Mini Cooper Driver Says This Feature Makes Charging Easier Than Pumping Gas
“No messing about with apps anymore. No messing about with broken credit card readers. Plug and charge."
A Mini driver and electric vehicle enthusiast showed off a new feature that he says makes EV charging as easy—or easier—than pumping gas.
TikTok user Simply Gregster (@simplygregster) is an EV lover and mechanic. He posted about the feature in a video posted on Aug. 6. The on-screen text reads, “Just like pumping gas now. EV charging just got easier.”
Gregster is filming his Mini at the EV charging station. “EV charging now has become almost as easy as pumping gas with Autocharge,” he says.
How Does Autocharge Work?
Autocharge is a tech that allows EV owners to charge their vehicles by simply plugging in. Before the technology, drivers had to use either an app or an RFID card to start the charging process.
EV owners sign up through the Autocharge network with details about their vehicle and payment information. From then on, when the vehicle pulls up to a charging station, the station will recognize the car, allowing the driver to plug in and charge without any additional steps.
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Gregster demonstrates. “Open up the door,” he says. “Put the connector in. It’s communicating. It’s sensing the Autocharge. The Mini has Autocharge enabled. We are authorized to charge. And within 15 seconds, we’re charging up. Easier than pumping gas.”
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Why is this so great? “No messing about with apps anymore,” Gregster says. “No messing about with broken credit card readers. Plug and charge. Autocharge is available here. And we will be ramping up. Here you go. Easy EV charging is definitely here.”
Autocharge isn’t the only option for EV drivers. There’s also Plug & Charge, a similar technology that uses an encrypted connection to complete remote payments at charging stations.
Viewers React to the Autocharge PSA
In the comments, several viewers expressed skepticism about how much time this truly saves EV drivers.
“Is this a joke?” asked one person. “It’s the same charging time.”
A second person said, “Can we see the charging time? Or is that a secret since it’s way longer than pumping gas?”
“Pump 10 gallons of gas in less than four minutes. Full tank. Gone. Two hours later, he’s at 19 percent,” joked a third person.
Another viewer wrote, “Well done. Only 12 years behind Tesla.”
Tesla introduced its Supercharger network in 2012, which allowed drivers to get up to three hours of driving power in about 40 minutes. Current speeds are nearly three times that fast, and non-Tesla vehicles can use the network.
GM added Plug & Charge capability to its line of EVs in 2022 as part of an effort to better connect the nationwide charging network. That allowed vehicles enrolled in the EVGo app to streamline how they pay for their charging.
InsideEVs contacted Simply Gregster via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
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