I’m travelling to a different state for a wedding and renting a car from Avis. I was getting a good deal on a mach e (or similar) so I made the reservation, but I can’t find any info on how I would charge the car. It was my understanding that you need an account for whatever charging station you use. Does Avis just bill you the cost at the end of the rental?
You rented an EV because it was cheaper? You may regret that.
You’ll need to figure out charging early. Since you didn’t rent a Tesla, you’ll have to figure out how to pay cash (well, credit card) for all your charging. Only some stations have CC readers, most require you to activate via app. If you’re dealing with oddball credit cards such as foreign cards, it’s a particularly good idea to get that setup in the app, because CC readers on gas pumps and EV stations are throwbacks to the 1980s with no chip readers and no PIN pad.
Use plugshare.com. It’s a little corrupt, being owned by one EV charging network, but it has social media critical mass so we’re kinda stuck with it for now.
If you’re new to EVs, make sure you understand the difference between level 2 and DC fast charging so you aren’t wasting your time driving to a public station that was green in PlugShare, and watch it add 12 miles in an hour of waiting.
Pay close attention to hotel EV charging when making your hotel selection. As much as possible of your charging should be done while you sleep, and that means you should be very cautious about trading that $100/night you’re spending on a hotel for the charge facilities you need. We see countless first-time EV renters whp go ahead and rent any hotel they want, and then have to allocate 90 minutes a day to traveling to and using DC fast chargers at high cost. They alone know the value of their time.
This comment sounds harsh, but I think it’s the most helpful one in this post. PlugShare is super important because many charging stations are badly maintained.
OP, if you’re not an EV owner or prospective buyer (interested in buying one, and has been doing homework), I think you’ll regret it. Don’t get me wrong, EV is fantastic: I drive Mach E as the only car in my household, and will likely buy a second Mach E if my household needs a second car in 2-3 years. But non-Tesla charging (outside home and work) in USA is not mature enough: it requires the users to have a good understanding of the system, and requires some planning and the use of the right tools.