Public charging without cellphones?

cometguy

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OK, I've spent a fair amount of time (several hours) searching the Forum for answers to this question without finding answers, so I'm going to ask via this new thread. I do not use my cellphone for any car apps and do not want to. Additionally, I have seen on some YouTube videos of BEV charging that there are some public-charging stations in the US that are in areas where cellphone reception can be weak or zilch for some cellphones., so I'm hesitant to rely on cellphones for anything if I don't absolutely have to. And if my cellphone is dead or lost (or left at home), I need to be able to "refuel" my forthcoming BEV just like I can my ICEVs -- without my cellphone.

So my question is this: can one do public charging everywhere in the US (and Canada) without the use of a cellphone? I understand that Porsche's "Plug and Charge" is exactly this way -- no cellphone needed, as it's set up at home ahead of time. But what about charging stations that do not have "Plug and Charge"? I'm assuming that it must be possible to charge without your cellphone just by using a credit card, at the screen, in all cases? Or can one register with the other, non-Porsche charging companies in advance and give them your credit-card info so that it's streamlined somehow at the charging station? I'm assuming that there must be some Taycan owners who do not use their cellphones to charge...

thanks!
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SWORDER

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I don't like using a cell phone app for charging either. They're a pain the in ass to read in direct sunlight -- and most public chargers aren't shaded.

As you pointed out, Electrify America's Plug and Charge works without a cell phone. The downside of course is that EA's reliability and uptime is worst-in-class, by a huge margin.

With EVGo, you can tap a physical card on the screen instead of using their app. You have to go through the one-time hassle of ordering the card though. This seems to work flawlessly. No cell phone required.

With ChargePoint, I think you can also obtain a physical card. I tend to use the virtual card that's stored in the Wallet app on my iPhone. Your goal is to avoid cell phones but it's worth pointing out that using the virtual card doesn't require an internet connection. It just tells the charger which account to bill. It's like scanning a bar code. No cell connectivity necessary.

I've encountered shopping malls, like Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas for example, that allow you to charge for free. No apps or phones. Just plug in and walk away. These chargers are crazy slow though. Like sub-10kW slow.
 
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I use Plug and Charge at EA all the time. No cellphone required.
 

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I don't like using a cell phone app for charging either. They're a pain the in ass to read in direct sunlight -- and most public chargers aren't shaded.

As you pointed out, Electrify America's Plug and Charge works without a cell phone. The downside of course is that EA's reliability and uptime is worst-in-class, by a huge margin.

With EVGo, you can tap a physical card on the screen instead of using their app. You have to go through the one-time hassle of ordering the card though. This seems to work flawlessly. No cell phone required.

With ChargePoint, I think you can also obtain a physical card. I tend to use the virtual card that's stored in the Wallet app on my iPhone. You're goal is to avoid cell phones but it's worth pointing out that using the virtual card doesn't require an internet connection. It just tells the charger which account to bill. It's like scanning a bar code. No cell connectivity necessary.

I've encountered shopping malls, like Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas for example, that allow you to charge for free. No apps or phones. Just plug in and walk away. These chargers are crazy slow though. Like sub-10kW slow.
Thx for sharing this info as was not aware of the physical card options with EVGo and ChargePoint - of course ideally preferable to max out the Porsche free charging at EA but as has been said, EA appears to be anything but reliable - need to check but does EA offer a similar such card option I wonder?
EDIT: Checked EA has no physical card option.
 
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SWORDER

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Thx for sharing this info as was not aware of the physical card options with EVGo and ChargePoint - of course ideally preferable to max out the Porsche free charging at EA but as has been said, EA appears to be anything but reliable - need to check but does EA offer a similar such card option I wonder?
EDIT: Checked EA has no physical card option.
Correct. Electrify America doesn't offer a dedicated physical card that you can hold up to the screen.

What you can do though is use your credit card at the charger. This is something you'd only do if your EA Plug and Charge isn't working, obviously. I've used this technique successfully a few times but like all things EA, the card processing system is very low quality. It's not unusual for an otherwise working charger to have a "payment processing malfunction" due to malfunctioning card-reading hardware.
 
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Thank you for your responses -- very helpful! I encourage others to weigh in with their experiences, also, in using credit cards and charging cards (instead of cellphones) at public charging stations. And it's good to know that I can store a "bar code" in my phone without being dependent on a cell-tower connection... But, yes, I see from YouTube videos that many charging-station screens are also difficult to see in bright sunlight; they really should put hoods/roofs over all such stations (not just to help with sunlight glare but also from rain, as most gas stations have).
 

