CarStations Android and iPhone App to Help EV Drivers Find Charging Stations

There is little doubt that the more people who make a move to an electric vehicle the better. While some people may frown on the green movement, everyone can agree that EVs are cleaner emission vehicles and they burn less fossil fuels. Almost everyone can agree that those two benefits help everybody. Despite knowing this, there has still been a real pushback against EVs on Main Street.

Regardless of that fact, car companies continue to move in the EV direction, such as General Motor's Chevy Spark or their Chevy Volt. One particular reason why these cars simply are not being met with the popularity advertiser's were expecting is because it can simply be difficult to find a place to charge an EV. If you are planning a road trip, the last thing you ever want to do is run out of gas. 

However if you do run out of gas you can take some solace that unless you are in the middle of the Mojave there is probably a gas station within a few miles of wherever you have stalled. The same peace of mind can't be said for finding an electric vehicle charging station.

A new smartphone app called CarStations is trying to alleviate EV user's worries by basically listing all the Electric Vehicle charging stations on any given route. The app, which is being tailored to both the iPhone and Android (News - Alert) smartphones is the latest creation from developer David Raboy who has been an vocal advocate for Electric Vehicles for quite some time.  

CarStations is completely free and will give EV drivers a way to easily plan a route across the country or merely for an extended shopping trip. The app currently lists more than 1,700 car charging stations across the country and Raboy says that more will be getting added all the time. CarStations integrates the GPS devices that are almost all smartphones along with Google (News - Alert) Maps to find the charging stations. Users can also filter which kind of charging stations they are looking for quickly and easily. 

The app also includes a crowdsourcing function, which will allow new stations to be added quickly. The app will also give you a feel for what's nearby if you want to grab a cup of coffee while waiting for your car to get charged up.

“Most Americans drive less than 50 miles a day, and most electric car drivers start their daily commute with a fully-charged battery that gets topped up nightly at home,” says Raboy. “EV charging stations will soon be as commonplace as WiFi (News - Alert) hotspots, and when drivers need to go the distance, CarStations will help them find their charge.”