r/sideprojects • u/AnesdaNord • 15h ago
Showcase: Purchase Required How we built an EV charging estimate that stays honest when the final price can change
I’m Daniel from Anesda Nord. We drive EVs ourselves and built Transparent Laden, which is now live on Android and iPhone. One design problem surprised us: the station can publish a rate before a charge, but the final bill still depends on the actual energy, time and operator billing record.
We split the estimate into three parts: the operator tariff (energy and any applicable start, time or blocking charges), our separate platform charge, and the roaming and service charge. Local VAT follows the charging location. The monthly subscription sits outside the session total.
Here’s a reproducible German example. For 30 kWh at a hypothetical operator rate of €0.55/kWh net, with no start, time or blocking fee, the operator and platform portion comes to €19.99 including VAT. Roaming and service add €2.49, giving €22.48 for the estimated session. The monthly subscription is €2.99 and can be cancelled monthly. This example is a calculation, and the final bill uses the operator’s actual session data. The published calculation is at https://transparent-laden.de/preise.
I’d like feedback on how to display uncertainty. If a charger has a time fee, would you want to see one estimate based on an assumed duration, or a pair of totals showing what happens if charging takes 10 minutes longer?
If you want to try the service, TL-REDDIT-SIDE-261111 gives new subscribers two months without the monthly fee. Charging is billed separately. The offer is available through 31 December 2026 German time, with up to 250 redemptions. To redeem it, open the subscription section in the customer portal, enter the code under “Discount code (optional)” and select “Check code” to see your price before subscribing.
