BP Chargemaster = Daylight robbery.

[Mr Miserable]

I see BP Chargemaster have introduced a couple of their 150kW chargers to a forecourt in Hounslow. Whilst I encourage and applaud the expansion and improvement of charging networks I get very annoyed at the short term opportunism of their outrageous pricing.
As I understand it, to use the charger contactless I will have to pay £1.50 to cover BP Chargemaster's fixed costs and then pay 40p per kWh.

Is this a model they use for petrol? Do you pay more to use an unmanned petrol pump?
Is the mark up on petrol over 100%?

This charging model is not to be encouraged and I for one will avoid it like the plague.

Yes there are other tariffs but they require a monthly subscription or an account. Again, when petrol stations were originally established, this was never the model.

The writing is on the wall for the ICE. Petrol stations are already closing and/or diversifying and this trend will only get steeper. The number of different EVs being brought to market over the next 18 months is astonishing. In April when people realise the 0% BIK for EVs the demand will be huge. Once people move to an EV, very few go back.

There is an opportunity here for a big player to completely disrupt the existing disjointed UK charging structure. BP have blown it by being greedy.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Same as the Polar Model, that BP bought. BP seem happy to continue that though ... so I'm with you on "shame on them".

But, hey!, just vote with your feet ?

Be interesting to see how this plays out. Ionity seem to be the only?? people heading for plug-in-and-walk-away, and thus will compete with Supercharger, But they are putting a miserly 4 stalls at each site ... so will soon be suffering from all-stalls-full ... but they have to make money from their service, of course, so have to balance capital-vs-revenue. TEsla can offset Supercharger Capital against whole Battery, Car, Supercharger business

The whole "buy from us only if you have a subscription model" is so patently daft that it will sink without trace, plenty about such that there will be enough choice before "Jack Rabbit". And 150kW capable cars are rare at present ... so there will be ziltch non-capable cars wanting to pay premium price for a 50kW charge ...

I had no expectation that 3rd party charging would evolve so badly. in last 3 years it has been pants because sites frequently bust / unable to connect. But with CCS might have expected the "standard" to solve that - but plenty of iPaces that cannot charge at many CCS chargers (Model-3 too at some in Norway).

Probably governments fault for not throwing money at "If you are rolling it out then here's some cash to do a proper forward-thinking job"

I would look closer at other EV brands, except for the dire 3rd party charging situation. For folk that [almost] never drive out of range then the point is moot, but for anyone driving out-of-range now-and-again:

Conclusion: Just buy a Tesla ... simples ...

 

[Fullerene]

I see BP Chargemaster have introduced a couple of their 150kW chargers to a forecourt in Hounslow. Whilst I encourage and applaud the expansion and improvement of charging networks I get very annoyed at the short term opportunism of their outrageous pricing.
As I understand it, to use the charger contactless I will have to pay £1.50 to cover BP Chargemaster's fixed costs and then pay 40p per kWh.

Is this a model they use for petrol? Do you pay more to use an unmanned petrol pump?
Is the mark up on petrol over 100%?

This charging model is not to be encouraged and I for one will avoid it like the plague.

Yes there are other tariffs but they require a monthly subscription or an account. Again, when petrol stations were originally established, this was never the model.

The writing is on the wall for the ICE. Petrol stations are already closing and/or diversifying and this trend will only get steeper. The number of different EVs being brought to market over the next 18 months is astonishing. In April when people realise the 0% BIK for EVs the demand will be huge. Once people move to an EV, very few go back.

There is an opportunity here for a big player to completely disrupt the existing disjointed UK charging structure. BP have blown it by being greedy.

WTF - honestly - I am more outraged than normal.

BP Exec1: "Quickly, they've kicked the habit, these shmucks are used to paying 80 quid a tank and most of it is tax"
BP Exec2: "Well, they can still pay us 80 quid and we'll put our margins up"
BP Exec1: "The last thing we want is them realising we've been fleecing them for years"

But, hey!, just vote with your feet ?

The nice thing is we can easily do this and much like the Winchester services on the M3, horribly expensive fuel, this will only affect people who haven't planned ahead as the rest of us will be charging at home, with SuperChargers, or anywhere else....

Good luck to them - hopefully they won't influence the ICE drivers that EVs are expensive to run.

 

[Rob R]

I see BP Chargemaster have introduced a couple of their 150kW chargers to a forecourt in Hounslow. Whilst I encourage and applaud the expansion and improvement of charging networks I get very annoyed at the short term opportunism of their outrageous pricing.
As I understand it, to use the charger contactless I will have to pay £1.50 to cover BP Chargemaster's fixed costs and then pay 40p per kWh.

Is this a model they use for petrol? Do you pay more to use an unmanned petrol pump?
Is the mark up on petrol over 100%?

This charging model is not to be encouraged and I for one will avoid it like the plague.

