What would make public charging better for you..?

[PristDean]

Drive-over wireless charging.

That would be good, but speed limitation of 50 kw/h I believe, so may result in longer stays

I's like to see:

1. Appropriate spaces for cars, nothing crammed, resulting in tight spots
2. No load balancing between chargers which results in speed reductions
3. A universal EV charging parking app. When your car hits 100% or stops charging... you are notified and have 15 minutes to move it.

 

[Kithmo]

Quit the silly pre-authorisation charges. The EB charging one near me wants to authorise £260 before you start. I know it doesn't come out of your bank until you've finished but the bank does take it off your balance straight away.
Update: this charger has been vandalised, the DC cables cut off and stolen.

 

[Rolfe]

That would be good, but speed limitation of 50 kw/h I believe, so may result in longer stays

I's like to see:

1. Appropriate spaces for cars, nothing crammed, resulting in tight spots
2. No load balancing between chargers which results in speed reductions
3. A universal EV charging parking app. When your car hits 100% or stops charging... you are notified and have 15 minutes to move it.

That last is appropriate for rapid chargers, but not for type 2 chargers, where people want to leave their cars hooked up and not come back until they've finished whatever it was they came there to do. Which might include attending the theatre or cinema (where you should not have to leave the performance to unhook your car), or even spending an evening and night in a nearby hotel.

The solution to over-subscribed type 2 chargers is not a time limit and fines, but more type 2 chargers.

Quit the silly pre-authorisation charges. The EB charging one near me wants to authorise £260 before you start. I know it doesn't come out of your bank until you've finished but the bank does take it off your balance straight away.

WHAT?? I thought Applegreen wanting a £30 authorisation was bad enough - that came to £90 in the end as I couldn't get the charger to talk to my car despite repeated attempts. Imagine three or four aborted attampts at charging with a £260 authorisation every time! I see why some people always use their credit card for this. (I moved to a Gridserve about 10 yards away and it only wanted a £1 authorisation fee.)

 

[Kithmo]

EB's website reckons the authorisation charge is based on the maximum stay allowed in the car park and the p/kWh. It's 79p/kWh and the maximum stay is 2 hours so, by my reckoning, it would have to be charging at 165kW for two hours into a 330kW battery. They charge to same pre-authorisation amount for the 7kW (and the 22kW I guess) side as well. It's just impossible to run up that amount.
I've seen 3 other EV drivers trying to use it and 20 minutes later they were gone, I guess they gave up like I did.

 

[PristDean]

EB's website reckons the authorisation charge is based on the maximum stay allowed in the car park and the p/kWh. It's 79p/kWh and the maximum stay is 2 hours so, by my reckoning, it would have to be charging at 165kW for two hours into a 330kW battery. They charge to same pre-authorisation amount for the 7kW (and the 22kW I guess) side as well. It's just impossible to run up that amount.
I've seen 3 other EV drivers trying to use it and 20 minutes later they were gone, I guess they gave up like I did.

Apparently they are re-branding to Blink after an acquisition. EB to become Blink so maybe, just maybe things will change

 

[Rolfe]

Hmm. I had a bit of trouble with Blink last month - their app was hell to download and the chargers I wanted to use don't take ordinary plastic. However there was no pre-authorisation charge at all for these chargers.

What there was, was an invitation to agree that you could potentially incur a maximum charge of whatever-it-was (I think about £25), obviously based on their four-hour limit for the type 2 chargers. I had to OK that several times as I had some trouble connecting at first. However it wasn't an authorisation charge in the usual sense of the term, because they didn't put any hold on my bank account for it. It seemed just to be a "you could end up being charged this, are you OK with it?" confirmation.

 

[StuartMG]

If unlike in my area they actually fixed the machines more timely than say the 2 months plus our fast charger has been out of action (despite reporting it). In fairness with a home charging port I'm not relying on public charging now but if I did in this town, I'd be out of luck!

 

[Rolfe]

Our type 2 connector was out of order on Monday (it was OK on Sunday) and is still out of order now. In addition, the card reader (for those without a ChargePlace Scotland card) has been out of order for weeks.

