Octopus Charge: One App to Unlock EV Charging at Thousands of North American Stations

One of the biggest gripes EV drivers have about public charging is the proliferation of apps. Every charge point operator wants you to set up an account and use their app. Frequent long-distance drivers often have to juggle several apps—and some of them are badly designed.

Now Octopus Energy US promises to “bring public charging into one seamless experience with one-tap access to tens of thousands of charging stations across North America.”

The company’s new Octopus Charge program builds on the success of Octopus Energy Group’s Electroverse platform in the UK and Europe. Since launching in 2020, Electroverse has grown into a major EV charging platform—the company says it provides access to more than one million public charge points across more than 40 countries through a single app and a single account.

The company boasts an impressive number of member CPOs in the US and Canada:

• EVGo
• ChargePoint
• BLINK
• Lynkwell
• Red E
• bp pulse
• Shell Recharge
• Flo
• EVCS
• Circle K
• Couche Tard Recharge
• Circuit Électrique
• Hypercharge
• SWTCH Energy
• EVoke
• ChargerQuest
• EV Connect
• AppleGreen Electric
• FPL EVolution
• ABM
• ZEF Energy
• Flash Parking EV Charging Network
• Monta
• Stay N Charge

If this works consistently, it would be extremely cool—almost as cool as Plug & Charge, which is (too) slowly being rolled out here in the US.

We haven’t yet heard any testimonials from drivers who have actually used Octopus Charge. Some of the best-known networks (Tesla, Electrify America, IONNA, Walmart) are missing from the list (at least for now), but several networks that I use on a regular basis are on the list, so I shall be testing Octopus Charge on my next road trip. Stay tuned, and let us know if you have any experience with this new service.

“Drivers shouldn’t have to juggle multiple apps and accounts just to charge their cars,” said Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US. “By bringing public charging into one seamless experience, Octopus Charge gives drivers the confidence to hit the road, helping remove another barrier to EV adoption.”

“We built Octopus Charge to remove unnecessary friction from the charging experience, helping drivers spend less time managing charging and more time enjoying the drive,” said Sebastian Blake, Head of Product at Octopus Energy US.

Source: Octopus