Amazon’s Alexa will soon help EV drivers find and pay for charging, thanks to partnership with EVgo

TL;DR

• EVgo,  one of the largest U.S. charging networks, teams up with Amazon to let EV drivers locate and pay for charging with Alexa
• EV drivers will soon be able to find and navigate to charging stations while on the road with Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant
• The new Alexa service will be available later this year.
• Alexa will connect EV drivers to over 150,000 U.S. public charging stations. If the driver chooses an EVGo charging station, Alexa will be able to initiate and pay for the charge.

One of the reasons for the slow adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is cost. Another barrier to the mainstream adoption of EVs is the range and charging anxiety caused by the lack of easily accessible public charging stations. Now, EVgo and Amazon are joining forces to ease EV charging pain to enable EV drivers to locate and pay for charging with Alexa.

Today, Amazon announced it has partnered with EVgo, one of the largest public fast-charging networks for EV cars in the United States, to help smooth the electric vehicle charging experience for owners. Amazon made the announcement Thursday at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“We want Alexa to be useful for customers in their everyday lives, and EV charging is a great example of a task that can be simplified and made more convenient through the power of AI. By partnering with EVgo, we’re bringing Alexa’s AI and multi-modal experiences to improve the EV charging experience for drivers and streamline the process of locating, initiating and paying for a charging session,” Anes Hodžić, Vice President of Amazon Smart Vehicles, said in a statement.

The new Alexa-assisted EV charging service, which is scheduled to be launched later in 2023, will connect drivers to more than 150,000 U.S. public charging stations through EVgo’s PlugShare map. The service will also streamline the process of locating, initiating and paying for a charging session — which are still pain points for many EV drivers — according to EVgo.

Amazon added that the service will also let drivers find charging stations operated by EVgo and other operators. For example, if EV drivers select an EVgo station, they can then schedule and initiate a charging session and complete the payment through the Alexa mobile app.

Amazon said the collaboration will allow drivers to ask Alexa to help them find and navigate to nearby EV charging stations, as well as initiate and pay for charging sessions at EVgo stations seamlessly.

“EVgo and Amazon’s shared principles of being customer-centric and committed to a sustainable future make innovative experiences like voice-initiated charging possible,” said Cathy Zoi, CEO at EVgo. “From Autocharge+ to charging with Alexa, EVgo is committed to continuing to raise the bar for convenience of EV ownership for our customers. EVgo is proud to be Amazon’s first charging network partner to enable this Alexa experience, and support its Climate Pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.”

The two companies plan to roll out the in-vehicle functionality to Alexa-enabled vehicles as well as automotive accessories like Echo Auto later this year. EVgo said its customers will eventually be able to view real-time charger availability and view session and billing information.

Founded in 2010, EVgo is one of the largest EV fast-charging network operators in the United States. Its network has been powered by 100% renewable energy since 2019 through renewable energy certificates. EVgo is owned and operated charging network that features over 850 fast charging locations – currently serving over 60 metropolitan areas across more than 30 states, and growing.