A smart phone is helpful, particularly on drives where you need to charge on the road. But, no, you don’t need a smart phone to drive an EV.
Home charging is simple. Just plug in. If you want to charge at a Level 2 kiosk that requires payment, you nearly always will need an RFID card. These are often provided for free upon request and are then tied to your credit card. Sometimes you can telephone the company and give them your credit card information over the phone and they will then start the charge remotely.
At DCFC stations you either use a credit card (rare) or RFID cards that you get from the network provider. I have several. They work great. A smart phone is a big plus, but you don’t need it.