Now I would hazard a guess that most people who use that charger have a ChargePlace Scotland card, and are there for the rapid charge (the time limit makes using the type 2 pretty pointless unless you have a battery to balance). Nevertheless they must know about it, it's on their app, and nothing is being done.

 

[evcog]

<tries really reaslly hard not to wonder aloud how you can start to type "queue" and the auto-complete gives you "cue"....>

I was dashing out so tried voice dictation and hadn't noticed. Guess I've been snookered......

 

[CarlMG4]

For me personally, most of the public charging I'm likely to use (90% of the time) would be destination chargers for a top up on the go..

I'd like to see;
•More chargers,
•Cheaper Rates & Capped prices - 5% VAT
•'EV Charging Only' - Enforced,
•Wider Bays,
•Contactless on all,
•More Chargers actually working,
•Clear signage to where the chargers actually are within Multi Storey Car Parks,
•Broken Chargers fixed proactively
•Prices p/kWh shown clearly before entering

 

[Tweed98]

How about an electric tyre pump and some screen wash/water and a squeegy to get the bugs off your screen?
I know a full pressure wash system at the charger unit is a bit unlikely due to water and electricity being slightly too friendly but a low pressure trickle is plenty to do the windows.

Grid serve Electric Forecourts have most of the above but could do with a full car wash for after the charge though. Oh more Electric forecourts!

 

[RobQuads]

• More chargers at main services etc as they are the ones you don't want to be around long (Exeter a good example - its getting them but it will need more)
• Trailer/Caravan compatible ones
• PAYG everywhere. No need for any apps

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

How about an electric tyre pump and some screen wash/water and a squeegy to get the bugs off your screen?
I know a full pressure wash system at the charger unit is a bit unlikely due to water and electricity being slightly too friendly but a low pressure trickle is plenty to do the windows.

Grid serve Electric Forecourts have most of the above but could do with a full car wash for after the charge though. Oh more Electric forecourts!

Try an MFG site - Traditional garage with added 150kW chargers, so air/water/wash more likely to be available.

• Trailer/Caravan compatible ones

I direct your attention to Osprey's new Salmon Leap site in Devon. 16 rapids - 2 of which are in extra long "towing" bays. See bottom & left edges of this pic:-

Let's hope this becomes a standard layout for "electric forecourts" going forward.

 

[Tweed98]

Try an MFG site - Traditional garage with added 150kW chargers, so air/water/wash more likely to be available.

I direct your attention to Osprey's new Salmon Leap site in Devon. 16 rapids - 2 of which are in extra long "towing" bays. See bottom & left edges of this pic:-

Let's hope this becomes a standard layout for "electric forecourts" going forward.

Wouldn't the towing zones get clogged up by non towing cars when the place is busy? Wouldn't an adjacent towing parking zone maybe with an attendant controlled lock be more efficient.

 

[RobQuads]

Yup aware that some are doing (I congratulated them on their twitter post) it but it's still very limited. 2 towing bays for the number of cars pulling caravans and trailers to Devon is still no where near enough .

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Wouldn't the towing zones get clogged up by non towing cars when the place is busy? Wouldn't an adjacent towing parking zone maybe with an attendant controlled lock be more efficient.

I don't tow, nor do I go to Devon, so I suspect that's something you might like to raise with Osprey yourself.

 

[Rolfe]

Looking at that layout, I ask again, what happens when it's pouring with rain? Is it all simply open to the elements? That really isn't good enough.

 

[Buster72]

Easy:
No need for loads of different apps each with different payment methods and cards.
All chargers to take contactless cards.
It should be just as easy to charge as it is to fill up with petrol.
And plenty more charging stations.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Looking at that layout, I ask again, what happens when it's pouring with rain? Is it all simply open to the elements? That really isn't good enough.

Osprey have said they've made a separate planning application for canopies & lighting.
Because it's in a conservation area, if they'd put the canopies & lights on the original application, it would still be with the planners and we wouldn't have a hub at all.

 

[Rolfe]

Fair enough. But planners really need to look at what ICE drivers expect as standard and understand that EV drivers are the same people and really should be given the same consideration.