Charging accounts in UK

[mark1]

Dear all,

My car arrives this week and so I've been thinking about what charging accounts/RFID cards I need to set up for charging. There is a lot of confusion about what networks issue cards that work with other networks (AKA "roaming"), it also seems like some of the staff don't know at the charging companies. Until some consolidation happens in this market, it will remain very fragmented and my fear is turning up at a charge point with a flat battery and not having the right card - difficult to apply for one when standing next to it. Maybe the way to go is via smartphone app, but this does not appear to be a common thing yet.

ChargeNow - does card come with the car, if so, do you just need to activate it?
Source East - works with Source London and Plugged in Midlands (although only the free ones not the PAYG ones, would I need separate accounts for those?)
Ecotricity - for the motorway CCS points
Pod Point - for PAYG points(?)

Somebody who has had their i3 for a while now in the UK, please can you share your charging experiences, and what accounts you have or would need, and what works where?

Thanks

 

[amateurish]

ChargeNow - the card does not come with the car unless you have ordered one of the mobility packages. This network is the same as the Chargemaster / Polar network. I applied for the pay as you go version (you have to deposit £20 credit) using their app - they sent me a RFID some days later. My experience of the app was very poor - don't rely on it.

Source East - I have this card which currently allows roaming with Source London. Although this may all change in the new year, so maybe best wait until January to see what happens then.

Ecotricity - definitely worth having, all free at the moment, although this will probably change at some point. They are installing lots of CCS which is great if you have the rapid charge option.

 

[psquare]

re Chargemaster: I've just applied for my home charger through them and the sign-up includes a 6-month subscription to the Chargemaster/Polar network. After that - as pointed out above - it's £20 p.a. plus individual fees at the charger. However I was told that currently 80% of the chargers on their network are free.

 

[amateurish]

Actually, there are three different charging plans. You've got the £20 p.a. subscription. I went for the pas a you go model. Then there's a monthly subscription version. All three have different charging rates.

http://www.chargemasterplc.com/index.php/polar_online/

 

[psquare]

Ah! Thanks for pointing this out. It actually says it clearly on their site and I didn't read properly:

Once your free Homecharge unit is installed you will be eligible for 6 months' free access to the POLAR national charging network standard tariff.

Therefore, standard tariff it is (option 2).

 

[logorrhoea]

Your Source East card should also work for Ecotricity. Given that they're free at the moment, I applied for a separate Ecotricity card anyway, even though I have the Source London one.

 

[mark1]

Thanks everyone so far.

I've done a bit more research into the charging operators in the south and have sorted out accounts for:

ChargeNow
Ecotricity
Pod Point
Chargepoint Genie (they operate the new CCS points in Ringwood, Fareham, Andover, etc)
Charge Your Car (CCS point just off M5 near J18)

That should cover it for now.

Cheers

 

[Bunter]

Thanks everyone so far.

I've done a bit more research into the charging operators in the south and have sorted out accounts for:

ChargeNow
Ecotricity
Pod Point
Chargepoint Genie (they operate the new CCS points in Ringwood, Fareham, Andover, etc)
Charge Your Car (CCS point just off M5 near J18)

That should cover it for now.

Cheers

I hadn't come across Chargepoint Genie and their website, do you have anymore details on those Hampshire points and their pricing please Mark?

Bill

 

[mark1]

I hadn't come across Chargepoint Genie and their website, do you have anymore details on those Hampshire points and their pricing please Mark?

Bill

I don't think they've been there long - this press release is dated today:

https://www.zap-map.com/rapid-ev-charging-network-hampshire/

Sign up here:

https://www.chargepointgenie.com/Account/Register

You will then need the smartphone app to start charging, or wait for the RFID card to arrive in the post.

When you open the account, you have to pre-buy points, so 100 points is £10. The DC charging is something like 2 points per minute, so a 20 minute charge would be 40 points, so £4. Parking is free while charging. The Ringwood and Romsey ones are very welcome for me as I work in Poole and travel that way, the DC points at Rownhams are still ChaDeMo only, no CCS.

 

[Bunter]

I don't think they've been there long - this press release is dated today:

https://www.zap-map.com/rapid-ev-charging-network-hampshire/

Sign up here:

https://www.chargepointgenie.com/Account/Register

You will then need the smartphone app to start charging, or wait for the RFID card to arrive in the post.

