This week in not Windows — EV charging shouldn’t require this many apps

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Welcome to *This Week in Not Windows*, a new series focusing on tech issues beyond the typical PC world. I recently bought a Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid, and I’m really enjoying it! I haven’t loved a car this much in a long time, and I’ve been finding reasons to go for drives all week.

I’m really happy with my new SUV overall, but finding places to charge it in the UK has been more difficult than I expected.

Apple famously advertised the early iPhones with the slogan, “there’s an app for that.” Now that I’m driving a plug-in hybrid in the UK, I keep thinking they should bring that slogan back – but change it to, “there’s *one* app for that.” It feels like you need a single app to manage everything!

It’s great to have options, but charging an electric vehicle has become overly complicated. Just this week, I had to download six different apps and enter my payment information multiple times. While some apps work with Apple Pay, others don’t, adding to the hassle.

My wife and I both plan to drive the Tucson, so I took the lead on getting it set up this week to make sure everything was working perfectly. I figured out what apps she’ll need, located nearby charging stations that are compatible with the car, and tested how long it takes to charge there. Now we’re ready to share it!

Because I drive a plug-in hybrid, I’m not too worried about this. My car runs great even if I don’t plug it in. However, if I owned a fully electric car, these app issues could be a real problem.

The UK government took a positive step in 2023 by passing laws to improve public electric vehicle charging. These laws require many public chargers to accept payments with contactless cards, offer customer support via a hotline, maintain a high level of reliability (at least 99%), and clearly display their prices.

It’s good progress, but even when all requirements are fulfilled, you still need many apps to plan a great trip and get the lowest prices. Apps also make it simple to check what kind of power adapter you’ll need.

I’m having a charger installed at my house, which should solve many of these problems, but I was surprised by how complicated it was to charge an electric car, even for the future in 2025.

Ghosts of Windows Phone’s app gap

While this isn’t about Windows itself, using an electric vehicle highlighted a problem our readers have likely faced before. After just a week with one, it’s obvious that Windows Phone would still be lacking a key feature in 2025.

I remember when Pokémon GO first became popular – I was using a Lumia 930 back then and actually bought a cheap Android phone just to play! I’d spent years covering Windows Phone, so I was familiar with finding workarounds and using third-party apps to get things done. But honestly, even knowing those tricks, there were times when simple tasks were just frustratingly difficult on that platform.

I doubt all the essential EV apps would even be available on Windows Phone today, even if it still existed. And if they were, they’d probably be old, missing key features, or wouldn’t work with common payment methods.

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2025-12-06 20:09