GetOffYourGas said:
It's only a matter of time before they create an app of their own.
When it comes to simply buying stuff "over the counter", product-specific apps are for apes. I see no reason why paying for electrons at the electron pump should be any different from paying for groceries at the supermarket checkout with a generic phone pay like Apple Pay or Android Pay. For the latter I open my phone with my fingerprint (two steps: wipe the oil off my finger then press the button) and hold it against the card reader. Two seconds later, ding, approved, and I put the phone back in my pocket. In EVgo's case the charge would be as a hold on a suitable amount, $10 or $20 or whatever the bank approves at the time, the way hotels do it.
It should also be possible to reserve a pump the same way. While one car is charging you get in line by holding your phone or RFiD card against the card reader and the screen shows your expected wait time (as a maximum, not everyone in line ahead of you need use their full 30 or whatever minutes). When everyone ahead of you has been served you get a text message telling you the pump is now reserved for you (but only for 5 or whatever minutes if anyone is in line after you). If at the end of your allotted charge time there is no one in line, charging is paused and you get a message telling you what the cost is so far and asking you to reply with yes or no as to whether you wish to continue charging. A yes resumes charging. If you reply no or don't reply within 5 minutes the pump notifies the next in line to transfer the plug to their car. To allow this there should be two parking spots one behind the other, with the pump at the midway position between them (and off to the side of course). Car number three should move into the spot vacated when car number one leaves. To facilitate an orderly transition the screen should show the order of numbers (last 3 or 4 digits) of card holders in line, similar to the take-a-number system.
As a refinement, instead of the five minute wait for a yes-no reply the pump can ask you at the outset the maximum time you're willing to pay for. That way if no one else shows up while you're charging the only notification you'll get is when either the time you asked for is up or charging has slowed to a trickle.
Provided no one has already applied for the patent on this procedure, my posting it here should make it impossible for anyone to patent it later on, allowing all electron pump vendors to use it without restriction. (But what would I know? I'm not a patent lawyer, I just design stuff.)
I am so grateful to the inventors of fuel cell technology that I don't have to deal with this sort of thing with my Mirai, at least within range of H2 stations (furthest out of state we've gone is to circumnavigate Lake Tahoe). My wife was going to get a Honda Clarity FCV until she saw how much more cargo space the Bolt had. Also the Bolt can drive out of state: we're setting off in it tomorrow morning for Yachats OR, Seattle WA, Lake Quinault WA, Vancouver BC and Pitt Lake BC. Between Sacramento CA and Salem WA Plugshare shows no EVgo CCS stations, only ChargePoint (and only 24 kW at that), but from Salem northwards EVgo CCS is abundant (though not anywhere near Lake Quinault) but also with abundant CCS competition.
Apologies to Michael for the thread creep here. It comes with the Internet.