When you open the account, you have to pre-buy points, so 100 points is £10. The DC charging is something like 2 points per minute, so a 20 minute charge would be 40 points, so £4. Parking is free while charging. The Ringwood and Romsey ones are very welcome for me as I work in Poole and travel that way, the DC points at Rownhams are still ChaDeMo only, no CCS.

Thanks, they're very welcome to me too, I'm between Salisbury and Romsey. The Rownhams ones are Ecotricity ones not SSE.

Cheers

Bill

 

[mark1]

Thanks, they're very welcome to me too, I'm between Salisbury and Romsey. The Rownhams ones are Ecotricity ones not SSE.

Cheers

Bill

Ah yes, I was just making the point that they're not CCS yet, so these new ones mean I can visit a client in Fareham without plugging in while I'm there.

 

[Bunter]

Ah yes, I was just making the point that they're not CCS yet, so these new ones mean I can visit a client in Fareham without plugging in while I'm there.

Nice. While we're talking about this part of the world, Wiltshire have also been rolling out DC rapid chargers, these ones are on the Polar Instant/Chargemaster network. I've tried using the Warminster one and it wouldn't work so I've spoken to the operators of these units. They are currently working to resolve a firmware incompatibility between these chargers and the i3. I'll post any updates I receive but any i3 owners would be wise not to commit to needing to use the Wiltshire CCS points until the issue is fixed.

If anyone has successfully used one of the SSE units with an i3 it would be very useful to hear.

Cheers

Bill

 

[amateurish]

I hadn't come across Chargepoint Genie and their website, do you have anymore details on those Hampshire points and their pricing please Mark?

Bill

I don't think they've been there long - this press release is dated today:

https://www.zap-map.com/rapid-ev-charging-network-hampshire/

Sign up here:

https://www.chargepointgenie.com/Account/Register

You will then need the smartphone app to start charging, or wait for the RFID card to arrive in the post.

When you open the account, you have to pre-buy points, so 100 points is £10. The DC charging is something like 2 points per minute, so a 20 minute charge would be 40 points, so £4. Parking is free while charging. The Ringwood and Romsey ones are very welcome for me as I work in Poole and travel that way, the DC points at Rownhams are still ChaDeMo only, no CCS.

Just what we need - another new provider with another new system for paying for a charge

 

[BoMW]

....'and paying for charging stations that don't work especially BMW official partner polar, Milton keynes a nightmare!

 

[Bunter]

I noticed yesterday that Polar Instant/Chargemaster have removed the CCS description from their rapid triple header charger annotation on their live map. Presumably the only CCS capable car in the UK at the moment is the i3 (?) and they know that doesn't work with their units so have removed it from the rapid point descriptions. That's a step forward as it means that when they fix it and the map descriptions re-include CCS we will know they are good to rely on in the i3.

EDIT - But the app still shows Combo available.

Cheers

Bill

 

[Tobias]

I would just say that the public charging environment for EVs is absolutely rubbish, in my opinion.

My i3 follows a Mitsubishi iMiev, so I am now in my 4th year of electric motoring. I am passionate about the idea, and have no problem being an early adopter, but I would struggle to have answered the question posted in this thread. I got so bored of getting to a strange location and finding:

- wrong card
- wrong cable
- wrong plug
- bay occupied
- bay occupied by non ev

I have survived with a charge point at home and one at the office. The whole public charging system is way too complicated and too unreliable. I would never let my wife use the car in uncharted territory. She's not stupid, she's just not interested. "Give me the keys to the 'normal car'" became the refrain.

I think the Ecotricity fast charging system is the right idea, but at Fleet Services, which I assume is like others where there are all sorts of different systems. It's like one of those mobile phone charge points with multiple connectors. And just one that fits the i3. So if there's any sort of reasonable sales of the i3, which I think is the case since I had to wait over 8 months for mine, then I won't be able to reliably budget 20 minutes for a top up.

EVs are going to remain pretty niche until the system is standardised and improved. The i3 Rex is an amazing vehicle, light years ahead of the iMiev, and the connected drive app is on the right lines, but this is still a very long way from being an FMCG product.

 

[nowtta60]

I would just say that the public charging environment for EVs is absolutely rubbish, in my opinion.
.....
EVs are going to remain pretty niche until the system is standardised and improved. The i3 Rex is an amazing vehicle, light years ahead of the iMiev, and the connected drive app is on the right lines, but this is still a very long way from being an FMCG product.

