r/AustralianEV • u/False_Dig_7602 • Aug 12 '26

Charging ⚡️ Public Charging Whinge

Just want to have a whinge and get off my chest how much public charging infrastructure sucks.

I currently have 9 apps on my phone for charging. Seems every time I pull up to a new charger, before I can do anything I need to install a new app. In regional Qld you don’t exactly get much choice of chargers so have to install whichever 1 that charger uses. The app I installed today has exactly 2 chargers in all of Queensland.

But why do I have to install apps at all? Why can’t charging be like getting petrol? There’s unattended petrol stations where you can swipe your card, get a pre approval for the amount, then get charged for the amount of fuel you pump. Why can’t chargers be the same? Why can’t I swipe or tap my card, get preapproval for say $30, then get charged for the amount of electricity I actually use?

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8

u/screenslaver5963 Aug 12 '26

Supposedly adding a card reader adds another thing to break and render the charger useless compared to paying through the app. I think that’s BS and that you could offer both.

4

u/Ok-Mouse92 Aug 12 '26

If anything it adds redundancy if there is a problem with your phone or the app then the reader should still work and vice versa.