This app helps UAE EV drivers track free charging stations before they hit the road

Dubai: Free EV charging in the UAE still exists, malls, hotels and select private locations offer it, but it's not always obvious which stations are genuinely free without turning up and finding out the hard way.

PlugShare is a crowd-sourced map that EV drivers use to track this down, alongside official networks like DEWA's app nationwide. It's one of several tools drivers rely on, and its usefulness depends entirely on how many people in a given area are actively using and updating it.

Here's how it actually works.

PlugShare app is available on iOS and Android. Signing up takes a Google or Apple account, or an email and password. Once registered, users can add their specific EV model so the map filters for compatible chargers, leave reviews and photos at stations they've visited, and access a trip planner for longer routes.

Once open, the app centres on your current location and shows nearby charging stations as pins on a map. Tapping a pin opens that station's listing: connector types, charging speed, and a feed of recent check-ins from other drivers.

The map can be filtered by cost, narrowing results down to stations reported as free and excluding paid listings. This filter can typically be combined with connector type, so results only show free stations compatible with your specific vehicle.

This is the part worth understanding before relying on it. Because the map is crowd-sourced, its accuracy depends on drivers actually checking in and reporting whether a station is free, working, or busy. A station marked free by its host doesn't necessarily stay that way indefinitely, and listings can go stale if nobody's updated them recently. It's worth reading the most recent check-ins rather than trusting a listing at face value, and checking in yourself after use helps keep it accurate for the next driver.

Most of the UAE's charging infrastructure now charges a fee. DEWA's network runs at roughly Dh0.70 per kWh for standard AC charging and Dh1.20 per kWh for fast DC charging, plus 5 per cent VAT, and ADNOC's E2GO stations operate on a similar paid basis.

Genuinely free stations tend to be occasional mall promotions, hotel perks for guests, or newly launched chargers running introductory free periods, rather than a permanent, guaranteed option. Given how quickly that can change, cross-checking a listing against official apps like DEWA or ADNOC Dist before relying on it is worth the extra step.