RFID Cards, Phones Apps, multiple accounts for this n that for public charge points: What Are The Basics?

[Mach13]

Hello all...So i'm new to EV's and have recently taken delivery of an MG HS PHEV Plugin.

Now I know public charging with a PHEV isn't going to be much of an issue for me, but I would like to try and get my head around what options are going to be available. I've started to notice charge points around car parks n stuff, but I'm not clear about how to use/pay for them. I found some in a local car park with QR codes to Clenergy.com are these well known?

So here are my questions on the basics:

1. Do you really have to have an account, card or app for every EV charging supplier permutation there is out there?
2. I've seen comments about 'Free Chargers' do you need an app to use them too?
3. As a gauge do you mind saying how many charging Apps/RFID Cards do you have on your phone?
4. The 'Clenergy one' I mentioned seems to have a pre-payment top-up option is that usual?
5. I've also seen stuff about 'Affiliations' what's that about?
6. RFID Cards - How do these work and do you need multiples of these too?
7. What generally is the pricing range of £ per kwh?
8. What's the best price you've found £per kwh and with whom?

Soz.. lots of questions.... Comments will be welcome

 

[Jto]

Hi
could I ask you nearest town or village.

you have free charge at McDonald’s at the roundabout on the A47 at Blofield. Down load the Pod point App.

 

[Mach13]

I'm near Norwich

 

[Jto]

Ok
on this pod point you can get free charge but you need to register with them as you have to confirm your pluged in, if you do not it will stop after 15 minute. I also got a shell Recharge fob and account which I use.
If you use a bank or credit card at these chargers with out a account you can have a charge taken from your account plus the charging cost. Some time these card charges can take some time to come back to your account.

are you going to do a lot of long drives?
my fist one will be near to the McDonald’s i said above so have look it up.

I have
pod point
Shell recharge ( use Fob Key then they take you money each month for charges you done)
Genie point ( not used this one yet you put £10 on setup with a bank card, you can get a RFID car for £10 put you can start the charge on the App)

 

[Mach13]

OK Thanks Jto... as usual very helpful

So I guess the answer to questions 1 and 2 is yep..
I now have three accounts and apps - I guess its about finding out what's around the areas you visit and sign up as needed... But I doubt i will be pre-paying with top-ups or that will quickly accumulate a lot of balances...
I'm likin the idea of free charges tho... as I intend to use the car in EV mode for local driving..

 

[Jto]

I use the EV of going to work and back that cost under a £1 on the granny charger at home on 0.18 per KWH and take about 2 hours. It’s 18 miles round trip but only seem to use 7miles of battery power. There are few down hills going to work and on the way back I use the ICE to go up the hills. Around Norwich use EV but once you get on standard road switch out of EV, have look at the YouTube video below will help.

 

[5teep]

All new rapid chargers must come equipped with contactless so having an app or not will be less of an issue in years to come.

 

[Mach13]

To answer my own question looks as tho most chargers ive seen charge a minimum of 30p per kwh that seems expensive..

Wonder what that is per mile as compared to petrol per mile?

 

[SimonomiS]

If you achieve, say, 4 miles per kWh then @ 30p it's 7.5p per mile. Obviously any home charging will be at much lower kWh prices than out on the road so it's a balance of how much you have to charge while travelling.

 

[Mach13]

If you achieve, say, 4 miles per kWh then @ 30p it's 7.5p per mile. Obviously any home charging will be at much lower kWh prices than out on the road so it's a balance of how much you have to charge while travelling.

Ah okay.. So according to this website ..my HS PHEV plugin does about 23.9KwH/100km (62 miles) in EV mode

So that's around 2.6 miles per kwh which would be 11.5p per mile

but on my home charger (Currently19.5p) per kwh) it would be 7.5p per mile

and better still on an Octopus Go night rate of 5p that would be just under 2p per mile

does that sound right if I drove in EV only mode?

