One of the problems that some electric car owners have has to do with charging because there are still many places where there are more vehicles than charging stations. The infrastructure is still insufficient, but this impediment can cease to be with an application that wants to fill those gaps. That’s how it is Plugshare, the AirBNB of electric chargers.
Yes, many electric car drivers do not have their own charger for different reasons: they may, for example, live in a rental house and cannot install it in the garage because they do not own it. Bearing in mind that the authorities’ efforts to shape large infrastructures are heterogeneous, it has been the owners who do have charging points who have put a solution on the table: sharing them.
How does PlugShare work?
That is the starting point of PlugShare. As its own name indicates, it is an application (although they also have a website available) in which people can share their charger with other owners of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The idea began many years ago when the charging infrastructure was even worse than today.
Its operation is like that of Airbnb: instead of reserving a stay in a house, the user reserves the electrical charger of an individual. Drivers can also leave reviews and post photos about their experience. However, unlike the digital platform dedicated to accommodation, in some places there are not as many charging points or as many electric or plug-in hybrid cars. So much so that many hosts spend a lot of time without receiving anyone.
Where is PlugShare?
The company boasts of having the largest community of electric vehicle drivers who not only offer their chargers, but also share advice, comments… It also offers a complete and accurate map of chargers that covers the main networks of United States, Europe and much of the world. There you can search for the nearest station by applying various filters.
It’s free?
The app itself is free, but obviously using the charging station has a cost. Hosts can control the times and terms of their station’s availability and set how they can be contacted. Although they give up part of their property and their charging point, they usually only charge the cost of electricity: as in most public sockets.
PlugShare allows users pay in advance the load if the owner has this option enabled. Otherwise, just enter the details of a bank card and click on ‘Pay with PlugShare’.
