Products · Pattern or everyday thing
EV charging
Raised as a usability problem by 68 people on Hacker News over 8 years (2019–2026), in 55 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Charging needs separate apps, registration, and payment detailsUnreviewed
20192026- Charging requires registering apps and fobs, which is cumbersome and confusing2026-01-20
- Must have an account and app for each charging company; apps don't work properly2024-06-17
- Must register in separate, crappy charging-provider apps before the car can charge2024-02-07
Chargers are incompatible and require paying through an appUnreviewed
20192026- Chargers look ready but won't charge; website instructions incomplete, needed many tries2026-03-16
- Chargers were incompatible, inconvenient, slow, and required paying through an app2025-04-05
- Some public chargers can't be used because payment fails or they have no cable2024-09-05
Charging spots fill up, forcing long waits on long tripsUnreviewed
20192026- Public fast charging takes hours of driving and waiting, forcing frequent inconvenient trips2026-07-09
- Charging takes too long and requires queuing or frequent small top-ups2024-05-27
- Charging takes around 30 minutes of waiting before the trip can continue2024-04-27
Charging is slow, which may deter people from buying EVsUnreviewed
20192026- Charging an EV requires a brand-specific app instead of simply paying with a card2024-08-15
- Owning an EV while living in an apartment is a massive pain, charging is hard2024-05-27
- CCS charging is slow and clunky, could turn people off EVs2022-11-11
Chargers are blocked, occupied, broken, or have cables too shortUnreviewed
20192026- Charging poles often fail to process card payment, blocking the parking spot2022-11-01
- Charging station software fails often, so users must call support repeatedly to use it2022-08-31
- Charge points are often blocked, in use, or broken, with cables too short to reach parked cars2020-11-15
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Public fast charging takes hours of driving and waiting, forcing frequent inconvenient trips2026-07-09
- Chargers look ready but won't charge; website instructions incomplete, needed many tries2026-03-16
- Charging requires registering apps and fobs, which is cumbersome and confusing2026-01-20
- Each charger network needs its own app, and non-Tesla cars lack battery-aware route integration.2025-10-06
- Gets logged out constantly and must sign in again, can't even view station locations2025-06-13
- Chargers were incompatible, inconvenient, slow, and required paying through an app2025-04-05
- Cable stays locked until charging stops, so users must wait to unplug2024-09-26
- Multiple incompatible apps, account sign-up, and charging points that fail with vague errors2024-09-19
- Some public chargers can't be used because payment fails or they have no cable2024-09-05
- Chargers have non-responsive touch screens and failing payment, wasting the driver's time2024-08-17
- Charging an EV requires a brand-specific app instead of simply paying with a card2024-08-15
- Arrives at charging station only to find it occupied by another car2024-08-05
- Must have an account and app for each charging company; apps don't work properly2024-06-17
- Must plan days ahead and leave buffer to avoid running out of charge2024-05-27
- Charging takes too long and requires queuing or frequent small top-ups2024-05-27
- Owning an EV while living in an apartment is a massive pain, charging is hard2024-05-27
- Chargers often unavailable or not working, making road trips hard2024-05-22
- Charging takes around 30 minutes of waiting before the trip can continue2024-04-27
- Chargers often broken or slow, need an app, and occupancy is unknown until arrival2024-04-04
- Charging apps refuse non-British billing addresses; chargers need specialty cards or fail to take payment2024-04-04
- Foreigners can't download, sign up for, or use charging network apps abroad2024-04-04
- Must register in separate, crappy charging-provider apps before the car can charge2024-02-07
- Couldn't access building charger: app needed resident-linked account, no one knew how2024-01-24
- Charging apps ask for too much information during signup and lack autofill support2024-01-11
- CCS chargers are hard to use, with a terrible user experience2024-01-04
- Charging requires downloading an app and registering an account before use2023-12-20
- Charging networks require separate apps and accounts, which is a hassle that deters use2023-12-20
- CCS plug and cable are thick, heavy and unwieldy compared to a gas pump2023-12-20
- Charger controls were so fiddly that the user nearly missed a wedding2023-12-20
- Chargers are in obscure places without restrooms, making highway trip planning hard2023-12-06
- Needs many separate apps, some fail with unexplained errors or need connectivity underground2023-11-29
- Charging stations require an app, payment method, and minimum top-ups before use2023-11-15
- Charging interfaces require a pre-set-up account instead of simple card payment2023-11-15
- Charging apps are slow and clunky to find stations with, with terrible UIs2023-11-15
- Non-Tesla public charging is too hit or miss for most drivers2023-11-01
- Must download app, sign up, verify email and enter card before charging2023-08-30
- Charger tells you to leave while you're away eating, leaving no clear way to act2023-07-21
- Charging requires weird, terrible custom apps and overly complicated sign-up procedures2023-07-18
- Owners of cars with the wrong plug need adapters at every charger2023-06-20
- Cars and chargers often incompatible, with weird payment processes and complexity for users2023-06-09
- Must hunt through a map and list by charger name to find the one in front of them2023-06-08
- Opaque error-prone charger interfaces with no fallback and tribal-knowledge troubleshooting2023-03-22
- Drivers confused about how to start charging, adapter mismatch between J1772 and CCS2023-02-16
- Charging requires juggling many apps, sign-ups and online payments instead of simple tap-and-go2023-02-16
- Chargers incompatible with cars and apps, payment cards rejected, charging fails unpredictably2023-02-15
- Tap, chip and swipe payments fail in different ways at chargers2023-02-15
- Charging requires downloading separate apps, registering, and entering payment details, unlike simple gas payment2022-11-20
- CCS charging is slow and clunky, could turn people off EVs2022-11-11
- Charging is slow and clunky to use, which may turn people off EVs2022-11-11
- Charging poles often fail to process card payment, blocking the parking spot2022-11-01