About GreatStop
EV road trips needed a better answer than “there’s a charger here.”
GreatStop helps EV travelers choose better places to stop, not just places where they can charge.
Why GreatStop Exists
GreatStop started with a simple road-trip frustration.
EV navigation is very good at answering one important question: Where can I charge? But that is not always the question you really care about when you are several hours into a road trip.
You also want to know:
- Is there a restroom?
- Can we get something to eat?
- Is there coffee nearby?
- Is this stop right off the highway, or is it going to add 15 minutes to the trip?
- Is there somewhere useful to walk while the car charges?
And most importantly: Is this actually a good place to stop?
That is the question GreatStop is built to answer.
The Road Trip That Made the Problem Obvious
GreatStop grew out of a real EV road trip.
During a long cross-country drive in a Tesla Model Y, I saw firsthand how different charging stops could be. Some were excellent: easy access, clean restrooms, food, coffee, and everything we needed while the car charged. Others technically did the job, but they were not places you would choose to stop if you had better information ahead of time.
The car knew how to get us to a charger. What it did not always tell us was which charger would make the best stop for the people in the car.
That difference became the idea behind GreatStop.
What GreatStop Looks At
GreatStop considers more than charger availability.
GreatStop combines those factors to help surface stops that make sense for both the vehicle and the people riding in it.
GreatStop Does Not Replace Your Navigation
GreatStop is not trying to replace the navigation system in your vehicle. Your EV or navigation app is better positioned to handle:
- Live traffic
- Road closures
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Real-time driving conditions
GreatStop focuses on a different decision: Where do you actually want to stop?
GreatStop chooses the stop. Your navigation handles the drive.
Before the Trip and During the Trip
GreatStop is built around two simple moments.
Before the trip
Plan Before You Leave
Enter your starting point, destination, vehicle, battery level, and preferences. GreatStop helps identify useful charging stops along the route.
Start planningDuring the trip
Find me a GreatStop soon
Plans change. Maybe someone needs a restroom sooner than expected. Maybe you want coffee. Maybe you have plenty of battery and just need a good place to take a break. “Find me a GreatStop soon” helps identify useful stops ahead based on your current trip situation.
Find a stop aheadBuilt Around Real Routes
GreatStop is being built corridor by corridor, with each area tested before it becomes part of the traveler experience. Current verified coverage stretches from parts of the Midwest and Northeast through the Southeast, along the Gulf Coast and into Texas.
The goal is not to claim nationwide coverage before the data is ready. The goal is to build useful, trustworthy route coverage one corridor at a time.
A Better Stop Can Change the Whole Trip
A 20- or 30-minute charging stop can feel very different depending on where you spend it.
At one location, you may sit in the car waiting.
At another, you can use the restroom, grab lunch, get coffee, stretch your legs, and be ready to leave when the car is.
Both locations may have a charger. Only one may be a GreatStop.
Built in Beta, With Real Travelers
GreatStop is still in beta. We are actively testing routes, improving stop data, adding coverage, and listening to EV owners who use the planner on real trips.
Feedback from Tesla, Rivian, Ford, Nissan, BMW, Chevrolet, and other EV drivers is helping shape what GreatStop becomes. If something is wrong, missing, or could be better, we want to hear about it.
Run a business along one of our routes? Advertise with GreatStop.
A note from the founder
I did not start GreatStop because the world needed another charging-station map. There are already good tools for finding chargers. I started it because I kept thinking there should be a better way to answer the next question: Which one should we actually stop at?
GreatStop is an attempt to make that decision easier. We are building it slowly, testing it on real routes, and improving it as travelers use it.
If it makes one long EV road trip a little easier, that is a pretty good place to start.
Ed Frisbee
Founder, GreatStop