McDonalds

[fshuk1]

Just a quick note.

I don't travel long distances much. Recently went on a couple of days travelling. Zap-Map, electric universe, shell etc I have it all. However, what came as a surprise was that most McDonalds have InstaVolt fast chargers and they all worked.

Rather than ask for EV charging ask for nearest McDonalds with parking.

 

[Jomarkh]

There are a lot of McDonalds with Instavolts they are my go to location

 

[Themist0]

Save the planet and clot your arteries at the same time ?

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

There are a lot of McDonalds with Instavolts they are my go to location

Meanwhile, Osprey rapids tend to be sited at Marston's pubs or Costa Coffee.

 

[alix]

I visited one on the return leg of a big road trip! It was pouring rain, miserable, and on an extremely busy bank holiday weekend - but the charger worked perfectly and I didn't have to stay any longer than it took to get a burger and inhale it for sustenance

 

[Dundronin]

Joys/Dangers of McDonalds / Instavolt - Review - Charging in more ways than one. !!!!

According to the £100 Parking Charge Notice I received from Parkingeye who extract money on behalf of MCDONALDS a photograph shows my car arriving to be charged on one of their two Instavolt chargers at 18:59 in Petersfield Sussex.

Instavolt is usually one of the more reliable suppliers of charging facilities around the UK though we experienced faulty Instavolt equipment that presented itself to be working in three locations over that one long weekend 3/8/23 visiting relatives. Not only is there a shortage of installations nationally but a high proportion of those EV chargeing points that do exist are now defective.

My car has been serviced in the last month and was reported to have all the latest software upgrades. My payment method was authorised and the car was reported to be connected to the charger. At the time of arrival another MG 5 was being charged on M Petersfield 2 so I attempted to use M Petersfield 1 but even using Card and the Instavolt App I was unable to get any power out of the Charger into my car. I got authorisation of my payment method and confirmation from the charger that the car was connected but the charger disconnected before transferring any power. I called the Instavolt 24/7 support line and eventually got through having been cut off several times.

The Instavolt operator talked us through various procedures and checks to no avail . On a later occasion the operator remotely rebooted the charger which then runs a self test but again to no avail (still defective) however the charger was left still presenting itself as being available to the public. The operator asked us to ensure that all windows and doors were shut to no effect. We later checked this feature on a working charger and found that initialising charging was unaffected by the status of doors. Clearly the system should report more/better diagnostic debugging information for central diagnosis and to inform the user why the charger has failed. Quality control and support procedures for hardware and software lack adequate rigour and industry standards should do more to protect the public interest and promote competence through transparent scoring. Presenting chargers as being available when they are defective is a disservice.

Mercifully at about 20:10 the Petersfield 2 Instavolt charger became available so I was able to move the car into that bay and charge for 44 minutes according to my Instavolt invoice during which period we dined at MCDONALDS. The £100 Parking Charge Notice I received from Parkingeye shows my car leaving 20:57 and reports the time I spent in the the Car Park to be 1 hour 57 minutes. What changes should MCDONALDS/Instavolt be making to their parking duration limits and monitoring systems to ensure they deter obuse of their parking facilities without penalising legitimate customers ? Better integration of systems between MCDONALDS and instavolt and visa versa should stop penalties for legitimate users. Instavolt chargers should warn users of potential penalties. I do not know at what point MCDONALDS/instavolt fine customers for queuing for their services but I do know that it took far longer than I wanted and that it is an experience that I do not wish to repeat.

Does MCDONALDS/Instavolt wish users to continually circle the vehicle in/out through the restaurant while cueing for facilities to avoid penalties — how does one establish a place in the queue ? - what is the correct waiting protocol and guidance ? How is the app evolving to support maximum estimated time to availability and the facility of reserving ones place in a queue for a charger and the charger displaying the registration number of the next customer reflecting the current realities of an imperfect world and thus avoiding conflict with other customers ?

Still awaiting comprehensive response from McDonalds / Instavolt 18/08/23

 

[siteguru]

#1 it's not a fine - it's an invoice for an alleged breach of contract.

#2 Complain bitterly to McDs that a PCN arose due to failure of a service that they offer. (The fact it's an Instavolt installation is immaterial - it's provided as a service to McDs customers).

#3 Best advice for fighting this PCN can be found here:

**NEWBIES!! PRIVATE PARKING TICKET? OLD OR NEW? **READ THESE FAQS FIRST!** Thankyou!

:) WELCOME! :) HOW TO BEAT A PRIVATE PCN: BY APPEAL, COMPLAINT, OR DEFENCE.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com

 

[ukslim]

Yep, often a fast food meal uses more than enough time for a rapid charge, and McDonalds often has one.

But ask ABRP for a restaurant stop. It'll suggest places you can eat near a charger.

 

[ukslim]

You can't rely on McDonalds though. Always check.

My closest McDonalds (Warwick) has three 3kW PodPoints. (But it's next to a Tesco with a 7/22/50kW PodPoints).
My next closest drive-thru (Leamington) has just been refurbed in the last month. I was certain chargers would be part of that, but apparently not.
... but the next nearest is Warwick bypass, by the M40 junction, and that has a three 100kW Instavolts (and a 50kW Instavolt for the same price, for the last in the queue I guess)

 

[MGCamb]

I used to deliver EVs for a living (part time) until a couple of years ago when McD's tended not to ahve chargers. Have a mate that still does deliveries (delivered with 70% charge). I just thought he was a fat bee as he is forever in McD's. He would not be if the chargers did not work.

 

[MoDolph]

a photograph shows my car arriving to be charged on one of their two Instavolt chargers at 18:59 in Petersfield Sussex.

Mercifully at about 20:10 the Petersfield 2 Instavolt charger became available so I was able to move the car into that bay and charge for 44 minutes

I agree with everything you said, they really need to sort this kind of thing out but why did you hang around for over an hour trying to charge?

If I'm not charging after 5 mins then I'm heading to my plan B.