Public Charging - what do I need?

[Ian Robinson]

Newbie here with an MG4. I've only public charged once so far. I carry a type 2 cable with me.

What apps, do I need - what is recommened - do you have to have an app for some chargers?

RFID card(s) -is it a good idea if I want to be able to use more UK chargers, are there any free ones?

Also what app to use in Android Car Play is best to navigate and show chargers along the route, can any app direct you to a charger if your battery does not have enough juice to do the planned joirney? - I would like to know price, availability and speed of charging points if possible?


Any other tips for finding/using chargers - can you filter to ones in supermarkets or with a nice walk nearby perhaps?

 

[Bam Bam]

Newbie here with an MG4. I've only public charged once so far. I carry a type 2 cable with me.

What apps, do I need - what is recommened - do you have to have an app for some chargers?

RFID card(s) -is it a good idea if I want to be able to use more UK chargers, are there any free ones?

Also what app to use in Android Car Play is best to navigate and show chargers along the route, can any app direct you to a charger if your battery does not have enough juice to do the planned joirney? - I would like to know price, availability and speed of charging points if possible?

Any other tips for finding/using chargers - can you filter to ones in supermarkets or with a nice walk nearby perhaps?

Welcome!

Not too experienced with this myself as I've only charged away from home a couple of times when on holiday.

Got the Tesla app and used their 'open' chargers which went well.

Used ABRP to make an initial plan and then refined it using other apps (Tesla and electroverse) to get cheaper prices.

If you are more concerned about convenience than price you could let ABRP do it for you. It doesn't measure live battery status (I think you need an OBDB dongle for that) but it should be pretty accurate at guessing your consumption.

Got the Electroverse card as an alternative payment mechanism but only used it when we tested the DC charging not long after getting the car.

Happy driving/charging!

 

[siteguru]

RFID cards ... an Electroverse card is probably best UK-wide as it is accepted by several CPOs (Charge Point Operators). In Scotland a Chargeplace Scotland (CPS) card can be useful, although Electroverse is usually accepted too on CPS charge points.

Apps ... Tesla app for sure, as it makes things easier for charging at all their open-to-all charger sites. maybe the Gridserve app too as you can sometimes get a discount vs using a contactless debit/credit card.

Android Auto ... I just use the Google Maps app. If I need to find a rapid charger I just ask Google.