I’m testing a simple idea for EV charging — would this even be useful?
https://www.universalevcharger.com/
I’m exploring an EV charging idea after getting frustrated with how hard it is to know which chargers are actually usable and available. Before building more, I’m trying to validate: is this a real pain point, or are current apps good enough? Not selling anything — Just feedback.
The pain point is real. Current apps like PlugShare give you charger locations, but the "actually usable and available" part is where they fall short. You show up and it's broken, occupied, or ICE'd (blocked by a gas car).
A few questions that might sharpen the validation:
The hardest part isn't building the app - it's getting accurate, real-time data at scale. Curious how you're thinking about that piece.
Thanks, that’s super helpful! You’re exactly right — getting accurate, real-time data at scale is the hard part, and I’m mostly exploring whether this pain point is widespread.
Out of curiosity, for you personally, which is more frustrating: reliability on road trips, or knowing the real-time status for your daily charging?
Road trips, definitely. For daily charging, you build muscle memory - you know which chargers at your usual spots are reliable. The anxiety comes on unfamiliar routes where a broken charger means being stranded or a 30-minute detour.
The interesting thing is that road trip charging is also higher stakes emotionally. You're often with family, on a schedule, in an unfamiliar area. A bad experience there shapes your whole perception of EVs.
If you're prioritizing, I'd focus on the road trip use case first - higher pain, more urgency, and probably more willingness to pay for reliability data.
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense — focusing on road trips first sounds smart.
Out of curiosity, when you hit a broken or blocked charger on a trip, how do you usually handle it? Do you rely on apps, plan backups, or just wing it?
Combination of planning and apps, but with diminishing trust in the apps as I go.
Before a trip: I map out charging stops using A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and cross-reference with PlugShare reviews. If a charger has recent "broken" reports, I mentally flag a backup within range.
During the trip: If I arrive and it's broken/blocked, the in-car nav (Tesla in my case) usually finds the next option, but it doesn't account for "this one is technically working but has a 45-minute wait." That's where the anxiety kicks in.
The honest answer: I over-plan because I don't trust any single data source. I'll have ABRP, PlugShare, AND the car's nav open, cross-checking. That's a UX nightmare that screams "opportunity."
What would actually help is a reliability score that combines: uptime data, recent user reports, AND wait time predictions. PlugShare has pieces of this, but it's fragmented and often stale.
If you could nail accurate, real-time reliability data for the top 20 highway corridors, that alone might be a wedge worth building.
This is incredibly helpful — thank you. The “over-planning with 3 tools open” really does sound like a UX smell that something’s broken at a system level.
If you had to pick one signal that would most reduce anxiety on a road trip — recent uptime, real-time wait estimates, or confidence that a nearby fallback exists — which would matter most to you?
Confidence that a nearby fallback exists - and that I can reach it with my current charge.
Here's my reasoning: uptime and wait estimates are backward-looking or real-time, but they can still be wrong by the time I arrive. A fallback guarantee is forward-looking - it tells me "even if this one fails, you're not stranded."
The mental model shifts from "will this specific charger work?" to "is there a charging solution within my range?" That's a much calmer question to answer.
If you could show: "Primary charger + 2 verified fallbacks within 15 miles, all currently operational" - that's the kind of confidence that lets someone actually relax during a road trip instead of white-knuckling to each stop.
This is a really sharp way to frame it. The shift from “will this charger work?” to “do I have a charging solution within range?” resonates a lot — that’s exactly the anxiety I’m trying to understand.
One clarifying question: on a road trip, what range would make you feel safe for fallbacks? Is “within 15 miles” about right, or does it depend more on remaining battery percentage?
Battery percentage is the better anchor - 15 miles means something completely different at 80% vs 15%.
The mental math I do: "Can I reach the fallback and still have buffer?" So the ideal display might be something like:
Primary: ChargePoint @ Exit 47 (12 mi)
Fallbacks: Electrify America @ Exit 52 (18 mi) ✓, EVgo @ Exit 55 (22 mi) ✓
With the checkmarks meaning "reachable with your current charge + 10% buffer."
That way the distance is visible for planning, but the confidence signal ("you can reach these") does the heavy lifting for anxiety reduction.
The 10% buffer is key - nobody wants to coast in on 2% even if technically possible. Building in that margin would differentiate you from apps that show "technically reachable" options that feel risky.
This is really helpful — thank you.
I like the reframing suggestion a lot. You’re right: for validation it helps to surface the fear, but for the actual UI, anchoring on “you have options” is calmer and probably more trustworthy long-term. Will definitely make the change.
If you were to nitpick one thing that would still make you uneasy using this on a real trip, what would it be?
Just checked out the mockup - this is exactly what I meant. The "guaranteed fallbacks within range" framing shifts the whole emotional experience from anxiety to confidence.
A few things that stood out:
One small thing: the "if something goes wrong, am I stranded?" framing is perfect for validation conversations, but for the actual UI you might flip it positive - "You have options" or "Backup available" feels calmer than reminding people about things going wrong.
This is solid validation work. You went from question → feedback → mockup in days, not weeks. That speed matters.
Update: I mocked the screen based directly on your feedback.
I tried to focus less on “perfect data” and more on reducing anxiety by showing guaranteed fallbacks within your current charge + buffer — so even if the primary charger fails, you’re still okay.
Here’s the screen (hardcoded DC → Baltimore example):
👉 https://foadrahnema-rgb.github.io/chargehub-mvp/
It answers one question only:
“If something goes wrong, am I stranded?”
Would a screen like this actually reduce your charging anxiety on a road trip — or am I missing something fundamental?
Not selling anything, genuinely validating.
Happy to help - this has been a great conversation. The "narrow first version" instinct is right. If you can nail the fallback confidence for just a handful of high-traffic corridors, you'll have something testable with real road trippers pretty quickly.
Would be curious to see where you land with it. Feel free to share updates here or tag me when you have something to test.
This is extremely clear — thank you. Anchoring everything on battery % + a built-in buffer makes a lot of sense, and the checkmark meaning “reachable with margin” is exactly the kind of confidence signal that feels human, not technical.
The “technically reachable but risky” distinction you called out really resonates. I’m going to use this mental model as I think through a very narrow first version. Appreciate you taking the time to articulate it so well.