There has been an unprecedented rise in the use of electric vehicles, and there have been many reasons for that. The foremost being that countries worldwide are actively trying their bit to reduce carbon emission. Moreover, the ever-increasing fuel-prices have also become a major reason for people switching to electric vehicles.
Many business organizations like Tata Power, Ather Energy, Fortum, etc. are focusing on developing major charging networks to become the front-runner in this growing market.
Now, with the increase in the number of electric vehicles, there arises a need to build more EV charging stations as well. Mobile applications here can assist the vehicle owners to find EV charging apps in their vicinity.
Therefore, this blog will discuss the technicalities and other nuances that will help develop an electric car charging app, its popular players around the world, work process, reasons behind its popularity, etc.
What is an electric vehicle charging app?
The app is used to find the location of different charging stations across your area or locality is called an electric vehicle charging locator app. Along with the user’s location, the user can book the nearby stations, see the waiting time, fees of charging, and other various aspects through the app.
Why invest in an EV charging locator app?
There has been a projectile increase in the electric vehicle market, which is a trend that will rise in the coming years. If we look at the stats, the EV market is projected to reach 26,951,318 units by 2030. It is why major businesses are shifting their focus on electric vehicles, and thus this market is attracting huge investments.
Another major reason you should invest in an EV charging locator app as a business organization is an improvement in technology. There are better batteries and readily available charging infrastructure available now. In addition, there are other statistical projections that electric vehicles will comprise of global vehicle sales:
- 10% by 2025
- 28% by 2030
- 58% by 2040
Cost to develop an EV charging station locator app
The total app development cost of an EV charging stations app depends on some influential and important factors. It includes:
- Number of features included in the app
- The geographic location of the app development company
- Total experience of the app development company
- How many app platforms the app is meant to be developed
In addition, the realm of EV is a growing and evolving platform, the business owner should refer to a competent mobile app development guide before going forward. The app development guide will help them in understanding their actual requirements and will allow them to make more informed decisions.
List of popular apps for finding EV stations
There are some big players in the EV charging station location finding app. Moreover, the rise of smartphones has played a huge part in popularizing EV charging station finding apps. Here are some top apps that have made their mark in this market segment.
NextCharge
One thing that makes NextCharge one of the leading EV charging station finding apps is that it is available in various languages. Whether it is German, Spanish, English, French, or Romanian, NextCharge has everything. This automatically improves two things:
- Native user experience
- Increases the user base of the app
- PlugShare
- Chargemap
- ChargePoint
- ChargeHub
What makes the EV charging station finding apps popular?
With the increase in demand, there will be more EV charging stations available. An EV charging location finding app will help generate more revenue for the business organization as it will render an easier way for the users to locate their respective charging stations.
Another reason why EV charging apps are becoming popular is that it will save the time of the user. Through the app, the user can easily book their preferred time slot and reach there to get their vehicles charged without standing in long queues. Apart from saving time, the user will be able to track all the crucial statistics with real-time analysis in the electric vehicle charging location app.
The stats and analytics will inform the user about their electric fuel consumption daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Moreover, with the app, the vehicle owners can centralize all their transactions as well.
How does an EV charging app work?
The EV charging location finding app works in the following function:
- The EV vehicle owner can register on the app by using their phone number, email address or social media account.
- After the signing up process, they have to enable the geolocation, enter their area details and give the app access to find their location
- Along with searching the stations, the app will also show other information such as cost of charging, images of the charging station, availability, etc.
- The app will also have advanced slot booking facility so that the app user doesn’t have to wait for their turn
- The app will also have multiple payment options through which the app user can pay at the charging station
Monetization techniques for the EV charging station finding app
There are several ways to monetize the app, the top being: ecommerce integration, advertisements and many more. Let us see the top ways to monetize the EV charging station finding app below.
Ecommerce integration
In a revenue model, it is important to deploy a technique that helps the users and does not confuse them. Thus, in this, ecommerce integration becomes vital as membership can help you earn profit.
Advertisements
One can include a plethora of advertisements in the EV charging location finding app such as sidebars, videos, pop-ups, etc. Many EV charging stations find apps that put up advertising displays instead of charging even a single penny from their users.
Key features in the EV charging station finding app
The features of the EV charging station location finding app will help it stand apart from its peers and make its own identity in the app market. We have curated a list of top-rated features that will allow the electric car charging station's app to soar ahead at a rapid rate:
- Book charging station
- EV filter station search
- Trip planner panel
- Payment facility
- Add the station
- Share the residential charger
- Advanced features
- Multiple payment options
- GPS tracking
- CRM integration
- Chatbot integration
Technology stack for EV charging station finder app
To build a robust EV charging station finding app, it is essential to have state-of-the-art technology stack for every function. This is because in the app, modern technologies such as cloud services and Internet of Things (IoT) must be included. Also, along with a competent tech stack, a business company must hire dedicated developers for best results.
Below is the full overview of the required technology stack:
- Notifications: Push.io, Twilio
- To verify mobile number: Nexmo, Twilio
- Server: NGINX, Tomcat, Apache
- Database: MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, PostgreSQL
- Payment methods: Braintree and PayPal, Stripe, UPI
- Cloud services: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud
- Framework: Flutter, Laravel, jQuery
- Analytics: Hadoop, Spark, Flink, Kafka
- Find user location: Google Maps, Core Location Framework, Google Places API
Steps to develop an EV charging station finding app
As a business organization, to develop an EV charging station finding app, you need a clear vision and a dedication to addressing people’s real problems. Although, the final result of the app will depend on the competency of the hired mobile app development company.
Let us see the key steps that are essential in developing a competent EC charging station finding app:
- In-depth market research
- Finalize the app features
- Understand the mobile OS platforms
- Hire competent outsourcing company
- Testing the application thoroughly
Final Thoughts
For the betterment of the climate, it has become essential for humankind to ‘Go Green’. Fortunately, the campaigns to save Mother Nature worldwide are getting greater responses and more and more people are now switching to electric vehicles.
Be it iPhone or Android app development services, you can find many developers who offer cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and scalability in developing your business app.
Indian web and mobile app developers have delivered customized app solutions to the global corporate clients.
One of the most important benefits of hiring Indian app developers is they charge the least hourly rates.
Here you can get the developer’s team consists of both experienced developers and freshers.
During a development phase, you need to integrate complex features without missing the deadline.
You may come across companies that offer development services at dirt cheap rates.
A complete guide to help your business understand Outsource mobile app development in 2021.To avail the desired results from the mobile app development process in 2021 and beyond, the business organization should be on its toes at all fore-fronts.
Moreover, hiring a professional outsourcing mobile app development company can do wonders for your project.Also, doing extensive research and knowing their targeted audience is also essential for businesses.
It will help them understand the latest mobile development trends and give the desired results.
