Head to head

Apple Maps or Electroverse: where they actually differ

Two products with different jobs. Apple Maps is a general-purpose maps app that has grown EV routing; Octopus Electroverse is a roaming and payment product — its job is one account across many networks.

Updated 2 min read

Traffic on a German motorway seen from a bridge above the carriageways
Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where they differ

CapabilityApple MapsElectroverse
Plans a charging route◐ Partly– Unverified
Models the charging curve– Unverified○ No
Adjusts for weather and temperature– Unverified○ No
Accounts for elevation– Unverified○ No
Live charger availability– Unverified● Yes
Reads the car● Yes– Unverified
Preconditions the battery◐ Partly○ No
Turn-by-turn navigation● Yes○ No
CarPlay or Android Auto◐ Partly– Unverified
Pays for the charge○ No● Yes
Compares session prices– Unverified◐ Partly
Driver check-ins and reviews○ No– Unverified

Where they agree

On the remaining 2 capabilities these two are recorded the same way. Rows where both are unverified are agreement about our own ignorance rather than about the products.

Which to choose

Choose Apple Maps if you need a live connection to the car and turn-by-turn navigation rather than a hand-off. Choose Octopus Electroverse if you need live charger status and to start and pay for charging in the app. Price and platform decide the rest, and both are in the table on each product’s own page.

Or both

Most people end up with two of these — a router and either a payment card or the car’s own navigation for the last leg, which is the only thing that reliably preconditions the battery. Using one tool for everything is a preference, not a requirement.