Yes there are other tariffs but they require a monthly subscription or an account. Again, when petrol stations were originally established, this was never the model.

The writing is on the wall for the ICE. Petrol stations are already closing and/or diversifying and this trend will only get steeper. The number of different EVs being brought to market over the next 18 months is astonishing. In April when people realise the 0% BIK for EVs the demand will be huge. Once people move to an EV, very few go back.

There is an opportunity here for a big player to completely disrupt the existing disjointed UK charging structure. BP have blown it by being greedy.

All the more reason to use Superchargers, at a very reasonable 24p. Or move up here to Scotland, where ChargePlace Scotland (CYC) is free most places, although I doubt that will continue too long.

 

[ProfessorK]

Makes me laugh that TESLA have cheaper chargers than most if not all the major motorway providers. RFIDs put me off, so I've never used Polar and won't use BP Chargemaster if it's that much!

I've used Ecotricity without a hitch, except for one time I had to ring them and they rebooted the charger so I got a free-vend. Pod Point is 50/50 and sometimes doesn't register my charge confirmation on the app. Used to love NPower as they had a dodgy 22Kwh charger right next to my workplace that was set to free-vend for 6 months so I had no costs for travelling to and from work (120 mi round trip).

 

[ScottishRosco]

I guess it comes down to the old supply and demand. If people need or it is convenient enough to use them they will pay that price. I have paid the rediculously expensive fuel/food/snack prices at motorway services as it is convenient.

 

[Yev000]

I guess it comes down to the old supply and demand

Exactly. 30kwh for 30 min will set you back £1.50 + 40 *30= £13.50 for over 150 miles. That's for 10p per mile.

Not the end of the world if you need a quick top up. I payed more for parking.

What is nice is that you can get it much cheaper with a little planning.

Especially with tesla.

 

[WannabeOwner]

If you want to order a Tesla, consider using my referral code for some

Please move your referral code to your profile. Not allowed in signature, as per Forums Rules, thanks.

 

[m-i-l]

All the more reason to use Superchargers, at a very reasonable 24p. Or move up here to Scotland, where ChargePlace Scotland (CYC) is free most places, although I doubt that will continue too long.

The ChargePlace Scotland scheme sounds great. Just ordered a card for my road trip in a week or so. But to get back on-topic, the postal address seems to be BP Chargemaster in Luton: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

As does the ChargePlace Scotland service provider Charge Your Car: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

 

[Roy W.]

Makes me laugh that TESLA have cheaper chargers than most if not all the major motorway providers. RFIDs put me off, so I've never used Polar and won't use BP Chargemaster if it's that much!

I've used Ecotricity without a hitch, except for one time I had to ring them and they rebooted the charger so I got a free-vend. Pod Point is 50/50 and sometimes doesn't register my charge confirmation on the app. Used to love NPower as they had a dodgy 22Kwh charger right next to my workplace that was set to free-vend for 6 months so I had no costs for travelling to and from work (120 mi round trip).

Your Octopus referral also get you £50 credit, which you haven’t actually mentioned.

Many of us are with Octopus, and most of us also have Tesla referral codes. That’s the reason they’re not allowed in signatures, because the forum would be overrun by them.

 

[ProfessorK]

Your Octopus referral also get you £50 credit, which you haven’t actually mentioned.

Many of us are with Octopus, and most of us also have Tesla referral codes. That’s the reason they’re not allowed in signatures, because the forum would be overrun by them.

Referrals usually give benefits both ways, I'm not a company so I don't have to #Ad on Social Media

Didn't know the linking was a no-no in the forums here, saw others doing it so followed suit! I've removed them, as per Forum Rules.

 

[davidmc]

There is an opportunity here for a big player to completely disrupt the existing disjointed UK charging structure. BP have blown it by being greedy.

Very very true

I can see BP and other fuel companies offering different types of electricity, Premium or Eco just to confuse the untrained. Each EV driving down the road is lost business to them, so this means they have to reinvent their wheel and look at ways to entice this new wave of transport into there forecourts.

It won't be long before all supermarkets jump in too but with cheaper deals. Those vouchers you get when you pay at the till! Free charge on your next visit!

 

[ScottishRosco]

It won't be long before all supermarkets jump in too but with cheaper deals. Those vouchers you get when you pay at the till! Free charge on your next visit!

I like that idea!

 

[Fullerene]

It won't be long before all supermarkets jump in too but with cheaper deals. Those vouchers you get when you pay at the till! Free charge on your next visit!

This could also be really useful for saving the high street. A modest 1 hour free at 7kW free charging outside of daily grid peaks would encourage people to head to their high streets, that sort of charge is likely to be enough for people living near a town to cover the cost of the journey.

EVs have so much potential for societal change, will start writing the manifesto.

