EV Connect has enabled the Plug and Charge capability for compatible electric vehicles made by General Motors, the two companies said in a joint statement earlier this week.
With Plug and Charge enabled, EV drivers no longer need to swipe a payment card or an RFID tag to initiate a charging session. Instead, they simply pull up to the charger and plug in, and the car should start charging automatically.
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Another charging network enables Plug and Charge for GM EVs
Drivers of electric vehicles built by General Motors can now use the Plug and Charge feature when topping up at compatible EV Connect charging locations. The first network to enable the hassle-free charging experience was EVgo.
However, to make everything happen as though magic was at play, there’s an initial setup process that needs to be completed on the brand-specific smartphone app, where owners have to put in their payment details. It’s very similar to what Tesla owners experience when using the Supercharger network.
To make things easy to use, EV Connect says there’s a filter that can be toggled in GM vehicle brand apps so that people who enrolled in the program can find the appropriate chargers.
The charging provider, which is a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, says that out of the roughly 3,500 charging stations it manages for various customers like GM, Verizon, Marriott, and Hilton, there are nearly 200 DC fast chargers compatible with Plug and Charge.
"This collaboration helps to relieve GM EV drivers from one of the most common friction points of the charging process, enhancing the EV ownership experience, and holds the potential to drive EV adoption further,” said Jon Leicester, Vice President, Head of Commercial, at EV Connect. “EV Connect and GM share a mission to simplify the EV ownership experience, and this agreement is another important step in that direction. I am delighted to continue our work with GM toward making EV charging hassle-free and convenient."
EV Connect isn’t the first charging operator to offer the Plug and Charge feature for GM-made battery-powered cars, and it also won’t be the last. EVgo was the first to implement the feature back in 2022 and several other operators that are part of the automaker’s so-called Ultium Charge 360 network are working to do the same.
Currently, 11 companies are part of GM’s roaming network, with over 100,000 charging points available in the United States and Canada.
