After almost a year of frustratingly slow performance, Gentari Go has finally received a much-needed update that makes starting and stopping an EV charging session significantly faster.
Gentari recently released Gentari Go version 2.11.0 for both iPhone and Android, promising faster loading times, smoother charging activation and a new one-tap stop feature.
We gave the updated app a try and the difference was night and day. What used to be a frustrating waiting game is now a much smoother experience, and that’s exactly how public EV charging should be.
Gentari Go 2.11.0: Charging now starts in seconds
The biggest improvement with Gentari Go 2.11.0 is how quickly it responds when you activate an EV charger.
During our test, the moment we tapped the activation button, the app immediately displayed the charging session screen. The charger received the authorisation within five seconds, and the actual charging session started in approximately 10 seconds.
Previously, it wasn’t unusual to be stuck on the payment screen for over 30 seconds while waiting for Gentari Go to respond. In some cases, the charger would time out because it hadn’t received a response in time, forcing us to start the process all over again.
With the latest update, that frustrating delay appears to be gone. We also tried activating chargers from other charging point operators, including chargEV, through Gentari Go. The activation was practically instantaneous.
Stopping an active charging session is just as quick. During our test, the charger stopped delivering power within seconds of pressing the stop button in the app.
This is a significant improvement over the previous experience, where even basic actions such as activating or ending a charging session could involve unnecessary waiting.
Gentari Go gets a few useful interface improvements
Besides the performance improvements, Gentari has made a few design tweaks to the app.
The active charging session screen now features a larger battery percentage indicator, making it easier to see the charging status at a glance.
However, there’s no more toggle to display the charging rate and energy transferred in graph format. This would be a useful addition for EV owners who want a more detailed view of their charging session, particularly when checking the peak charging rate.
Another welcome change is the addition of a STOP button on the active charging session widget on the home screen.
Previously, users had to tap into the charging session to stop charging. Now, you can press STOP directly from the home screen, and the app will display a confirmation pop-up before ending the session.
We also tried Gentari Go to activate ChargEV DC chargers via roaming, and it could initiate charging immediately within seconds after tapping on “I have plugged in” button.
Gentari Go’s sluggish performance has been a long-standing problem
If you’ve been following our EV charging coverage, you’ll know that we’ve had our fair share of frustrating experiences with Gentari Go. During the Merdeka weekend, we encountered multiple failed charging attempts at three Gentari locations while reviewing the Toyota bZ4X, including Petronas Bayan Baru in Penang, MINI Tian Siang in Ipoh and XPark Sunway Serene in Petaling Jaya.
At Petronas Bayan Baru, three charging nozzles failed before we finally managed to charge using the fourth. The entire ordeal took about 20 minutes, partly because the laggy Gentari Go app took so long to kill the failed charging sessions, forcing us to wait before attempting a new session with a different nozzle. We also encountered a failed activation at MINI Tian Siang, although the same vehicle subsequently charged without issues at DC Handal chargers activated through the chargEV app.
The most telling experience happened at XPark Sunway Serene, where we couldn’t get the 480kW DC charger to work using Gentari Go. However, switching to JomCharge allowed us to activate the exact same charger and nozzle without issues. For paying Gentari members who want to enjoy their membership charging discounts, having to rely on another app just to get a charger working defeats the purpose.
A long-awaited fix that makes a real difference
After almost a year of sluggish performance, Gentari Go version 2.11.0 finally delivers a much faster and smoother charging experience, without the frustrating delays we previously encountered.
In fact, its responsiveness is now quite close to ChargEV, which we consider the gold standard for EV charging apps in Malaysia. The latest ChargEV app is sleek, fast and lets users activate charging with a single tap from the home screen. ChargEV still has the edge in convenience and ease of use.
After all, a good EV charging experience isn’t just about charging speed or cheaper charging rates, but also how quickly and reliably you can get a session started. A seamless experience is crucial, as unnecessary friction remains a barrier to EV adoption.
