Dt99idr
Established Member
Just back from our holiday in Devon:
Firstly as a car - fantastic, did everything we'd want it to. Nice and comfortable for a family of 4, good luggage space. Wife could charge her phone as I used mine on Android Auto. Efficiency is great.
The one big issue is obviously the charging... If I'd done this in my Ibiza I'd have stopped once or twice for diesel and done so on route somewhere else. Not quite the same here.
Day1: Started well left with 100% stopped off at Otter Garden Center to a 7Kw top up whilst we had some lunch and looked around. Perfect sort of charging - got some extra miles for no cost with no hindrance to what we would have done any way. ~75miles
Day2: Trip to Rosemoor gardens ~48 miles
Day3: Drove to do a walk on Dartmoor ~33miles
So far all going well, all happy with the car!
Day4: Visited Dartmorr Otter Sanctuary. Running low on electric so decided to do a rapid at the Red Lion pub in the evening. Arrived to find someone else charging
I thought I'd used the 7Kw whilst waiting for them to finish... It seems doing so switched them off (though looking on the swarco website suggests this should be ok, certainly nothing to tell me it wouldn't - and why have 2 car parking spaces if only one can be used?) Slightly embarrassing. 3 others turned up whilst whilst I was waiting (15mins?) (one a ZS) - only 1 waited. I charged to 75% without issue whilst having a nice drink in the sun. ~72miles
Day5: Babbacombe Model Village and Brixham for tea - lovely to watch the seals playing in the harbour. On the way home stopped off at Lidl Glampton for a pod point rapid. All worked fine - but took longer than I expected - at this point I realised that all the chargers are 50Kw, so not much point in having at 80Kw capable car... ~69miles
Day6: Eden project - the day things started to turn... All the Destination chargers at Eden taken. Looked like I should have enough charge to get to back to the caravan, so decided not to use the charger that was sat in the car park not being used when I left. Big mistake... Stopped off at Strawberry Fields farm show where they have a bp rapid. There was a polestar pulling trailer with cattle in and several others waiting. Wife finished in the shop at cars were still waiting. Still I have enought charge so left. Pulled in to a geniepoint with 1% showing and a very uptight wife. Charger said 'out of order' - after a short panic realised this was on the ac side and managed to get the DC going. Got up to 20% and went back to the van for tea,. That evening had a visit to the pub (no one was using the charger) to find a merc had just pulled in expected to be about a hour - so left to pop to the nearest instravolt. 2 chargers felt like a safe bet. Got there to find one charger showing 'fault'. Thankfully the other worked. 45mins later I left with 93%.... Was not a fun day! ~147miles
Day7: Visit to Dartmoor zoo. Planed to 'fill up' again at Strawberry fields on the way back - but again lots of waiting cars. Based on my average of 2miles per % I had enough to get back to van and then home next day, so left. ~89 miles
Day8: Wife wants to pop into IKEA for lunch which fits in well with a charge stop on the rapids at Exeter. GridServe web site states all stations available, but get there to find only one CCS free. Can't get it to work. Finish shopping in IKEA all stations are now free, so try again with same result. Connector won't lock and can't get a charge. Very frustrated now so decided I have a 8mile buffer and that'll do. Arrive home with 3% showing ~73miles
What have I learnt?
1) Charge if you can
2) Who cares how long it takes to charge from 20 to 80% if only 50Kw chargers are available
3) Waiting for a car to charge whilst having a meal etc. if great in theory - but easily ruined by someone else with the right idea.
As wife says - UK isn't ready for it - the charging infrastructure isn't there.
We have a trip to north wales next weekend. Not sure I'll be allowed to take my car...
Firstly as a car - fantastic, did everything we'd want it to. Nice and comfortable for a family of 4, good luggage space. Wife could charge her phone as I used mine on Android Auto. Efficiency is great.
The one big issue is obviously the charging... If I'd done this in my Ibiza I'd have stopped once or twice for diesel and done so on route somewhere else. Not quite the same here.
Day1: Started well left with 100% stopped off at Otter Garden Center to a 7Kw top up whilst we had some lunch and looked around. Perfect sort of charging - got some extra miles for no cost with no hindrance to what we would have done any way. ~75miles
Day2: Trip to Rosemoor gardens ~48 miles
Day3: Drove to do a walk on Dartmoor ~33miles
So far all going well, all happy with the car!
Day4: Visited Dartmorr Otter Sanctuary. Running low on electric so decided to do a rapid at the Red Lion pub in the evening. Arrived to find someone else charging
I thought I'd used the 7Kw whilst waiting for them to finish... It seems doing so switched them off (though looking on the swarco website suggests this should be ok, certainly nothing to tell me it wouldn't - and why have 2 car parking spaces if only one can be used?) Slightly embarrassing. 3 others turned up whilst whilst I was waiting (15mins?) (one a ZS) - only 1 waited. I charged to 75% without issue whilst having a nice drink in the sun. ~72milesDay5: Babbacombe Model Village and Brixham for tea - lovely to watch the seals playing in the harbour. On the way home stopped off at Lidl Glampton for a pod point rapid. All worked fine - but took longer than I expected - at this point I realised that all the chargers are 50Kw, so not much point in having at 80Kw capable car... ~69miles
Day6: Eden project - the day things started to turn... All the Destination chargers at Eden taken. Looked like I should have enough charge to get to back to the caravan, so decided not to use the charger that was sat in the car park not being used when I left. Big mistake... Stopped off at Strawberry Fields farm show where they have a bp rapid. There was a polestar pulling trailer with cattle in and several others waiting. Wife finished in the shop at cars were still waiting. Still I have enought charge so left. Pulled in to a geniepoint with 1% showing and a very uptight wife. Charger said 'out of order' - after a short panic realised this was on the ac side and managed to get the DC going. Got up to 20% and went back to the van for tea,. That evening had a visit to the pub (no one was using the charger) to find a merc had just pulled in expected to be about a hour - so left to pop to the nearest instravolt. 2 chargers felt like a safe bet. Got there to find one charger showing 'fault'. Thankfully the other worked. 45mins later I left with 93%.... Was not a fun day! ~147miles
Day7: Visit to Dartmoor zoo. Planed to 'fill up' again at Strawberry fields on the way back - but again lots of waiting cars. Based on my average of 2miles per % I had enough to get back to van and then home next day, so left. ~89 miles
Day8: Wife wants to pop into IKEA for lunch which fits in well with a charge stop on the rapids at Exeter. GridServe web site states all stations available, but get there to find only one CCS free. Can't get it to work. Finish shopping in IKEA all stations are now free, so try again with same result. Connector won't lock and can't get a charge. Very frustrated now so decided I have a 8mile buffer and that'll do. Arrive home with 3% showing
~73milesWhat have I learnt?
1) Charge if you can
2) Who cares how long it takes to charge from 20 to 80% if only 50Kw chargers are available
3) Waiting for a car to charge whilst having a meal etc. if great in theory - but easily ruined by someone else with the right idea.
As wife says - UK isn't ready for it - the charging infrastructure isn't there.
We have a trip to north wales next weekend. Not sure I'll be allowed to take my car...