Where as petrol costs per mile for my old C4 Cactus were about 12p per mile

Interesting ?

 

[SimonomiS]

It might be more complicated to calculate with a Hybrid - I don't know much about those, sorry. That said, looks like you've got some useful numbers in any case. Charging on the road (sometimes as much as 60ppkWh!) should be done as much as possible only where necessary - home/work AC charging albeit slower, is better for the batteries as well as being cheaper!

 

[biffo]

Another from Electric Van Man, which might be a touch out of date, but covers a whole range of networks and apps/cards

 

[5teep]

To answer my own question looks as tho most chargers ive seen charge a minimum of 30p per kwh that seems expensive..

Wonder what that is per mile as compared to petrol per mile?

The trick is to use home charging wherever possible and if you can, get a lower tariff for overnight charging. If you can't, well 30p per kwh still works out about half the price of petrol.

 

[Jaygee]

When I had an outlander phev I didn’t find public chargers to be cost effective. The mg one might be different.
There are a multitude of apps out there for multiple charge companies. Most but I don’t think all take contactless (credit or debit) card payments.
One piece of advice on charge etiquette though, short of being ICE’d the next infuriating thing is a phev plugged into a public charger, please leave these free for ev drivers as phevs have an alternate energy source so don’t strictly need to plug into public chargers to be able to complete their journey. Of course unless there are multiple empty charge bays. I have experienced this frustration multiple times when I have seen phevs plug in to free pod points at my usual supermarket making it a bit dicey for me to complete my journey home after a day of driving in the sticks. Luckily it is no longer free and has sorted the issue of phevs plugging in. I know the above might get some hate but I can only imagine the sentiments of an ice driver if I were to block the last free petrol pump on the forecourt. I am certain most ev drivers will relate to my frustrations.

 

[MGJimmy]

We now avoid anything that needs an app, our summer camping holiday travelling all around the country taught us that lesson the hard way. Now just sticking to Gridserve and InstaVolt. The exception to this is the Genie chargers in Lidl as they are often quite convenient and not busy. I look forward to when destinations have chargers!

 

[marvelous]

On the whole public charging system is a hopeless mess. It is getting better but motorways are particularly bad as Ecotricity has been allowed free range. They have recently been taken over but at the moment you have to have an app to use many of their chargers. I use the A1 rather than the M1 as there is more choice of charging companies. Why we cant just drive in and use a credit card at all the charge points is a mystery to me, why is payment so much more complicated than filling up with petrol or diesel? The government claims to support the move to electricity but it seems clear to me that few politicians have experience of using electric cars, if they had they might have done something to improve the situation, it is better but I first used an electric car 5 years ago and there are still too many app. based charging points.

 

[5teep]

It is law now that new chargers must come with contactless, so better times are a coming

 

[FCat53]

Generally about 1/2 of fossil fuel at 30p, charger at home or work is from 2-4p per mile so about 1/5 the cost. Free chargers at Tescos are mostly PodPoint so worth having the app. Most Rapid Chargers worth using have contactless payment.
Gridserve/Electric Highway 30p
Ionity 70p !!!!!!!!
Osprey and Instavolt 40p

Just use ZapMap to find Rapid chargers, and set a filter for contactless payment and just use those. Gridserve are just replacing all Electric Highway chargers at motorway services.

To answer my own question looks as tho most chargers ive seen charge a minimum of 30p per kwh that seems expensive..

Wonder what that is per mile as compared to petrol per mile

 

[SteveMP]

I have sat down and read a lot about charging while researching and now money has been put down for my 5 LR.

Got to say first time reading and watching the various bits of information regarding public charging certainly makes your eyes water but only after a while do you start to sift through what you need to know and what is nice to know.

Currently my app folder on my phone looks like this:

I think that should cover me!

 

[Deleted member 823]

It's nuts really the amount of apps/payment options there are. I'll be glad when it's all sorted and smoother, not that I've had chance to use any chargers (apart from free ones) away from home yet.