I have to agree with that 100%. I’ve not got my i3 yet but having reccied the charging infrastructure for my previous job, and now having had a week in my new job doing the same – the biggest limit to EV roll out (aka the chicken and egg situation) is the lack of charging infrastructure which limits the use to people who can get to work and back on a single charge.

That said… I’m biting the bullet and doing a 120 mile round trip… made possible by the REX and a mix of train and driving on different days. I shall try and stick to 100% EV use. My plans is to drive in on Mondays, then use the train from Monday night to Thursday, use the i3 Thursday evenings and Friday’s. The pattern of my non family commitments and social stuff means the train is better than the M1 / M6 most days. But where I work is a 15 minute drive from the nearest station. So I shall be leaving the car near the station and using it to get to work. I’ve checked bus times and it’s 45 minutes, vs 10 by car. I might scrub all that though and just get a folding bike.

What I’m going to try out personally is
A) To see if I can get my employer to install some 32A poles in the car park. They already have dedicated car share spaces. Got to check the grants situation on that. But this seems the best option.

B) See if I can get London Midland to stick poles in their station car parks. Again.. grants?

There’s a BMW garage about 1 mile from where I work which has an EVSE. I only found out yesterday. So have driven past it twice and last night it was blocked by two X5s parked in the way. Not promising.

Another option yet to check… is looking on some of the sites where people rent out their parking spots. If I can find someone who also has a 13amp socket to throw in the deal I could come up trumps. Though that costs a bit more than the free London Midland parking spots though!

What is the deal with public points like at BMW? I don’t really want to have to nip out at lunch time and walk another mile to unplug the charger and free up the space, but I’m thinking other people might want to use it! Do people leave message on phone numbers to call if the car is ready to unplug? Can people then steal your cable? I’ve planning on getting a 32A EVSE at home with the socket and an untethered cable. But… I might just go tethered and screw the public charging option.

There’s a (currently nonfunctional) CCS charger at Corley service on the M6. That would get my electric mileage up by about 50% (to 75%) if I don’t mind stopping for 20 minutes on the way home. If it costs a lot, I’ll just stick to unleaded for the remaining 30 miles and charge at night when I get home. The battery should be fully flat by the time I get there on the way home, so might only need 50% top up to get me 30 miles to get back. Or about 10 minutes. Quite happy to sit and do some emails and forum posts whilst I’m sat there.

The thing that bugs me most.. why do we have these networks that require all these different cards? Surely a standard payment card method would be the best… everyone is already used to that model with supermarket self service pumps. 1 card turn up PAYG. Especially now we have contactless payments. I’m pretty sure the only people likely to go over the payment limit are Telsa drivers, who would go to a free supercharger anyway.

Simple.

 

[amateurish]

I agree it's a total mess.

I was staying in a hotel next to a BMW Training Centre. Right in front of the building, they have a number of dedicated EV parking spots, and charging points. They all say "i3 only" I think. They are all empty. So I walk in, explain that I am staying at the hotel, and ask if I could kindly use a charger. There follows many phone calls, discussions etc. Finally, the answer: "no", BMW staff only. Obviously that's totally their call, but a bit of an odd policy in my opinion.

On their part, the hotel won't let me plug in for "health and safety".

 

[paule23]

I would just say that the public charging environment for EVs is absolutely rubbish, in my opinion.

My i3 follows a Mitsubishi iMiev, so I am now in my 4th year of electric motoring. I am passionate about the idea, and have no problem being an early adopter, but I would struggle to have answered the question posted in this thread. I got so bored of getting to a strange location and finding:

- wrong card
- wrong cable
- wrong plug
- bay occupied
- bay occupied by non ev

I have survived with a charge point at home and one at the office. The whole public charging system is way too complicated and too unreliable. I would never let my wife use the car in uncharted territory. She's not stupid, she's just not interested. "Give me the keys to the 'normal car'" became the refrain.

This is one of the main reasons I have gone for a REX (and an Outlander PHEV as the 'big car'). The vast majority of our journeys are less than 50 miles round trip, but that range anxiety and unreliability of public charging infrastructure means I would no have purchased an EV without some sort of ICE fallback. Not an ideal situation I know, but better than a full ICE???

