Chargemap on Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay, the on-board system for vehicles is at last opening up to a broader choice of applications, and Chargemap is one of them. Following many user requests, the Chargemap app is now compatible with CarPlay. 

The feature is available starting today in the USA, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

Finding charging points near your vehicle

Once the app is open in CarPlay, you will naturally find the Chargemap map, centered on your vehicle’s position. The default setting puts you on the first tab “Search”. Please note – for the moment you don’t have access to a search box.  This means you can’t yet enter an address either via a keyboard or by voice control.

Drivers can also see a charger’s status, and navigate to its location using the app. Once there, drivers can start a charging session, or join a waitlist if no chargers are currently available. They can do this all from the car’s interface, without having to flip between different apps and services.

Consulting the charging pool details screen

You can access various information about the charging stations. When you click once on an area, a preview of the details screen is displayed together with the address and distance.

Here’s the information you’ll find (when available) on the pool details screen:

• Distance to the pool
• Travel time by car
• User rating of the charging network 
• Opening times
• Compatibility with the Chargemap Pass  
• Free or paying access to charging
• The number, type and power rating of the connectors available

Finding your favourite charging stations

The third tab “Favourites” means you can post up all the charging stations you’ve added to your favourites from your mobile phone. 

If you are used to combining filters on Chargemap, you will find this feature very useful. Before hitting the road on a long journey, you can use the mobile app to find the charging stations and filter them as you like before saving them in your favourites. On the day you set off, all you have to do is open the app in CarPlay and select a charging pool in your list.

How to use Chargemap on CarPlay?

ChargePoint has one of the largest charging networks across North America and Europe, and the company says it now has over a hundred thousand charging locations. In order to get the new CarPlay functionality, your phone needs to be updated to iOS 14 and have the latest version of the ChargePoint app.

Once your smartphone is connected to your car, you will see the Chargemap icon come up on the screen of your vehicle. And voilà – you can start using it!