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Modern connected vehicles, and especially EVs, generate a lot of data. But automakers don’t often give owners a good way to play around with that data. Instead, drivers are more likely to wind up in a situation like the New York Times reported on earlier this year: essentially tricked into giving away that data for little or no benefit.
Ben Schippers has been trying to change this with TezLab, an app that is essentially like Strava for EVs, starting with Teslas and recently expanding to Rivian vehicles. And while it’s been out for a while and well-regarded, TezLab has just launched a new section of the app called “car report” that is a stat nerd’s dream — if they are willing to pay $5.99 per month for the “Pro” subscription.
The car report shows owners a bevy of data points like how often they use DC fast chargers versus their home outlet, how many times they’ve charged to 100%, and how far they can travel based on their personal driving style, to name a few. There are detailed visualizations, too, like a map of all the places an owner can go based on charge level and driver behavior. Tezlab is processing most of that information with machine learning before presenting to the user.
TezLab’s car report also takes the idea a step further by comparing many of these data points to other Tesla users. Owners who take great pride in trying to preserve the health of their battery pack, for example, can now use Tezlab to see how many more miles they get from a full charge versus other owners of similar models.
This all comes roughly one year after Tesla quietly released an official API for third-party developers, formalizing an ecosystem that had existed in piecemeal for a few years. Schippers said his team of five has spent much of the past year working closely with Tesla to understand what kinds of data that API gives them access to, as well as the right way to interpret it all.
That work has paid off, according to Schippers. Tesla supporting an official API has let Schippers’ team go from making a slick-looking app that was limited to simpler ideas like car controls (think door locks and climate settings) and trip tracking to a full experience, something owners may want to scroll through while they’re on the couch.
Despite the name, TezLab isn’t just catering to Tesla owners. Beyond adding Rivian vehicles to the app, Schippers told TechCrunch he has plans to expand to other popular EVs, with Hyundai and Kia vehicles coming next.
That process will take some time, though, as it requires striking up relationships with other automakers. It will also mean TezLab will need more resources. Schippers told TechCrunch earlier this year that he has bootstrapped TezLab so far, and that he’s intent on trying to fund the near-term operations by acquiring more customers and charging for the Pro subscription.
“We’re balancing growth with cost, and we’re like, right smack in the middle of that,” he told TechCrunch. “We’re growing, but then it’s making sure the conversion [to paid subscriptions] is maintaining if not growing, so you can cover your cost as it grows. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it.”
