One free app now puts 211,000+ EV chargers in one place

If you drive an electric car, a new free app called Octopus Charge is worth knowing about. It brings together more than 211,000 public EV chargers across the US and Canada into one place, so you don't need a separate app for every charging network. It works with 24 partner networks, including big names like ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, bp pulse, Shell Recharge, and Circle K.

The app, available on iOS and Android, lets you search for chargers by location or ZIP code and filter by charging speed, plug type, or network. It also shows which chargers are available right now, whether they're compatible with your car, how fast they charge, what they cost, and what's nearby. There's a built-in route planner made for EV trips, which can help with figuring out charging stops on longer drives.

Octopus says the app is free to join and doesn't add any markup to the price each network already charges per kilowatt-hour. This is the North American version of a similar app, Octopus Electroverse, that the company already runs in the UK and Europe with access to over a million chargers in 40-plus countries. The US and Canada version is starting smaller, but with 211,000-plus chargers on day one, it already covers a lot of ground for anyone tired of juggling multiple charging apps on road trips or around town.