place without any challenges on the different app marketplaces like Apple App Store and Google Play Store respectively.
Tech Stack For EV Charging App Development
The EV charging app makes use of the following technologies to help it to function without any form of discrepancies.
- For Android app development – Kotlin, Java, Flutter, React Native
- To develop iOS app – Swift, Flutter, React Native
- Frontend – React.js, HTML, CSS
- Backend – Node.js, Express.js, Python
- Payments – Braintree, PayPal, Stripe, eWallet
- Push notifications – Twilio, Push.io
- Database – MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL
- Cloud Services – AWS, Google Cloud
- Real-Time Analytics – Hadoop, Spark, BigData
- Find Location – Google Maps, Google Places API
How Much Would it Cost to Develop EV Charging App?
Well, the cost to build an EV charging station finder app depends on several factors such as UI/UX design, app platform(Android, iOS, or both), features you want to integrate, app complexity, and location of the app development company you choose. If we have to give you an estimated cost based on the factors mentioned, then it would be anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000+.
If you want the exact cost to build an EV charging app, contact us and discuss your requirements. We will first analyze your requirements, what features and functionalities you want to integrate into your app, then we will able to give you an exact cost.
Conclusion
There are several stages for developing an EV charging station finder app. However, to build a solution that helps your users streamline this task, the right set of features and functionalities are to be added. It is equally mandatory to ensure that the solution functions effectively. This will help you to gain a competitive edge in the electric vehicles market. We have outlined the steps here in this article to assist you in this. If you however get stuck in this journey, you can get in touch with us today. Our team of dedicated experts will leverage their expertise to develop an app for your EV charging station that in turn will boost your visibility among a greater percentage of customers.
Ankit Patel is a Director of Sales & Marketing at XongoLab Technologies LLP and PeppyOcean, A leading mobile app development companies. In his free time, He likes to write articles about technology, marketing, business, web, and mobile. His articles featured on YourStory, E27, Datafloq, JaxEnter, TechTarget, eLearningAdobe, DesignWebKit, InstantShift, Business Magazine, SimpleProgrammer, and many more.
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