PlugShare

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  PlugShare Map

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  Filter Menu

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  Station Details

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  Check In Comments

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  Bookmarks

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  Account Profile

Inspiration

In 2011, when PlugShare launched, public EV charging infrastructure was still in its infancy. Long before major networks rolled out nationwide, one of the original ideas behind PlugShare was to empower EV drivers to share their home chargers with others—a grassroots solution to range anxiety. It started with the belief that a map powered by a community could make EV driving more practical and accessible for everyone.

What it does

PlugShare is the most complete and trusted global map of EV charging stations. It offers a real-time, community-powered view of charging infrastructure, helping drivers locate, review, and plan stops at charging stations around the world. EV drivers can add new locations, upload photos, share detailed reviews, and report station availability. Whether you're charging locally or planning a cross-country trip, PlugShare helps you find the right station with confidence.

How we built it

PlugShare is a map-based web and mobile application built on top of Google Maps APIs. From day one, mapping has been at the heart of the experience. We’ve layered custom geospatial logic to cluster and filter locations, integrated with data from hundreds of charging networks, and designed tools for community contributions. Our app continuously syncs live data about charging station status, and we’ve built trip planning tools that take into account vehicle range, station types, and user preferences.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge has been data quality in a rapidly growing and fragmented ecosystem. With hundreds of networks and inconsistent data standards across regions, ensuring accuracy and completeness requires both technical integrations and human validation. Another challenge has been global scalability—supporting multiple languages, currencies, charging standards, and usage behaviors around the world while maintaining a consistent and intuitive user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud to have built the largest and most engaged EV driver community in the world, with over 7 million registered users contributing millions of photos, reviews, and check-ins. PlugShare is consistently ranked as one of the top EV apps globally and is relied on daily by both new and experienced EV drivers. We’ve helped countless people make the switch to electric by reducing anxiety around charging and making EV road trips possible—years before fast charging was widespread.

What we learned

We’ve learned that crowdsourcing can be incredibly powerful when it comes to building trust and solving logistical problems at scale. While data from networks is important, real-world driver experiences—photos, reviews, availability updates—are essential to understanding how stations perform. We also learned that thoughtful UX design around maps, filtering, and search is key to helping drivers navigate a complex charging ecosystem with ease.

What's next for PlugShare

As EV adoption accelerates, PlugShare will continue evolving to support a broader range of drivers and use cases. We're enhancing trip planning tools, adding more real-time data partnerships, and building features that personalize the charging experience. We’re also exploring ways to help infrastructure providers and utilities better understand how drivers are using the charging network. The road ahead is electric, and PlugShare will be there to help guide the way.

Built With

• android-for-cars
• firebase
• google-places
• google-play-location
• google-play-maps
• google-play-wallet
• java
• jetpack-libraries
• kotlin
• material