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Thank you for your responses -- very helpful! I encourage others to weigh in with their experiences, also, in using credit cards and charging cards (instead of cellphones) at public charging stations. And it's good to know that I can store a "bar code" in my phone without being dependent on a cell-tower connection... But, yes, I see from YouTube videos that many charging-station screens are also difficult to see in bright sunlight; they really should put hoods/roofs over all such stations (not just to help with sunlight glare but also from rain, as most gas stations have).
I am curious about your aversion to using your phone for charging
 


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cometguy

cometguy

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I am curious about your aversion to using your phone for charging
I just don't like using (and have an aversion to using) car apps, or banking/shopping apps... I continually hear nightmares about people using their phones for stuff dealing with cars, including public charging. The last thing I want to do on a long road trip with a BEV is to have to fuss with my phone (or even worry about fussing with it) in looking for charging stations and/or for actually trying to charge. I keep my phone usage to calling, texting, email, weather, and Google Maps, for the most part. Just don't want to use my phone for other stuff... I prefer to do most web-based things on a desktop or laptop; my iPhone just is not enjoyable to use when compared to the big screen of a computer/laptop, and I don't ever want to get that dependent on it for anything. And part of the issue is that I spend fair amounts of time out of cell-tower range.
 

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OK, I've spent a fair amount of time (several hours) searching the Forum for answers to this question without finding answers, so I'm going to ask via this new thread. I do not use my cellphone for any car apps and do not want to. Additionally, I have seen on some YouTube videos of BEV charging that there are some public-charging stations in the US that are in areas where cellphone reception can be weak or zilch for some cellphones., so I'm hesitant to rely on cellphones for anything if I don't absolutely have to. And if my cellphone is dead or lost (or left at home), I need to be able to "refuel" my forthcoming BEV just like I can my ICEVs -- without my cellphone.

So my question is this: can one do public charging everywhere in the US (and Canada) without the use of a cellphone? I understand that Porsche's "Plug and Charge" is exactly this way -- no cellphone needed, as it's set up at home ahead of time. But what about charging stations that do not have "Plug and Charge"? I'm assuming that it must be possible to charge without your cellphone just by using a credit card, at the screen, in all cases? Or can one register with the other, non-Porsche charging companies in advance and give them your credit-card info so that it's streamlined somehow at the charging station? I'm assuming that there must be some Taycan owners who do not use their cellphones to charge...

thanks!
Can't you get an RFID card for the providers you are most likely to use?

In UK I rarely use the provider phone app and either use the relevant RFID card or use my MasterCard or Visa card to tap and charge?

Porsche Charging Service also provides the Taycan RFID card which is hooked into EA - won't that also negate the need to use your phone?
 

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Porsche Charging Service also provides the Taycan RFID card which is hooked into EA - won't that also negate the need to use your phone?
I am unaware of this card from porsche or EA
 

W1NGE

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I am unaware of this card from porsche or EA
Have you registered for the Porsche Charging Service (subscription on My Porsche, but free for 1st (if not 3) year) which gives you discounted Ionity charging rates? Ionity / EA are one and the same as I understand it - perhaps I'm wrong - but in Europe we have Ionity (350kW chargers) and can either pay as you go or use the Taycan Charging Card:

Porsche Taycan Public charging without cellphones? 20211105_113044000_iOS


My Porsche - Services:

Porsche Taycan Public charging without cellphones? 1636112315037
 
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Scandinavian

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I think the Charging Card is a European issue. I have not heard of anybody mentioning such a card from anybody NSN US, Canada.

No idea if it is available in Asian markets either.
 

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Have you registered for the Porsche Charging Service (subscription on My Porsche, but free for 1st (if not 3) year) which gives you discounted Ionity charging rates? Ionity / EA are one and the same as I understand it - perhaps I'm wrong - but in Europe we have Ionity (350kW chargers) and can either pay as you go or use the Taycan Charging Card:

20211105_113044000_iOS.png


My Porsche - Services:

1636112315037.png
Ionity is in europe, EA is in the US, their formats and policies are not the same. AFAIK in the US there is no such card
 

MyA

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This is what I use up here in Québec if I do not want to use their cell phone app.
Porsche Taycan Public charging without cellphones? 797325F7-B467-43B5-BDD2-072D517B49FC
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