How EV Roaming with Blink Benefits You

When it comes to electric vehicle (EV) charging, the charging network – not the charging station hardware itself – is what EV drivers talk about the most. While there are non-networked charging stations that can easily provide electricity to anyone who plugs in, it's the internet/cloud-based software or the charging network that station hosts and drivers interact with the most. The EV charging network enables remote monitoring, billing, station locator apps, charge history, energy management, access controls, station management, and more. But because each charging network is managed by a different company, EV drivers must become members of every charging network they want to use. Until now. Here’s what you need to know about EV roaming.

What Is Roaming?

The concept of roaming is well known when it comes to mobile services. With roaming, mobile devices registered with a given company’s network can use the network of a different company, typically for a fee. This lets you roam wherever you want, without losing service to your mobile device.

This concept also works in the realm of electric vehicle (EV) charging.

How Roaming Helps EV Drivers

Thanks to roaming partnerships, EV drivers can now enjoy a seamless charging experience using just one app—the one they already use from a participating company. Whether it’s ChargeHub, ChargePoint, or another roaming partner app, or the Blink Charging app, you can locate stations, start and stop charging sessions, and pay, all from a single platform. No need for multiple accounts or switching between apps.

1. One App, More Access: Drivers using mobile applications from Blink’s roaming partners can now access more than 20,000 Blink public charging ports nationwide.

2. Effortless Charging: Find, start, and pay for charging sessions directly from your preferred app. EV drivers can also use a compatible RFID card issued by their app provider to initiate charging.

3. Streamlined & User-Friendly Experience: Easily enroll with your existing app from a roaming partner to locate Blink stations, start and stop a charge, monitor their session, and pay automatically, ensuring a smooth and efficient charging process without extra steps or complications.

What EV drivers need to know about roaming

EV roaming allows drivers to locate and charge their vehicles at any charging station, regardless of the EV charging network operating it. Best of all, it simplifies the charging process by using a single method of authentication and payment. This eliminates the need for multiple RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards, memberships, and payment apps. That means:

1. A Blink member can charge at a non-Blink station and pay via the Blink Charging Mobile App or RFID card. 

2. A non-Blink member can charge at a Blink station using their preferred roaming partner’s app, without downloading or using the Blink Charging app.

Note that not all roaming agreements are the same. Some allow drivers to search for chargers (such as Google Maps), and others allow drivers to locate the charger and start charging.

More EV roaming makes it easier for new EV drivers to start charging, even if they haven’t downloaded every EV charging app.

How Roaming Helps Blink EV Charging Station Hosts

To put it simply, allowing more people access to your charging stations means more people can and will use them. EV drivers want convenient access to charging wherever they are, no matter which networks they have memberships with. EV roaming allows EV drivers the freedom to charge their batteries at any charging station, regardless of their membership or affiliation with a specific network.

Attract EV drivers

By giving more EV drivers access to your charging stations, you are expanding your pool of potential users. Your stations will appear on the apps of our roaming partners, which will increase foot traffic (in this case, wheel traffic). Enabling roaming on your Blink EV charging stations means higher visibility, increased utilization rates, and, best of all, more charging revenue flowing to you.

Join industry trends

Enabling EV roaming in your own Blink charging stations also helps you stay in step with EV industry trends. It is in the best interests of every EV charging company and every EV charging host to make charging as seamless as possible for drivers across platforms. Network interoperability is crucial to the growth of the EV charging industry. Fortunately for our charging station hosts, as Blink grows its list of roaming partners, your stations’ reach grows organically along with it.

How to enable EV roaming with your Blink charging stations

By signing into your Blink Network host portal, you can update your location settings to allow EV drivers using apps from Blink’s roaming partners to find and use your charging stations and pay for their charging sessions with the roaming partner’s app. Note that Blink’s roaming features do not impact your existing access policies, so private locations remain unavailable to public roaming users.

Types of Roaming with Blink Charging

Roaming for EV Drivers

As a CPO and an EMSP, Blink has signed roaming agreements with several leading CPOs and automakers. Here are some of the charging apps that you can use to charge at public Blink stations. Note that some networks may offer discounts for using their own charging apps, and some private businesses restrict access to their users.

Shell Recharge

The Shell Recharge app integrates seamlessly with the Blink Network. EV drivers can use their Shell Recharge app to locate Blink charging stations, check availability, initiate and pay for charging sessions, and receive updates. Shell Recharge also facilitates roaming for some of our other partners.

ChargePoint

Drivers who have the ChargePoint app on their phones do not need to download another app to use a Blink charging station. They can use their ChargePoint app or their ChargePoint RFID card to find Blink charging stations, initiate charges, and pay for their charging sessions.

