UK Finding/ using recharging points

[sasman]

Well i have read on this forum that you can use 3 phase AC fast chargers ecotricity may not list it but it does work ....

BoMW and Amateurish have used those chargers to charge at 7Kw you have to make sure the connector is lifted up to ensure a proper connection or you get an error..

I hope it works for me when we recieve or I3 because Ecotricity @ Junction 5 M18 have a non css - fast charger that i hope will be able to charge at 7Kw..There are no other chargers at all in that section of motorway with out that charger i will not chance driving to grimsby...

 

[Bunter]

Well i have read on this forum that you can use 3 phase AC fast chargers ecotricity may not list it but it does work ....

BoMW and Amateurish have used those chargers to charge at 7Kw you have to make sure the connector is lifted up to ensure a proper connection or you get an error..

I hope it works for me when we recieve or I3 because Ecotricity @ Junction 5 M18 have a non css - fast charger that i hope will be able to charge at 7Kw..There are no other chargers at all in that section of motorway with out that charger i will not chance driving to grimsby...

Yes that's true but it's using a level 3 charger as a level 2 charger and I didn't want to encourage that.

Bill

 

[TheCyclist]

Are the ecotricity fast chargers still incompatible with the i3? Nothing seems to have changed in 9 months which is a bit of a worry. We are still carrying around a lot of different cards & have yet to use the ecotricity one.... Even though I believe it is free.

 

[pastyboy]

Are the ecotricity fast chargers still incompatible with the i3? Nothing seems to have changed in 9 months which is a bit of a worry. We are still carrying around a lot of different cards & have yet to use the ecotricity one.... Even though I believe it is free.

I have had trouble in the past - sometimes they will work and a few hours later the same one will not work. However, I have recently used the one at Gordano services on the M5 (a couple of times in the last couple of weeks and it has worked fine The last time was yesterday to top up from 55 - 87% so that I could enjoy some hooligan driving on the way home - the Renault Megane driver at that tried inching at the lights and then took off almost before they changed was a little perplexed to see me go past!

 

[GlasgowSi]

In advance of getting my i3 I've started following the ecotricity Twitter account for their chargers (@ElecHighway) and it seems that many of their charging locations are somewhat temperamental - so it may well not just be an i3 problem these days. At least they seem to regularly post updates on what is or isn't working, but it sure makes me glad I opted for a ReX considering how much downtime there seems to be, coupled with needing to phone them for remote starts a lot of the time!

 

[TheCyclist]

I was unhappy about getting a REX, but the paucity & fragility of the recharge infrastructure - and the drop in range in the winter has made me very glad I did. Turning up at a charge station & finding it is knackered is not a disaster.

Of course it shouldn't be knackered, but it really is still early days for electric cars & I knew there would be problems when I put down £30,000 & didn't buy an M3.....

 

[nowtta60]

I was unhappy about getting a REX, but the paucity & fragility of the recharge infrastructure - and the drop in range in the winter has made me very glad I did. Turning up at a charge station & finding it is knackered is not a disaster.

Of course it shouldn't be knackered, but it really is still early days for electric cars & I knew there would be problems when I put down £30,000 & didn't buy an M3.....

I know what you mean.. imagine spending over £40k on a car like an M3 and then finding there's no where to plug it in to charge. Even at home.. some people are just crazy!

 

[logorrhoea]

Are the ecotricity fast chargers still incompatible with the i3? Nothing seems to have changed in 9 months which is a bit of a worry. We are still carrying around a lot of different cards & have yet to use the ecotricity one.... Even though I believe it is free.

Got a rapid charge out of the Ecotricity charger at Pease Pottage services, though that involved having to call the Ecotricity helpline to activate the charging. The three other charging line/adapters were all out of order so I was actually lucky.

Re: the cards, I believe the Source London card should activate Ecotricity points as well but since it was free to get the Ecotricity card I got one anyway, just in case.

 

[BoMW]

BoMW and Amateurish have used those chargers to charge at 7Kw you have to make sure the connector is lifted up to ensure a proper connection or you get an error..
..

I believe I was the first one to mention this back in May!
I never use the 7kw anymore, I just don't have hours to spend at a station.

CCS has been playing up even after Ecotricity software updates. I feel that in 10 months there has been little progress . BMW must push the CCS roll out as much as Nissan,renault do with CHamedo

 

[amateurish]

I went on a trip to the NEC yesterday to see the Autocar show, and tried to charge at two Ecotricity sites - Corely North (M6) and Warwick South (M40). Both CCS chargers threw up errors and failed to provide a charge, despite several attempts. I called the Helpline but got a message - please call back later. Not very helpful. It made me very glad to have a Rex.

 

[nowtta60]

I went on a trip to the NEC yesterday to see the Autocar show, and tried to charge at two Ecotricity sites - Corely North (M6) and Warwick South (M40). Both CCS chargers threw up errors and failed to provide a charge, despite several attempts. I called the Helpline but got a message - please call back later. Not very helpful. It made me very glad to have a Rex.

