Whether you have a Stop button
Stop charge appears on the session screen only for chargers Aalto can stop remotely.
On some networks, there is no Stop button, and that isn’t a fault in the app or a setting you can turn on. Stopping a session from outside has to be something the operator supports, and most of the networks we connect to don’t offer it.
If you don’t see the button, the section below is how you end your charge. Nothing goes wrong as a result, and you won’t be overcharged for ending it at the charger instead.
Ending a charge on any charger
This works everywhere, including on the chargers that do have a Stop button.
- End the session first. Use the charger’s own screen or buttons, or your car’s screen or app. Most DC fast chargers have a stop control right on the unit.
- Unlock your car. Almost every car locks the connector in place while charging, and unlocking the car is what releases it.
- Unplug and return the cable to its holster.
Do these in order. Pulling on a connector before the session has ended and the car is unlocked is the usual reason a cable feels stuck.
Using the Stop button, where you have one
Select Stop charge and confirm. You’ll be asked whether you’re sure you want to stop the charging session, then see Stopping charge session while the request goes through.
The stop is confirmed by the charger, not by the app. So the app can report success a moment before the car actually stops drawing power, and you may hear the charger wind down a few seconds later. That gap is normal.
Once it’s stopped, unlock the car and unplug as above.
If Stop charge doesn’t work
You’ll see either Failed to stop charging session or Server error occurred. Please try again or contact support.
Try it once more. If it fails again, don’t keep retrying: end the session at the charger itself, which always works and bills exactly the same way. The charger is the authority on whether a session is running, so stopping it there is not a workaround, it’s the same outcome by a more reliable route.
Why your session still says charging after you’ve left
Aalto doesn’t learn that a session ended the instant it does. We re-check with the operator every few seconds, and some networks are slower than others to report the change.
So a session can still read as active for a few minutes after you’ve unplugged and driven away. You don’t need to do anything. The session closes on its own, moves to Charge complete, and is billed shortly after.
You also don’t need to keep the app open. Closing it never stops a charge, and it never delays the bill.
Idle fees
Some operators charge an idle fee for staying plugged in after charging has finished. This is set and billed by the operator, not by Aalto, and it isn’t a penalty from us.
Where a station has one, the session screen warns you while it’s running. You’ll see Idle fees are accruing, a note that charging has stopped and to unplug and move your vehicle to avoid additional charges, and an Idle fee so far amount that updates as it accumulates.
Two things worth knowing:
- The fee runs until the car is unplugged, not until the session ends. Ending the session and leaving the car connected keeps it accruing.
- It appears as its own line on your invoice, separate from the energy you used, so you can see exactly what was charged for what.
You don’t have to stop it yourself
A charge that finishes on its own is handled for you. When your car stops accepting power, or when you unplug, the session ends, and Aalto bills you for what was delivered.
There’s no penalty for a session you never explicitly stopped, and no need to stop one before it completes just to be safe.
If you can’t get the cable out
Work through it in this order: make sure the session has ended, unlock the car, then try locking and unlocking it again, which releases the latch on many cars. Your car’s manual will show a manual release for the charge port if that doesn’t work.
If it still won’t come free, call the number printed on the charger. Aalto can’t release a connector remotely on any network, including our own.
Still charging when it shouldn’t be
If the charge genuinely hasn’t stopped after you’ve ended it at the charger and unplugged, contact support with the station name and the stall number printed on the unit. If you got as far as a session, include the Charge Session ID, which is on the session screen and prefilled for you by Need help?.