Cheapest EV Charging

Finding cheap EV charging is difficult because rates vary wildly based on your car model, battery level, and which charging cards you carry. Standard map searches only show locations, not the actual total cost you will pay at the plug.

This skill interfaces with the ChargeMatcher API to calculate the exact total price for a charging session in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. It factors in your specific vehicle's battery capacity, charging curve, and your active subscriptions or RFID cards to find the lowest possible rate.

What it does

• Calculate total cost to charge from your current percentage to a target level.
• Filter by hardware compatibility based on your specific car make, model, and year.
• Apply card discounts by comparing prices across the charging cards and subscriptions you own.
• Sort by price or speed, distinguishing between slow (AC) and fast (DC) charging options.
• Check availability by pulling live occupancy data for supported networks.

How it works

1. Profile setup: Provide your car model and charging cards once; the skill remembers these for future searches.
2. Location input: Name a city, address, or use your current coordinates to search within a 3km radius.
3. Session parameters: Specify if you want a fast charger and your current battery percentage (e.g., 20% to 80%).
4. Price comparison: The agent runs the query and returns the cheapest verified payment method for each nearby station.

Frameworks & tools

Uses the ChargeMatcher API (engine for MeilleureCharge.fr) via a Python 3 script. It geocodes locations and polls real-time bidding responses from charging operators.

Why this beats prompting it yourself

Generic LLMs cannot access real-time charging tariffs or calculate complex pricing logic involving specific RFID card discounts. This skill performs live API lookups to ensure you never overpay due to outdated data or hidden roaming fees.

Use cases

• Find the cheapest DC fast charger along your route through Lyon.
• Compare the price of using a Chargemap Pass versus a Shell Recharge card at a specific station.
• Locate the most cost-effective overnight charging spot near an Airbnb in Utrecht.
• Calculate exactly how much it will cost to top up a Tesla Model 3 from 10% to 90%.

Known limitations

Coverage is strictly limited to France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. It does not support trip planning with multiple stops or residential wallbox pricing.