Damn - Corley is the one on my commute. Not much hope then. Likewise - REX seems essential till there's at least 1 CCS every 10- 20 miles and they all work!

 

[RJSATLBA]

I've described three separate longer trips on the forum when I've suffered the same frustration with the ElecHighway as others but I hesitate to be too critical when we aren't paying anything to use Ecotricity's chargers. However, it may be that the problems they are having are the reason why they haven't yet implemented charging, they may be waiting until they have a reasonably reliable proposition. Personally, I'd be happy to pay if that would mean a reasonably reliable network.

Incidentally, is it perhaps the case that some types of CCS charger are less reliable than others - does anyone have experience of the reliability of CCS units other than those used by Ecotricity? My own experience of other providers' CCS units is confined to a trip to Holy Island just after I had taken delivery, when I had no problems at all with units in public car parks, provided by Northumberland County Council and managed by CYC.

 

[BrianStanier]

REX seems essential till there's at least 1 CCS every 10- 20 miles and they all work!

Well they are promising that you we may be able to avoid ageing soon, so there's hope. Realistically there will always be some out of action. Rex is essential unless you never attempt long trips.

Over Christmas we went down to Leighton Buzzard and had to use Rex almost all the way there and back. NONE of the CCS chargers we tried were operational though we did manage a modest boost from the ac side of a Chademo rapid.

 

[ironsia]

I got a failure on the Ecotricity CCS at Cliff Lane, Lymm near Warrington 22 December. Used the L2 instead to get a few miles during the short time I had available.
However, I've used the one at IKEA Wednesbury 3 times now, most recently 29 December, without any problem.
The unfinished units (CCS?, Tesla?) at Hopwood on the M42 were still unfinished on 1 January. Marked spaces, pillars, but no devices.

 

[pastyboy]

I got a failure on the Ecotricity CCS at Cliff Lane, Lymm near Warrington 22 December. Used the L2 instead to get a few miles during the short time I had available.
However, I've used the one at IKEA Wednesbury 3 times now, most recently 29 December, without any problem.
The unfinished units (CCS?, Tesla?) at Hopwood on the M42 were still unfinished on 1 January. Marked spaces, pillars, but no devices.

The CCS at Gordano (M5 Bristol) would not even work enough to say it would not connect. It just said DC not available. I noticed it was buzzing, so maybe someone had just used it. I have used it twice recently and it was OK. As I drive a Rex and did not need to waste time I just carried on - so glad I did not buy a BEV or I would have had to do loads of miles in an ICE. So far only about 10% of my 3,300 miles has been done on petrol.

 

[BoMW]

I realise that Ecotricity do not charge anything for charging so criticising is inappropriate but when you stand for 45 minutes trying to connect, at midnight, freezing, something needs to be said.
Majority of CCS chargers do not work, I travel the length of the country in my i3 and apart from my home charge (65mile motorway range) I end up filling up.

There is not one DC CCS station in Londo which is unbelievable. Where there are stations, most of them have broken down and not repaired, to give you an example, if you were to drive up to Liverpool all six CCS DC stations in that vicinity are out of order.

 

[Gonville]

I'm planning Sheffield to York and return on Sunday. Any views on CCS?

 

[nowtta60]

Ive had mine 3 weeks nearly. Tried to use CCS 5 times. Only worked once. I wouldnt even attempt a long journey in a BEV as I have a 1 year old. Of the 17 public charging station attempts Ive made only 4 have been successful. Either ICEd ,out of order, worng charging card car park closed or worst of all Leafed and not charging! Grrrrr!

 

[i3MK]

Everyone here having trouble with CCS - try this the next time your at a rapid.

BEFORE trying CCS, select Chademo FIRST, and go through the motions regardless. Just go with it, I know.

Then, once it fails, cancel the charge (don't hit 'recover').

Next, choose CCS and go through the motions.

It may fail again - just repeat the procedure above and after a few attempts of going back and forth, CCS will be warmed up sufficiently to give you a charge!

Crazy I know but it works! Thanks to another forum for that top tip !!!!!!'

Time wasted following tip = 5 mins, but in a BEV it may save you from a flatbed.

 

[bishbosh]

Took my i3 Rex down into London yesterday. I researched the locations for charging before leaving and found a few bays within easy walking of where I needed to be.

It was packed with traffic and after driving around three units which were all being used I found an empty charge point, blue lights on so perfect. I had joined source London a week ago but hadn't got a card as yet but someone on here pointed out the source East cards would work, as I have one of them it did!!!

However, it only opened the 3 pin charge point but not the 7kw so no matter I had both the charge lead and charger with me. Tried it for 10 mins no charge, no power, no wonder the charge point was empty. So I called up Source London and asked if it could be sorted and expecting the usual and got it, yep! no problem we will send out an engineer to take a look.....

next week!!!!

Ah well!! at least I had a parking spot and a Rex....

Came back 2 hours later to see if any of the other bays were empty and there was one round the corner, so moved onto that for 7kw charge and got to 90% before I came home. So not all bad but what an effort.

M.