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.

 

[Anon70]

Thing to remember is any AC charging can only be as fast as the car can accept, in most MG4 this is 7kW (some will do 11kW) so even if you find an 11 or 22kW AC charger the car will not reach this speed.

For DC chargers things usually work the other way around as the car can charge up to 140kW but not all DC chargers can deliver at this speed. The other thing to note is the charge curve of the battery which means you get faster charging between 10% and 50% after which things slow to around 70kW and then above 80% you will be into the 30kW speeds.

As a general rule for longer trips I go with a little and often schedule, adding between 100 and 150 miles of charge between stops. Means more stops but each for less time.

 

[Ian 2455]

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?

The best advice I can give you is...plan, plan, plan. That old adage of failing to prepare is preparing to fail holds so true for driving an EV at the moment.

Also, I have a lot of charging apps on my phone, just in case. I usually use Gridserve as I don't encounter the open to all Tesla chargers. I also have an Electroverse card...just in case!

Enjoy your EV journey.

 

[ReintjeWA]

Thing to remember is any AC charging can only be as fast as the car can accept, in most MG4 this is 7kW (some will do 11kW) so even if you find an 11 or 22kW AC charger the car will not reach this speed.

For DC chargers things usually work the other way around as the car can charge up to 140kW but not all DC chargers can deliver at this speed. The other thing to note is the charge curve of the battery which means you get faster charging between 10% and 50% after which things slow to around 70kW and then above 80% you will be into the 30kW speeds.

As a general rule for longer trips I go with a little and often schedule, adding between 100 and 150 miles of charge between stops. Means more stops but each for less time.

And on top of that, most 11kW (and some 22 kW if they split it 50/50 over two sockets) will only give you +-3.6kW because the 7kW MG4's only use a single phase. And some DC chargers work with 800V infrastructure so some may say the go up to 150kW but our MG4 would only be able to pull 75kW of that IIRC.

In the end, just finding out which chargers work best for you around where you're most likely to charge works best I think. And then on trips you can either do research or let life happen.

 

[Roger001]

As you are in the UK

Electroverse (Octopus solution, which can bill to your energy account if you are with them)
Zapmap (The default app for general chargers)
Tesla (They have a lot of open chargers and at low prices)
InstaVolt (Trying to be a national brand)

Most general charger networks take debit cards so you do not needs so many cards now.

Both Tesla and InstaVolt offer discounts if you sign up for a subscription, useful if you are planning a road trip holiday.

For my driving app, I just use Waze, which does have some basic mapping of selected charger networks, but I've not seen any tight integration based on the car's available range, but then again I've yet to do a trip that has needed me to charge on the go.


I also now have

Allows Wireless Android Auto to be used rather than wired
Amazon.co.uk

Somewhere to store my keys
Amazon.co.uk

Very cheap and nasty boot liner
Amazon.co.uk

Get out of the car now, tool
Amazon.co.uk

An ok V2L adapter
Amazon.co.uk

High current USB adapter for a lighter socket
Amazon.co.uk

Worst-case tire repair kit
Amazon.co.uk

Small Tyre Pressure Gauge
Amazon.co.uk

Small Tyre Inflator Air Compressor
Amazon.co.uk

The last 2 are just because how much of a pain it is to get to the supplied options if the boot is full.

 

[Ian Key]

As you are in the UK

Electroverse (Octopus solution, which can bill to your energy account if you are with them)
Zapmap (The default app for general chargers)
Tesla (They have a lot of open chargers and at low prices)
InstaVolt (Trying to be a national brand)

Most general charger networks take debit cards so you do not needs so many cards now.

Both Tesla and InstaVolt offer discounts if you sign up for a subscription, useful if you are planning a road trip holiday.

For my driving app, I just use Waze, which does have some basic mapping of selected charger networks, but I've not seen any tight integration based on the car's available range, but then again I've yet to do a trip that has needed me to charge on the go.


I also now have

Allows Wireless Android Auto to be used rather than wired
Amazon.co.uk

Somewhere to store my keys
Amazon.co.uk

Very cheap and nasty boot liner
Amazon.co.uk

Get out of the car now, tool
Amazon.co.uk

An ok V2L adapter
Amazon.co.uk

High current USB adapter for a lighter socket
Amazon.co.uk

Worst-case tire repair kit
Amazon.co.uk

Small Tyre Pressure Gauge
Amazon.co.uk

Small Tyre Inflator Air Compressor
Amazon.co.uk

The last 2 are just because how much of a pain it is to get to the supplied options if the boot is full.

You forgot the 10mm spanner to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery when all else fails.

 

[pjmmk]

You forgot the 10mm spanner to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery when all else fails.

Heh. I put one in my car after reading on this forum about all the issues that could be solved with a Windows style reset. Haven't needed it - yet

 

[JonnyG]

As you are in the UK

Electroverse (Octopus solution, which can bill to your energy account if you are with them)
Zapmap (The default app for general chargers)
Tesla (They have a lot of open chargers and at low prices)
InstaVolt (Trying to be a national brand)
..........

Agree with these and also the advice to plan ahead . I have used ZapMap to identify ultra rapid charging stations (with a fair few units) along my frequent long routes. I then added these locations to Google maps as permanent "favourites" so I can easily navigate to any of them using Apple CarPlay.

For that reason I'd also add the Gridserve app as I use the M1 a lot and most of the chargers at the service areas are Gridserve. Sometimes discounts are available to app users too.

I now always start and end my charges using the app itself (mainly Electroverse and Gridserve) and rarely use a contactless card (although I do have an Electroverse card just in case). It just seems to work better for me and avoids the "holding" charge.

 

[T1 Terry]

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?

If you are in Australia, the first thing is infinite patience, the first time using any of the myriad of networks and systems over here, you will do it all at least twice, before it will:
tell you to p*ss off, it doesn't like you

Completely ignore that you have done anything or even exist

Make it look like you are getting a charge, but 30 mins later, you are still at the same %SOC

All will go smoothly, you will be so shocked you either step in front of traffic or your heart stops from shock, but you'll probably end up in hospital the emergency dept ...... so, my recommendation is to look for a hospital emergency dept that has a fast charger on the off chance it works first go

T1 Terry

 

[Slipstream]

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

All public chargers are supposed to be contactless now.

 

[Roger001]

You forgot the 10mm spanner to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery when all else fails.

There is always something new to learn and purchase

Ordered and due tomorrow.