Ford

The FordPass App integrates with the Blink Network via Shell Recharge. This allows Ford EV drivers to find, access, charge their vehicles, and pay for charging using their FordPass app.

BMW

Also utilizing a partnership between BMW and Shell Recharge, BMW EV drivers can easily use Blink charging stations via the My BMW app. Payments are automatically processed through the app, making it ultra-convenient for BMW drivers. BMW EV drivers can enroll in the Blink Network with Shell Recharge within their My BMW App to locate Blink charging stations, start and stop a charge, monitor their session, and automatically pay.

GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, & Buick

EV drivers of this family of automotive brands can use their corresponding brand app (myGMC, myChevrolet, myCadillac, myBuick) to locate Blink charging stations, check real-time availability, initiate a charge, receive updates, and pay for charging.

ChargeHub

To facilitate interoperability between charging companies, Blink and ChargeHub have collaborated on integrating the ChargeHub app and RFID card users with the Blink Network. This integration allows drivers to find, access, and charge their EV at Blink charging stations through their ChargeHub App. Payments are automatically processed via their ChargeHub app or RFID card.

All of these brand-to-brand collaborations are key to making EV charging as simple and efficient as possible throughout the United States. But it’s not just private EV owners who benefit from Blink’s many collaborations. Fleet owners also benefit.

Roaming for EV Fleets

Blink’s fleet collaborations make it easier for fleet owners to fuel their commercial EVs and make the switch to a fully EV fleet in the future.

WEX

Blink has integrated its services into the WEX EV charging network, allowing fleet drivers to use their WEX RFID fleet cards for payment at Blink charging stations. With WEX, fleet drivers can fill their internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles at 95% of gas stations across the U.S., and with WEX EV En Route, they can charge their fleet EVs at WEX’s growing EV charging network, which now includes Blink. Fleet drivers can use either the DriverDash app or the WEX EV RFID card, and their company will receive a single invoice with one integrated set of reports. This makes WEX ideal for “mixed energy” fleets that contain both ICE and electric vehicles.

AssetWorks

Blink has partnered with AssetWorks, an EV fleet charging management software company, to provide fleet managers with comprehensive information about their fleet’s charging activities through their FuelFocusEV platform. FuelFocusEV offers seamless integration with charging network and hardware providers, such as Blink, enabling fleets to more effectively manage their charging operations.

Blink’s integration with AssetWorks’ FuelFocusEV enables the automatic import of charging session data, including session times, energy usage, and costs, providing real-time insights into charging port status and energy consumption. This enables fleet managers to analyze and optimize operations, ultimately growing their EV fleet.

Integrations with Popular Charging Locators

Our partnerships with these service providers show EV drivers valuable information about where they can find Blink charging stations and if they are operable and available for use. Note that private chargers may not appear on public maps depending on the station settings.

PlugShare

Our collaboration with PlugShare lets EV drivers use the PlugShare platform to locate Blink charging stations, check real-time availability, and view details like pricing and charger type. Furthermore, PlugShare gives drivers the opportunity to read and share reviews about charging stations. If you keep your Blink Charging stations in optimal working order, by using the Blink Care preventative maintenance program, for example, your charging stations will garner better reviews and attract more drivers.

Google Maps

Blink’s collaboration with Google Maps enables EV drivers to use the Google Maps app to locate charging stations along their route, check availability, and view details such as charging speeds and pricing directly within the Maps app. And EV drivers using the Google Maps app will be able to see your stations’ details along their chosen routes.

Apple Maps

As with Google Maps, our Apple Maps integration is meant to cut down on range anxiety and replace it with range confidence. Drivers can easily locate charging stations in real-time and access station details, such as availability and charging speeds. They can also use the Apple Maps app to navigate directly to the nearest Blink station, including those on your property.

Here Maps

Blink is excited to collaborate with map services that can help EV drivers optimize routes and find EV charging options more quickly, such as Here Maps. Our collaboration with Here Maps enables drivers to see the location of the nearest Blink charging station and receive real-time information, including availability and charger type.

Roaming everywhere

In addition to EV roaming in the United States and throughout North America, Blink is also collaborating with other charging service providers and map services in other parts of the world.

For example, Blink Charging UK is collaborating with Zapmap to offer drivers in the United Kingdom the ability to find and pay for Blink charging stations via the Zapmap app.

Conclusion

Blink EV charging station hosts benefit from the many collaborations Blink has with our EV roaming partners. Whether it’s private EV owners or fleets, drivers can find, view info about, and in some cases pay for EV charging using non-Blink services. It is our way of helping the EV industry as a whole to grow throughout the United States, North America, and the rest of the world by making charging as seamless as possible and replacing range anxiety with range confidence. For help enabling EV roaming in your own Blink stations, please contact Blink Host Support for more information.

Want to put your property on the map? Request a quote for EV charging at your business today!