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How to Charge

General Charging

The specifics of charging an electric car vary based on the charging station, but in general, these steps should work for any charger you encounter.

  1. Open the charge door.
  2. Activate the charger, either by interacting with a screen, swiping a card, or following charger instructions.
  3. Plug cord into port on the car.
  4. Return charge cards to the vehicle.
  5. Confirm car is charging via car dashboard.

How to charge Evie at EV Spot Chargers

How to charge at electric HOURCAR hubs

How to charge outside the Twin Cities

Charging Cards Available

  • Green Evie Charge Card - this card works at green EV Spot Chargers, labeled for Evie Carshare.
  • ChargePoint card, keychain sized - this card can be used at any public ChargePoint station, and is intended for use during road trips. See Road Trip Tips for the best experience on a long trip.

Reimbursement for Charging

If you need to use a charger that doesn't have a provided card, send us the receipts for your charge costs and we'll reimburse you via drive credit.

  • ChargePoint card, keychain sized - this card is used to activate most electric HOURCAR hubs. It can also be used at any public ChargePoint station if you are on a road trip. See Road Trip Tips for the best experience on a long trip.
  • Blue EV Spot Network card - this card works at blue EV Spot Chargers, labeled for Public Electric Charging. Be sure to follow all parking restrictions while charging at this station.

Reimbursement for Charging

If you need to use a charger that doesn't have a provided card, send us the receipts for your charge costs and we'll reimburse you via drive credit.

Evie Carshare at EV Spot Chargers

Evie Carshare Charging

Choosing to end your trip at a green EV Spot Charger and activating charge gives you $4 in drive credit. Credit is applied automatically and appears after 24 hours.

Most locations will have two charging towers, but only one dedicated for Evie Carshare. Parking signs and the words on the charger should indicate Evie Carshare Charging Only.

  1. Park at a green EV Spot Charger, labeled with the words "Evie Carshare Charging Only". Find active chargers on the app as a green icon with a lightning bolt.

  2. Locate the green Evie Charging Card in the glovebox.

  3. Open the charging door. On the Nissan Leaf, push the button to the left of the steering wheel that has a charge station icon on it. This will open the charge door, which is located at the front of the car - lift the door to fully open. On the Chevy Bolt, push in on the charge door on the driver's side front fender to pop open the door.

  4. Tap the card on the RFID reader and follow directions on the EV Spot Charging screen. You may need to wake up the screen by pressing a button.

  5. If the screen is black or says "Press any key", push any of the four black buttons to wake up the screen.

  6. If one of the charger ports is already in use, the screen will have some options to press, including "Start Charge". Push the black button under "Start Charge"

  7. Select the left or right plug that corresponds to where you are parked. This is left and right as seen when you are looking at the charger screen.

  8. Hold the Evie Charge Card on the card reader until all four blue lights light up and it beeps.

  9. Plug in the charging cable. The cable has a 25 foot cord that can stretch over the car and will retract slack back towards the charging station. The station will light up orange when charging is active.

  10. Return the green Evie Charge Card to the car and confirm the car is charging. If charging will not start, check out our Charging Troubleshooting or give us a call at 612.343.2277. Issues can be reported directly to charger operator, Zef Energy, at 888.493.3638.

  11. End your trip!

Electric HOURCAR Chargers

Electric HOURCAR Charging

All electric HOURCAR hubs are located at a charger. At the end of every trip, the car should be plugged into the charger and charging activated.

Most hubs have ChargePoint charging stations, with the exception of a few locations that have slightly different charging.

  1. Park at the HOURCAR parking space in front of the charger.

  2. Locate the keychain sized charging card that says ChargePoint in the glovebox, plugged into the keyholder. You will also see the larger, EV Spot Network card for use at EV Spot Chargers that will not work for the charger located at the hub.

    photo

  3. Open the charging door. On the Nissan Leaf, push the button to the left of the steering wheel that has a charge station icon on it. This will open the charge door, which is located at the front of the car - lift the door to fully open. On the Chevy Bolt, push in on the charge door on the driver's side front fender to pop open the door.

  4. Hold the ChargePoint card on the station’s RFID card reader until the light above the charge cold holder turns green.

    Photo

  5. Plug in the charging cable. The charger will light up pulsing blue.

  6. Plug the ChargePoint card back into the keyholder in the glovebox and confirm the car is charging. If charging will not start, check out our Charging Troubleshooting or give us a call at 612.343.2277.

  7. End your trip!

  1. Park in one of the two designated parking spots marked for HOURCAR.

  2. Open the charging door. On the Nissan Leaf, push the button to the left of the steering wheel that has a charge station icon on it. This will open the charge door, which is located at the front of the car - lift the door to fully open. On the Chevy Bolt, push in on the charge door on the driver's side front fender to pop open the door.

  3. Plug in the charging cable. Unlike most chargers, this location does not need any activation via card or screen to allow charging access on our vehicles.

  4. Confirm the car is charging. If charging will not start, check out our Charging Troubleshooting or give us a call at 612.343.2277.

  5. End your trip!

  1. Park at the HOURCAR parking space in front of the charger.

  2. Locate the keychain sized charging card that says ChargePoint in the glovebox, plugged into the keyholder. You will also see the larger, EV Spot Network card for use at EV Spot Chargers that will not work for the charger located at the hub.

    • At STP Lowertown - TPT Ramp, this card will be labeled "HOURCAR". A second ChargePoint card is located on the Trip Tips booklet for charging outside the ramp and will not work at the hub charger.

  3. Open the charging door. On the Nissan Leaf, push the button to the left of the steering wheel that has a charge station icon on it. This will open the charge door, which is located at the front of the car - lift the door to fully open. On the Chevy Bolt, push in on the charge door on the driver's side front fender to pop open the door.

  4. Hold the card on the card reader on the tower. The tower will walk through the steps and will release the charge cable when all the steps have been completed.

  5. Plug in the charging cable.

  6. Plug the ChargePoint card back into the keyholder in the glovebox and confirm the car is charging. If charging will not start, check out our Charging Troubleshooting or give us a call at 612.343.2277.

  7. End your trip!

Confirm Vehicle Charging

The vehicle dashboard and lights will indicate charge. Here's how to know a vehicle is charging for different models.

The light on the dash that is visible through the windshield will blink green when the car is successfully charging. If the light is orange, the car is not charging.

Photo of single green light lit up on Bolt dashboard

One of the three blue lights on the dash that are visible through the windshield will blink, turning solid blue from left to right. If all three lights are flashing at once instead of progressing, the car is not charging.

Photo of two blue lights lit up on Leaf dashboard