Plugshare App filter "Requires Fee" hides ~5% of all SuperChargers

[bwilson4web]

The PlugShare App on iPhone and Android have an undocumented feature that hides about 5% of the SuperChargers. I opened a case with PlugShare support and their last e-mail response said in effect, 'no problem.'

HOW TO REPLICATE

Start the App using SuperCharger filter. I found the problem with the Athens SuperCharger but replicated it with Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, or any urban area with a reasonable number of SuperChargers:

Where is Athens SuperCharger?

What is that little green dot in Athens close to the SuperChargers?

The green dot calls itself a SuperCharger but that is not the icon

Both the IOS App and Android App hide ~5% of all SuperChargers by the "Requires Fee" filter

Turn on the filter and 5% of the SuperChargers suddenly show up including the one in Athens AL

I replicated the same behavior at Nashville, TN and Athens, GA. The filter does not exist on the Web interface to PlugShare.

FOLLOW-UP

Apparently the PlugShare support staff I've been working with believes the inconsistent behavior of "Requires Fee" is perfectly OK. I suspect they do not have a Tesla. Regardless, it sounds like they want the PlugShare App "Requires Fee" to continue to hide 5% of the Tesla SuperChargers.

Bob Wilson

ps. The following SuperCharger icons are affected by the App defective "Requires Fee" :

• Kinston Supercharger NC
• Freehold Supercharger NJ, Robinsville Supercharger NJ
• West Jax Supercharger FL, St Augustine Supercharger FL
• Birmingham - Hopwood UK, Hilton Park Southbound Supercharger UK
• Vikensa Supercharger Norway, Bygland Supercharger Norway

 

[GtiMart]

I believe requires fee might relate to having to pay an additional fee to access the site. Maybe parking fees for example, separate from charger or supercharger fees?

 

[bwilson4web]

I believe requires fee might relate to having to pay an additional fee to access the site. Maybe parking fees for example, separate from charger or supercharger fees?

This is a common speculation. It turns out there is a "Cost" field in the Supercharger information that the "Requires Fee" filter uses to toggle the icon display. As bad as it is for the Superchargers, it is even worse for the CCS-1, fast DC chargers. For example, bring up Atlanta GA showing just the CCS-1 chargers and then toggle "Requires Fee."

Fortunately, our Teslas come with a built-in, active Supercharger map as part of the navigation system. We can quickly find Superchargers that might be hidden in Plugshare depending on the "Requires Fee" filter. So this is my operational scenario:

1. Trip Planning with Plugshare - set the "Requires Fee" so all Superchargers can be mapped and included in the route.
2. Use Plugshare to fill Supercharger gaps - with "Requires Fee", look for all L2 and NEMA 14-50 outlets. Check the EVSE configuration to determine if there are other fees.
3. Use built-in Tesla Supercharger navigation when on the road - it is more current than Plugshare and shows station status. Sad to say, Tesla won't find alternates like J1772 style, L2 or NEMA 14-50 charging locations. I don't know if distribution chargers are mapped.

Bob Wilson

 

[cwerdna]

I believe requires fee might relate to having to pay an additional fee to access the site. Maybe parking fees for example, separate from charger or supercharger fees?

I have no Tesla but use Plugshare all the time to look for J1772 and SAE Combo sites. I sometimes use it to look for CHAdeMO even though I no longer have CHAdeMO car.

AFAIK, requires fee is intended to distinguish between whether or not charging is free or not. It definitely works correctly for the 3 plug types I mentioned. That said, there's some ambiguity for places like these below where charging is free for the 2 first two hours and then they (ChargePoint) start collecting $ after that.

PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

And yes, I've charged for free at the above locations multiple times before. For those, requires fee must be turned on.

I've also been using Plugshare for many years.

 

[cwerdna]

I suspect they do not have a Tesla.

Maybe the support people don't have Teslas or don't commonly have them but there's got to be some employees of theirs that do have them.

I met a Plugshare employee a few years ago at an EVent in Cupertino. He drove an e-Golf and might've been manning the Plugshare table at the EVent. I met him at the same EVent the next year or a few years later where he told me he was now a former Plugshare employee.

About PlugShare | PlugShare says their HQ is in El Segundo (which is in So Cal). Per PlugShare - Accelerating the Plug-In Revolution, they had a Bay Area office. I don't know about now.

 

[wooter]

I'm confused about the issue. Obviously, some Tesla owners enjoy free supercharging because of using referral codes, but on the whole it's reasonable to assume that default supercharging isn't free, and therefore a fee is required.

Unless the "requires fee" isn't about the cost to charge but the cost to park, I'd feel it should be applied to all superchargers.

 

[bwilson4web]

Plugshare support has escalated the problem to their engineering team.

Bob Wilson

 

[tylerthehuman]

I found this to be a problem, too, while doing some recent traveling. Plugshare seems to be aware of the issue, according to reddit.

Plug_Share

This is a bug we recently discovered as well. It should be getting fixed.​

I’m part of the family now! Current Model 3 owners, what useful tidbits can you share for new owners like me? : TeslaModel3

I used to be able to view SC with “requires fee” off, but now it hides all of them..except for one in ohio. I noticed that you’re also missing the brentwood SC near nashville in your first screenshot.

 

[bwilson4web]

FYI, Plugshare fixed the problem. You either see all of the SuperChargers or none.

The original problem was a small number, ~5% of the SuperChargers, did not list the Tesla SuperCharger costing model. Plugshare had treated these as free SuperChargers. This caused them to 'disappear' but now Plugshare treats them following the Tesla charging policies. You either see all of them or none.

Bob Wilson