EV charging prices

[jeremybellamy]

Hi everyone! What do you guys think about the prices for EV charging today? I recently counted that apps like ChargePoint add nearly 79% to the charging station's original price and are not the only ones. What do you do about it: find cheaper solutions or prefer not to use public chargers or apps at all?

 

[Coulomb]

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, but how did you "count" to arrive at the 79% figure?

EV chargers are quite expensive items to build; somewhat less if you happen to be Tesla and mass manufacture them. Then there is maintenance, billing, someone to listen to the complaints (and act on them), pay for electricity (when in use and even when not, for lighting and security), data/network charges, vandalism, rodents, weather, rough use, and a few consumable parts (springs, filters, etc). There is also the growth pain: early on, they were under-utilised, which is costly, now they are in high demand, so you have capital expenditure to expand the network, etc.

Finally, electronic parts are still somewhat difficult to procure (especially if you're a smaller player), following the pandemic market shift and chip fabrication plant fires.

I'm not saying that no companies are not ripping us off, or there aren't those that are severely under-performing on maintenance / reliability, just that I'm glad that someone else is doing all that work, and not me.

 

[Jomarkh]

The apps I use have a discount. I haven't heard of an app adding extra charges

 

[siteguru]

FWIW this thread is better-suited to the General Chat board.

 

[adiel]

I charged my MG4 at a Tesla charging hub at the Trafford Centre on Saturday. Cost 42p per kWh, which is reasonable. I also get 8% discount on various chargers, including Instavolt, with my Electroverse card as I am also an Octopus Energy customer. I feel costs are generally too high but the 8% discount helps.

 

[Harry 17]

FWIW this thread is better-suited to the General Chat board.

Hey…. *** get over yourself . Please±!

 

[siteguru]

Calm down Harry - if a mod/admin sees this thread they'll have exactly the same thought. No need to get abusive - we've been here before, remember?

If there's nothing useful to say, don't say it.

 

[Alb]

A moderator did see this thread and did have the same thought

 

[Harry 17]

Calm down Harry - if a mod/admin sees this thread they'll have exactly the same thought. No need to get abusive - we've been here before, remember?

If there's nothing useful to say, don't say it.

To be fair Guru, i was quite nice I do find your posts quite entertaining, I do not mean to come across as abusive. Thought we were just sparring

 

[Gomev]

Hi everyone! What do you guys think about the prices for EV charging today? I recently counted that apps like ChargePoint add nearly 79% to the charging station's original price and are not the only ones. What do you do about it: find cheaper solutions or prefer not to use public chargers or apps at all?

Please inform us of the apps that add to the original price. I'm not aware I have any but would be useful for us to avoid.

 

[mg4mc]

In confused as well, my most used app gives either a discount or the advertised rate. Which "apps" increase the price?

 

[MGFour]

Same here, I've got the Chargepoint app but not noticed any 'add on charge' just the standard rate. Same for other apps no increase but some discount.

 

[maskull]

Please inform us of the apps that add to the original price. I'm not aware I have any but would be useful for us to avoid.

Electroverse and Bonnet do for Connected Kerb . Connected Kerb charge 50p per Kw whereas Electroverse and Bonnet charge 53p , so a 6% increase . I have a Bonnet Boost which means I pay 45p . I almost solely charge at a local Connected Kerb so I recoup the £8 boost fee over a the month . Don't use the Electroverse card at all for Connected Kerb

 

[siteguru]

To be fair Guru, i was quite nice I do find your posts quite entertaining, I do not mean to come across as abusive. Thought we were just sparring

It was the use of asterisks ( and not the Gaul type ) which made it look like you intended to swear.

All good though

 

[Robf]

Electroverse and Bonnet do for Connected Kerb . Connected Kerb charge 50p per Kw whereas Electroverse and Bonnet charge 53p , so a 6% increase . I have a Bonnet Boost which means I pay 45p . I almost solely charge at a local Connected Kerb so I recoup the £8 boost fee over a the month . Don't use the Electroverse card at all for Connected Kerb

Don't forget you do get a discount off the electroverse price if you are an Octopus customer

 

[maskull]

I am an Octopus customer . No mention of any discount in the Electroverse app . I'll look into it thanks

 

[Jomarkh]

I think it's 5% if with Go and 8% if with IOG

 

[maskull]

I think it's 5% if with Go and 8% if with IOG

Not on Go , charging isn't possible at my house

 

[Cocijo]

Hi everyone! What do you guys think about the prices for EV charging today? I recently counted that apps like ChargePoint add nearly 79% to the charging station's original price and are not the only ones. What do you do about it: find cheaper solutions or prefer not to use public chargers or apps at all?

Like others have mentioned, I don’t really know what you mean by ‘apps’ adding cost to charging. In the UK rapid (DC) charging is expensive. It has come down a little but most users will charge at home if they have the luxury and reserve DC charging for when they simply have to.
Some’ apps’ can actually reduce your rapid charge cost and some rapid chargers just use credit card payment.
If you rely on public charging and also use fast charging stations these can be a little cheaper, but obviously not as fast a rapids.
By far the best way to charge if you have the luxury is on a cheap overnight tarif at home - Octopus for example 7p/kwh during off peak. The 79% Chargepoint uplift is interesting - where did you get that stat from?

 

[Devonman john]

Hi everyone! What do you guys think about the prices for EV charging today? I recently counted that apps like ChargePoint add nearly 79% to the charging station's original price and are not the only ones. What do you do about it: find cheaper solutions or prefer not to use public chargers or apps at all?

Recently returned from a 3 week camping holiday touring Brittany France. 80% of the charging points we used cost 0.25 euro a KW or less. Even high speed chargers in Lidl France are 25 cents a KW. The most expensive we used was 48 cents a KW. Now I don't know if the French Government subsidies these or not but it's significantly cheaper than the UK. I don't have that much experience of charging in the UK as nearly all our charging is done at home and most of that is provided by solar or at octopus night rate of 7.5p. I know that octopus electoverse card states that you will never pay more than the station point original charge. Also the chargeprice app is a useful tool as it shows the various prices on virtually all charge stations including every one that we used in France