FAQ

Contents

General

What do the different colors of the charging station icons on the map mean?

The meanings are listed below:

Icon Charging power

< 11 kW

at least 11 kW

at least 20 kW

at least 43 kW

at least 100 kW

What does it mean if a charging station has an icon with two lightning bolts?

If the icon contains two lightning bolts, the charging site has more than one connector. If a filter for specific connectors or a certain charging power is selected, the icon only applies to the selected types of connectors.

What do the different colors of the connectors mean?

In the detail view of a charging station, the connectors are shown with real-time availability data shown with different colors, as listed below:

  • Green: At least one connector of this type is available
  • Red: All connectors of this type are out of order
  • Teal: All connectors of this type are in use or out of order
  • Grey: No real-time data available

What does the green checkmark next to a charging station’s name mean?

This charger has been verified by a member of the community (either at GoingElectric.de or OpenChargeMap.org, depending on the selected data source), which means that at least one successful charging session has been reported and there is no current fault report. Of course this does not necessarily mean that the charger is still accessible and in working order. If a charger is not working, please report it at GoingElectric.de or OpenChargeMap.org.

What is F-Droid and why are there differences between the versions of the app available on F-Droid and the Google Play Store?

F-Droid is an alternative Android app store that focuses on free and open source (FOSS) apps. As per F-Droid’s policies, apps available through its store must not contain proprietary dependencies, such as certain Google services. Thus, the version of EVMap available on F-Droid contains some changes to remove such dependencies. The details can be found in the list below.

Due to the downsides mentioned below, it is recommended for most users to install the app from Google Play to have access to all features. The F-Droid release is mainly intended to provide an alternative means of installation for devices that cannot access Google services or users who would like to avoid them.

Changes in the F-Droid version of EVMap:

  • Map data and place search are solely provided by OpenStreetMap data (Jawg Maps / Mapbox / ArcGIS), while the Google Play version offers a choice between Google Maps and OSM.
  • There is no support for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS, which are both proprietary Google products.
  • Donations are accepted through a PayPal link instead of the Google Play in-app purchases mechanism.
  • The F-Droid version of the app should also work on Android devices that lack the preinstalled Google Play Services.
  • Due to F-Droid’s policies, we have less control over the release of new updates. Updates will typically appear on F-Droid a few days later than on Google Play.

Price comparison feature

Where does the pricing data come from?

The pricing information is available in EVMap thanks to the service from our friends at Chargeprice.app. The data shown within EVMap are identical to those on the Chargeprice website, the developer of EVMap has no direct influence on this data and assume no liability for their correctness.

The calculated total charging cost is an estimate based on the selected vehicle model and the desired state of charge, so it should only be considered as an approximate value. The exact cost depends on many factors (e.g. reduced charging power with a cold battery, additional consumption through charging loss or heating/cooling during charging, etc.), which Chargeprice cannot foresee.

How can I report incorrect data?

If you find an incorrect price, a missing provider or vehicle type, or have questions about the pricing data, you can contact the Chargeprice team directly on their website.

How are the charging plans sorted?

The plans you have selected as “my charging plans” in EVMap’s settings will be shown at the beginning of the list and with a gray background. All other plans are sorted by the estimated total charging cost in ascending order.

Why are some charging plans highlighted with a different background color and include a provider logo or a coupon code?

Certain providers have partnered with Chargeprice to promote their services. If you tap on a plan from such a provider to check out further information on the provider’s website, Chargeprice receives a small payment. If you do this through the EVMap app, these payments will be deducted from the fees that the developer of EVMap needs to pay for using the Chargeprice data. So, checking out the services of Chargeprice’s partners benefits both Chargeprice and EVMap.

Nevertheless, Chargeprice is committed to maximum transparency — all plans will still be sorted by price, independent of whether the provider is a partner or not.

Why is the estimated charging power at AC chargers lower than what my car supports?

Some European countries with three-phase electricity grids have restrictions on so-called unbalanced loads, i.e. appliances pulling a lot of power from a single phase. If your car’s onboard charger does not support two- or three-phase charging, this limitation may apply to your car as well at AC stations. For example, in Germany the limit for unbalanced loads is 20 A, which corresponds to about 4.5 kW. However, not all public charging stations actually enforce this limit. To calculate prices based on the maximum power your car supports, use “Enable unbalanced load” in the app’s settings.

Permissions

The following permissions are needed by EVMap:

Internet access

Needed to load information about charging stations from the internet.

Location access while running in the foreground

Needed to show your current location on the map and load charging stations nearby. This permission is optional, since Android 6.0 you can decide if EVMap can access your exact (GPS) or approximate (WiFi/mobile network) location or none at all.

The Android Auto and Android Automotive OS apps are not usable without the location permission, because it always shows nearby charging stations.

The app only accesses your location when running in the foreground - starting with Android 10 this is also enforced by the system (a separate permission would be needed for background access)

View network and WiFi connections

Used e.g. by the Google Maps and Google Places libraries to check if there is an internet connection and to adapt their data usage to the type of connection (mobile data or WiFi).

Special permissions for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS (only Google Play version)

The Android Auto and Android Automotive OS apps need the following additional permissions:

  • Access vehicle data (e.g. vehicle GPS)
  • Run foreground service (to use the smartphone’s GPS in case the vehicle does not provide this data)
  • Android Car App Library Map Templates (to display the user interface using the templates provided by Android Auto)

Google Play Billing service (only Google Play version)

To support in-app purchases for donations via Google Play