Charging

Reading the charge radar

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Flow's Charge Scout shows the charging network as a radar scope, not a flat map. Every reachable charger is placed by its bearing from you and the energy it costs to get there — so you read your options the way a pilot reads instruments, at a glance. This article explains what the radar is telling you.

A scope, not a map

On the radar, distance from the center is energy, not miles. A charger that's physically close but uphill can sit farther out than one that's flat and further away, because getting there costs more battery. The rings mark arrival-SOC thresholds — roughly the 50% and 20% battery-on-arrival lines.

The center of the scope is you.

Arrival-SOC colors

Each charger is color-coded by the battery you'd have when you arrive, given terrain, speed, and your vehicle profile:

  • Green — comfortable. You'll arrive with margin to spare.
  • Amber — tight. Plan to charge here; don't skip it.
  • Red — out of safe reach. Find a closer source.
  • Grayed out with an ✕ — unreachable on your current charge.

Because the colors are about arrival battery, they shift as you ride and as your SOC drops. A charger that's green now may turn amber later in the ride.

By default the list sorts by what you can actually make — highest arrival SOC first, so your safest, easiest options rise to the top. A usable J1772 you'll reach with plenty of margin ranks above an RV hookup you'd limp into.

Live availability

Where a network reports it, Flow shows live availability — whether spots are open right now — as a chip on the charger. Availability is fetched live and cached briefly, so it can lag reality by a few minutes. Treat it as a strong hint, not a guarantee, and have a backup in mind for critical stops.

What counts as usable

The radar follows the same rule as the rest of Flow: connectors are authoritative. A charger is usable if it has any AC connector your PEV can plug into —

  • L1 (120V wall outlets),
  • L2 (J1772 and Tesla Destination), and
  • RV hookups (NEMA 14-50, TT-30).

Only DC fast chargers (CCS, CHAdeMO, Tesla Supercharger) are off-limits — PEVs can't accept DC fast charging. A site that has DC fast and a J1772 still shows up, because you'll use the J1772. See Charging — what works for your PEV for the full picture.

Sparse Mode — when the network thins out

Out in rural areas, the charging network gets thin. Rather than pretend otherwise, Flow shifts the radar into Sparse Mode and tells you the truth about what's around:

  • Healthy (several solid options) — the radar reads normally.
  • Thin (only one or two usable options) — Flow tints amber, widens the search, and surfaces sources it might otherwise keep quiet: RV hookups, 110V outlets, and community-submitted chargers.
  • Critical (nothing usable in comfortable reach) — Flow goes red, casts the widest possible net, and shows every honest option, including long-shots.

In sparse conditions, Flow overrides your filter toggles — if you'd hidden RV or 110V sources, they come back, because when the network is thin you want to see everything. The mood re-tints the backdrop; the charger data itself stays accurate.

Sparse isn't a failure state — it's information. An empty or thin radar means: plan a detour, carry an adapter for a non-standard source, or top up before you commit to the next leg.