 

[nowtta60]

What's really frustrating is despite the lack of charging infrastructure it appears that certain dealers have been able to apply to get grant funding for "public" charging stations but are restricting access to own brand customers. That's if I'm understanding correctly that http://www.nationalchargepointregistry.com/ contains a list of everyone who got funding. I never saw this site before, but reading through the Grant guidance its a mandatory condition you register the charge point on there, and the data is then available to 3rd parties via webservices, for use in 3rd party app and sat nav applications.

Someone needs to take the dealers to task on this if the case is true. I've got 3 about a 5 minute walk from work but all state "for customer use only". I'm sorry but if these have been funded by tax payers money, I consider myself a customer. Well apart from the electric use... but this is why I think they need to stop making them free, and basically stick a debit card reader in them and charge you for the kWh you download. I think all EV owners would be happier for pay a few quid rather than being told you can't use them.

If everyone knew that you could go to any Renualt/Nissan/BMW/Toyota etc garage and get a top up, the world would be a better place.

The other option which seems needed - is a UK wide co-operative/club for owners to share their chargers. I saw something about Telsa owners doing this. What about everyone else? I'm pretty sure most owners would pay an honesty box fee (especially if you have a web cam logging cars that visit). Personally I'd round up to 20p a unit and then the next whole pound if someone was willing to offer their EVSE for use. I've come a cross a few sites doing it, but none seems to have reached critical mass. There's 17,000 EVS in the UK, presumably all have some kind of home charging, even if only a 13A IP65 socket. That would mean more points than there are petrol stations. I suppose we could do what Telsa have done and do an i3 or BMW sharing scheme. But it seems better to do all makes. Anyone seen one with 1000+ members? My house is right next to a train station and has 2 free spaces in the day - though you'd need a long lead to reach the second space. Still useful for someone.

Regarding work place charging... seems no specific grants available, though if the space is publicly available you might be able to get the council to apply for 75% funding. You might need to get your employer to offer the remaining 25% or fund it yourself!?? No good for me anyway as we have security gate parking and as I'm only on a 6 month contract I'm not up for funding stuff I might not get to see the benefit from. Next step is to do a walk of the building / car park looking for 13A outlets. Failing that... its the REX. If Ecotricity can hurry up their CCS rollout - they have a Chademo unit about 5 miles from me on the way home. Though I'm not sure if I would really sit there waiting for 15-20 minutes to get the required charge for the 60 mile trip home. But based on the quality of food in the canteen here, I might pop out to The best option is definitely something I can plug in at work. Nothing fancy... just a bunch of spaces with 13A outlets in IP rated casings. No need for fancy EVSE, and metering or grants. Probably about £200 a space (if there's electric in the vicinity).

Lastly - trains stations can apply for 75% grant funding. I'm, now wondering if that's why London Midland are offering free EV car parking. They'll put them in if there's a demand. I'll ping them off a mail tonight to see what their plans are and report back.

What are people's feeling on setting up an home share scheme? If I cant find a site with critical mass I'm at the point I'll get all the different website owners together and see if we can get something national for all makes of owners, and get some funding from the gov to get it going.

Although I work in IT, I don't have the time or cross discipline skills to get it working, but I can put a big input into requirements. What I think is needed is a registry of what sites are available, currently occupied and to allow pre-booking. I'd prefer to know I have a regular spot that won't be taken by someone else and like wise - not assume a slot will be free and find that there's a guy who always gets there before me. The other feature it needs is people to register where they need EVSEs located that don't exist. This should drive the grant funding for stations, public points etc. Probably a few hundred thousand to develop a website with all that build in. The OLEV scheme has £200m currently unallocated to "promote the use of ULEVs" so a convincing business case is required.

We also need to lobby them to bring in single card payment charging ( or smartphone based system) and open access to all makes if funded by public money. Electricity isn't free and I don't expect a free ride, but convenient and confirmed access to charging is critical if we want to see the mass adoption of EVs. I want every EV owner to be able to tell their friends family and colleagues hey - its simple. Just use you smart phone app to check what sites will be free, book the spot, turn up and hit the pay button on the app, or use you card in the EVSE slot and you are done.

You could do what Telsa have done and make charging free for life if you pay £2,000 up front, but I think for us mere mortal "low end" EV drivers another £2k isn't a good idea.