 

[Fullerene]

I can see BP and other fuel companies offering different types of electricity, Premium or Eco just to confuse the untrained

I await the whiteboard on the forecourt proclaiming "sorry, no 3-phase"

 

[zap fizzle]

The ChargePlace Scotland scheme sounds great. Just ordered a card for my road trip in a week or so. But to get back on-topic, the postal address seems to be BP Chargemaster in Luton: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

As does the ChargePlace Scotland service provider Charge Your Car: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

CPS is a disaster. Go scroll around zapmap looking at comments - perhaps half the sites are in good reliable working order, and a good proportion of those will be blocked by a freeloading local when you need them.

No revenue == no funds (or incentive) for repairs.

 

[zap fizzle]

I see BP Chargemaster have introduced a couple of their 150kW chargers to a forecourt in Hounslow. Whilst I encourage and applaud the expansion and improvement of charging networks I get very annoyed at the short term opportunism of their outrageous pricing.
As I understand it, to use the charger contactless I will have to pay £1.50 to cover BP Chargemaster's fixed costs and then pay 40p per kWh.

There is an opportunity here for a big player to completely disrupt the existing disjointed UK charging structure. BP have blown it by being greedy.

It's not outrageous - it probably barely breaks even. It's a very expensive machine, a very very expensive grid connection, and very expensive power. Industrial uses like this do not benefit from all the hidden subsidies we get on domestic power - they pay a hefty penalty for peak-time use and to have the POSSIBILITY of peak-time use. And you're sat on very valuable land while you use it, if you're in London.

I'm no fan of the subscription model but the fact is that we are all, as EV users, benefitting from a host of subsidies - and as they are phased out and we pay our way in both charging costs and road pricing, many of us will be shocked at how easy we had it.

Tesla are losing money when they sell you supercharger power at 24p/kWh.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Didn't know the linking was a no-no in the forums here,

I'd hate for you to win a Roadster in the draw ... for you to then find that the Forum laid claim ...

Forum needs to make some money to run - the amount of traffic this site gets costs a pretty penny - so adverts and the like (if you post an Amazon link it will be converted to a link that is monetised for the forum), so running any sort of commercial enterprise on a forum is "not fair" on the Host. The forum does have "subscriptions" for Vendors (they get a "badge" by their Advatar) ... obviously that is a bit far fetched for just referral codes, so the forum has provided a field for that in the Profile. There is also a thread in the main forum for people to post a "use my referral code" message. Also a site that does round-robin handouts of referral codes for people that want one.

 

[Fullerene]

The ChargePlace Scotland scheme sounds great. Just ordered a card for my road trip in a week or so. But to get back on-topic, the postal address seems to be BP Chargemaster in Luton: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

As does the ChargePlace Scotland service provider Charge Your Car: Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

This seemed like a great idea, didn't realise anyone outside of Scotland could use this whilst visiting, so thumbs up for that. Then I read the report from the frontline:

CPS is a disaster. Go scroll around zapmap looking at comments - perhaps half the sites are in good reliable working order, and a good proportion of those will be blocked by a freeloading local when you need them.

No revenue == no funds (or incentive) for repairs.

If we want this to be free it will need to be funded by advertising to monetise it somehow.

Tesla are losing money when they sell you supercharger power at 24p/kWh.

But a row of shiny SuperChargers with Teslas parked up at a prominent location probably costs less that the equivalent electronic billboard..

When I first went on my EV research journey, fast charge on the road felt like the most important thing. The more time I have spent in the community the more I see that for the average person destination charging combined with a decent range is the most important item. Supercharging feels like the goto for people doing serious miles or the occasional long journey OR trying to calm the nerves of ICE drivers who haven't thought about how the move away from the status quo is might require a bit of knowledge and adjustment to longheld traditions. Really fast charging, a bit like airports, vital for the transport mix but the average person won't be using them everyday.

 

[cezdoc]

It's not outrageous - it probably barely breaks even. It's a very expensive machine, a very very expensive grid connection, and very expensive power. Industrial uses like this do not benefit from all the hidden subsidies we get on domestic power - they pay a hefty penalty for peak-time use and to have the POSSIBILITY of peak-time use. And you're sat on very valuable land while you use it, if you're in London.

I'm no fan of the subscription model but the fact is that we are all, as EV users, benefitting from a host of subsidies - and as they are phased out and we pay our way in both charging costs and road pricing, many of us will be shocked at how easy we had it.

Tesla are losing money when they sell you supercharger power at 24p/kWh.

This.

If you decide you're going to run your EV by filling up weekly using a super-duper rapid charge unit, expect to pay for it. If BP's rapid chargers are well maintained and available then it's a service worth paying for. I object to subscription schemes especially if I'm travelling to an area as a one-off, I much prefer the pay-as-you-go model.

For folk unable to charge at home, my hope is that places with typical 1-3 hr dwell time will install 7kW (or even better 3 phase 22kW) charge points as an incentive. Much cheaper to run and maintain plus you can do something else while the car is charging - making these sort of chargers free of charge (or "included" with parking charges) is much more realistic.