Electrify America's new CarPlay app makes it easier to find EV chargers

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How to set a wallpaper and change appearance for CarPlay (Image credit: Joseph Keller / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Electrify America is bringing CarPlay support to its iPhone app.
  • Drivers will be able to find charging spots more easily thanks to the app update.

Electric vehicle charging outfit Electrify America is bringing an updated app to iPhones that will also enable CarPlay support for the first time.

According to a press release spied by 9to5Mac, the app is rolling out now — although it doesn't appear to be in the App Store just yet. You can keep tabs on the Electrify America app in the App Store right now.

Electrify America today announced support of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto products coming this week, allowing drivers to access Electrify America's mobile app through their vehicle's infotainment system.With this added functionality of both platforms, customers will enjoy a 'one stop' solution in their electric vehicles (EVs) for all electric transportation and mobility needs, including essential information about Electrify America's more than 650 charging stations and 2,700 individual chargers nationwide.

The press release says that the update will arrive "this week," so it doesn't have long to get the CarPlay update into the App Store.

Once that update does arrive, drivers will be able to find chargers, intiiate charging, and more all from their infotainment screen.

Highlighted features include:

  • Locate a Charger: Drivers can easily navigate to charging stations while on the go. Electrify America's nationwide network allows users to plan out everything from a grocery store run to a cross-country trip – showing how many charging stations are nearby, how many of each type of chargers are at the station and which chargers are currently available.
  • Remote Start and Stop: Drivers can initiate or end a charge session through the vehicle infotainment screen.
  • View Plan Details: Access details of charging plans, including pricing and any free charging which may be included with the purchase of your vehicle.

Don't have a car with CarPlay? No problem — just check out our collection of the best CarPlay audio receivers and you'll be off to the races. Despite CarPlay being added to more and more new cars, buying a brand new vehicle just to get Apple's in-car entertainment system seems a little but too much!

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.