&Charge newsroom

In our new series “Charging station of the month”, we will report in future on charging stations that have particularly caught our eye this month. These can be, for example, top-rated charging parks with particularly outstanding equipment (lighting, w-lan on site, etc.) or curious examples of unusable charging columns that could be forwarded to the charging station operator by the &Charge community.

Just recently, something happened in Remscheid West (Germany) that we have not seen before either. At the highway location in Remscheid West, a truck actually crashed into an HPC charging station. Less than 15 minutes later, this incident was reported by the community via the &Charge app – including detailed challenge photos and descriptions.

Pics made by &Charge users in the &Charge app:

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Although the incident was promptly reported to the CPO (charging point operator) by the police, the challenge photos were instrumental in assessing the property damage and were passed on to the insurance company for further investigation.
The CPO has informed us that the reconstruction of the station will be started immediately.

The entire &Charge team would like to thank you, also on behalf of the CPO, for your commitment and dedication! You are actively helping to ensure that defects can be reported more quickly and thus also remedied more quickly.

Thank you very much!

Electricity prices are rising and many e-car drivers are wondering how they can reduce their energy consumption in everyday life and thus save some money.
With our tips, you can save electricity when driving electric and even gain range.

What you should look out for when buying an electric car:

Before you buy an electric car, there are a few factors you should consider to ensure you get the best e-car for your needs. Here are a few things to look out for.

Battery Capacity / Range: Check the range of the car when it is fully charged and make sure it is sufficient for your daily driving needs. Saving energy starts with the selection of the electric car. That’s why when choosing an electric car, make sure the battery capacity is right for you. After all, the bigger the battery, the heavier it is, and more weight means: higher energy consumption.

Charging times: Consider how long it takes to recharge the car and whether it fits comfortably into your daily routine. It is also advisable to charge the electric car at a wallbox instead of a standard household socket. This way, your car will not only charge safer and faster, but also more efficiently.

Availability of charging stations: If you don’t have your own charging facility at home, check if there are enough charging stations in your area to charge your e-car.

Performance and driving behavior: Check the e-car’s performance and ride, including acceleration, handling and stability, and make sure it meets your needs.

So how can I save electricity if I’ve already decided to buy an electric car?

The biggest impact on the energy consumption of an electric car is the individual driving style and charging behavior. Apart from that, there are also factors such as the outside temperature, but these cannot be influenced.

Details such as rim size and tire pressure also have an impact on the range of your e-car. To reduce consumption, it is recommended to use the smallest possible rim size. For example, 1 inch can make a difference of 30km range.

Tires also play a role. Narrow and rolling resistance optimized tires with aerodynamically closed rims have a positive effect. About 0.2 bar additional tire pressure is usually not a problem and can provide additional range.

Of course, the same applies as with the internal combustion engine: Avoid unnecessary luggage. The lower the vehicle weight and the air resistance, the more energy-efficient you will be.

What else should you consider when driving?

Use regenerative braking energy:
The term “recuperation” describes the technical process of recovering energy when slowing down in hybrids or all-electric cars. This happens when you take your foot off the gas without touching the brake pedal. This noticeable resistance is precisely what recuperation is.

Try to use this recuperation as often as possible instead of the brake to use regenerative braking energy. The electric motor converts the kinetic energy generated during driving back into electrical energy. This is stored in the battery and provides more range for the electric vehicle.

Avoid unnecessary acceleration and deceleration:
Accelerate gently and avoid abrupt braking, as this increases energy consumption. Let your e-car coast when you want to slow down.

Driving at higher speeds has the greatest impact on range. You will notice this especially when driving longer distances on the highway. The reason for this is that high speed requires more energy due to the higher air resistance. Therefore, avoid excessive speed. Try to maintain a constant speed instead of accelerating quickly and then braking again, as this increases energy consumption.

It is recommended to use the eco or energy saving mode. This reduces energy consumption by limiting functions such as air conditioning or engine power.

Plan the route carefully: try to plan the route so that you have as little stop and go traffic as possible and drive on roads with low traffic volumes to minimize energy consumption.

Have fun saving energy 🙂

Saving money when charging at IONITY

EVs are increasingly becoming more popular, and the need for convenient and reliable charging solutions has never been greater. IONITY is a leading provider of high-power EV charging solutions, with a network of stations across Europe.

If you’re regularly travelling longer distances with your EV, you’ll probably need to charge on the highway regularly. So while you’re shaking off your feet to get refreshed, how about earning money for your next charge?

Here are 3 reasons why you should try a Challenge while you charge at IONITY:

1. Earn a little saving for your next charge

2. Climb up the &Charge leaderboard and be a charging hero

3. Help the community and IONITY to have a great charging experience

All it takes is doing a quick visual inspection – answering a few questions and taking some photos of the charger. It’s that simple. Check out how our &Chargie Arne did one on a recent journey: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WzWXhYuunRY

All open Challenges can be found in the &Charge App.

So the questions is:
When will you do your first challenge? 😊

Here we explain how you can earn our bonus points called “kilometer” or “km”, make your charging experience more enjoyable, and leave valuable feedback for the community.

What is a “kilometer”?

One “kilometer” is our currency for your charging credit and your mobility. One “kilometer” has an equivalent value of 0.08€. You can collect the “kilometers” and redeem them for free charging power for your e-car or attractive rewards.

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How can I help improve the charging experience for everyone? ‍

Challenges: By solving the challenges in the &Charge app, you can pass on important feedback to the charging station operators. With the charging station photo challenge, you help the community to find hidden charging stations more easily. For completing a challenge, we reward you with “kilometers”. You can find challenges near you in the feed in the &Charge app or on the map.
It easy like this: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WzWXhYuunRY

Check-In: You can start the check-in in the &Charge app via the round button in the footer. While you are at the charging station, you have the opportunity to share your experiences at the charging location directly and to improve data at the charging location with just a few answers. You can leave valuable feedback and, for example, rate the functionality of the charging station. The special thing is that your feedback is not only shared with the &Charge community, but also with the &Charge partner charging station operators, so that they can react to problems, among other things.

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ONLINE SHOPPING WITH &CHARGE

You can collect kilometers not only by solving the challenges, but also by shopping online via the &Charge app. Choose from over 1,000 online stores where you can buy everyday necessities.

How does online shopping with &Charge work?

For every purchase you make through the &Charge app, we receive a commission from the partner store where you made the purchase. We then pass on the majority of this commission to you in the form of kilometers.

After your purchase, the expected kilometers are displayed in your activities. As soon as the partner store has confirmed your purchase and any return or cancellation periods have expired, the kilometers are automatically credited to your &Charge account.
By the way, you can reduce the waiting time by continuously increasing the limit for manual confirmation of purchases with our achievement “Shopaholic”.

What do I have to pay attention to? ‍

In order for your purchases to be recorded correctly, you must agree to all cookies on the partner store’s website. Also, make sure that no ad blockers are enabled and do not use any vouchers, coupons or codes that are not provided by &Charge. Also, read the terms and conditions carefully. You can find more information in our FAQs.

WHAT CAN I REDEEM “KILOMETERS” FOR?

You can redeem your km for free public charging for your EV at the e-Mobility providers Maingau Autostrom, Charge myHyundai, Octopus, Elli, Kia Charge or Plugsurfing and safe money! We are constantly working to expand the range of e-Mobility providers for you.

You also have the option of redeeming your “km” for exclusive rewards or vouchers, such as Amazon. The redeem process can simply be done via the &Charge app.