Octopus Electroverse review: the finest charge card app at home and abroad

Octopus Electroverse app

There is a proliferation of providers for charging your car. Not only of charging station providers, but also in terms of providers of apps and charging passes. The easiest route for many Dutch EV drivers is the ANWB. But this one is regularly a lot more expensive than competitors, and without a subscription you immediately get a hefty starting rate of 0.69 euros per charging session. That can add up ugly. In my search for another interesting alternative, I came across Octopus Electroverse, a UK-based company. The big advantage: Electroverse can be used in an infinite number of places, not only in the Netherlands, but also abroad, where this can be a problem with various other charge cards.

As far as I am concerned, Electroverse comes highly recommended. Registering is very easy. When you sign up, you immediately receive five euros of charge credit after your first charge. Very conveniently, you can immediately follow the steps to apply for a free charge card. It depends on the charging station whether you can start the charging session via the app or whether you need a card. Within a few days, Electroverse's charging pass will be in your mailbox.

Charging stations

Once set up, the home screen shows you a map of your current location, with nearby charging stations. Now in winter, they've thrown in a snow effect. A big advantage of Electroverse is that the application not only works with most of the charging stations in your area, but also at fast chargers from different companies. For instance, you can use the service at Shell Recharge, Fastned, Ionity, TotalEnergies and many others. All charging stations shown on the map work with Electroverse. You will therefore immediately see whether they can work with the app, or whether you need the charge card to do so. After charging, you will immediately see what the charging session cost and how many kWh you have charged. During charging, you can easily follow the charging session via the app. This also works if you started the session with the charge card.

Options and filters

In the Octopus Electroverse app, you can also use the route planner. Here, you can specify the percentage of battery you leave with and the percentage you want to arrive back with. In the app, you can specify which electric car you have so that this can also be taken into account, such as the charging connection. The route planner can then also see which charging stops are efficient on the route. It then also indicates how much time you spend there. This route planner very conveniently also works with intermediate stops. Although the route planner shows all charging stations by default, you can also filter for only those that work with Electroverse; which is handy if you don't have or don't want to use another charging card. Once you have planned your route, you can immediately start navigating via Google Maps.

Prices

The charging stations show you extensive information. For instance, the application indicates the charging speeds at which you can charge. Also, the app provides insight into the currently available charging stations, so you won't arrive in vain. Prices are also displayed neatly and clearly. The service can also be used on Android Auto (and Apple CarPlay) at no extra cost. Payments are made via the linked credit card.

Conclusion: I think Electroverse is a very nice charge card app, often priced well too. In addition, you can use the app throughout Europe, which makes it a versatile pass. Want to get started with Electroverse yourself? You can sign up for free here, after which you will receive 5 euros of charge credit after your first charging session.