Seamless EV charger navigation Experience now available with Alexa

Drivers with Alexa-enabled vehicles as well as automotive accessories like Echo Auto can now ask Alexa to help them find and navigate to nearby EV charging stations across the US. 

Customers can access a comprehensive public EV charging repository to locate nearby stations by using PlugShare’s API integration, enabling a seamless charging experience for Alexa-enabled EVs, including the Nissan ARIYA, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. 

This integration makes having Alexa along for the ride even more useful for EV drivers as they can easily locate and drive to the nearest charging station, whether on a weekend road trip or during routine errands in the neighborhood. Alexa provides a list of nearby public charging stations, with real time availability by plug type and charging speed, as well as the time and distance to arrival, eliminating the need to manually stop and search for available stations. 

Customers can search for EV charging stations by simply saying, “Alexa, find charging stations near me.” Customers can also ask for more specific parameters such as, “Alexa, find me a charger near Golden Gate bridge,” “Alexa, find me a DC fast charger,” or “Alexa, get me directions to a nearby EVgo charger.”

It is also possible to seek specific information for charging locations. For example, “Alexa, how far is the EVgo charging station in Fremont,” “Alexa, does the Fremont EVgo charger have any open charging stalls?,” “Alexa, what are the hours of operation for the EVgo charging station at 150 Pike St?,” or “Alexa, does the EVgo charging station in Fremont support the J1772 plug type?”

In addition to getting an audio response from Alexa, customers can also depend on the visual response (using Alexa Presentation Language or Template Run Time), for a simple glance at the vehicle’s infotainment screen to understand important EV parameters before making a search selection and heading to the destination. To provide your customers with the enhanced GUI EV search experience, adopt APL (Alexa presentation language) with Auto SDK 4.0 or adopt Template Run Time template version 1.5 with SDK version 4.0.

For more information about SDK 4.0 visit Alexa Auto Software Development Kit. 

For more information about the EVgo charging network, visit www.evgo.com.