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Chargeplace Scotland - App or RFID card?
- Thread starter AnthonyLR
- Start date
Anfieldgaz
Member
interbear
Active Member
Stayed in Hawick for a few days to visit family after our Cairngorms trip. For the first time experienced some charging anxiety, I needed to charge up for our journey home yesterday. None of the Chargeplace Scotland chargers in Hawick (where we were staying) were operational (the one at the leisure centre that I’d used several times previously was remove from the CPS map altogether), so we went to Galashiels for a shop and a charge. CPS in Gala was occupied by a Leaf on one side, the other side didn’t work. Went to Tesco and plugged into the free Podpoint. Started charging but while shopping some smarta*se unplugged my cable from the podpoint charger so charging stopped. Drove over to Tweedbank, the CPS charger worked fine but was super slow. I saw on the CPS map (which is pretty good) that the rapid CPS charger in Melrose was freed up, so dashed there and plugged in. This worked fine. However, a chase around the Borders wasting time to find a working charger was not ideal. Still, the coffee and panini sitting in the sun in Melrose was nice 
Stayed in Hawick for a few days to visit family after our Cairngorms trip. For the first time experienced some charging anxiety, I needed to charge up for our journey home yesterday. None of the Chargeplace Scotland chargers in Hawick (where we were staying) were operational (the one at the leisure centre that I’d used several times previously was remove from the CPS map altogether), so we went to Galashiels for a shop and a charge. CPS in Gala was occupied by a Leaf on one side, the other side didn’t work. Went to Tesco and plugged into the free Podpoint. Started charging but while shopping some smarta*se unplugged my cable from the podpoint charger so charging stopped. Drove over to Tweedbank, the CPS charger worked fine but was super slow. I saw on the CPS map (which is pretty good) that the rapid CPS charger in Melrose was freed up, so dashed there and plugged in. This worked fine. However, a chase around the Borders wasting time to find a working charger was not ideal. Still, the coffee and panini sitting in the sun in Melrose was nice
You drove through Selkirk on the way to Galashiels ... too late now but you should have stopped there where there is a reliable CPS charger in Halliwells carpark ... you would have passed within about 100 metres going along the A7.
I signed up for ChargePlace Scotland this week ahead of a business trip. No issues in signing up, but I didn't have my RFID card before I left. Not a problem as I thought I'd use the app - same app as BE EV use in Greater Manchester by the look of it.
Arrived at a Abington car park to find 4 chargers not just the one listed. Looked like the 2 fast chargers and one cableless had only recently been installed, but they were powered up and looked operational. Couldn't get the app to work on any, so called the helpline number on the older unit. The guy on the other end of the line was great and I wandered around for a bit giving him the reference numbers on the units. It sounded like the newer ones were not registered to that location, but I passed all the numbers so they could investigate and update.
I was asked to use any contactless payment card on the RFID pad on the older unit to activate it - and it worked. I was assured that I wouldn't be charged - which was correct.
Next morning I stopped at Bellshill (3 fast units and one cableless) and the app worked with no issues. Stopped again at Abington on my way South in the evening. Used the contactless card trick and it worked fine.
CPS has installed a great network. Well done to them. I only saw one other user - an electric DPD van.
Together with BE EV and CPS I travelled just under 700 miles in a couple of days and didn't pay a bean for any of the charging. Sure, it takes longer than a Supercharger, but with a bit of planning, it is very manageable.
Arrived at a Abington car park to find 4 chargers not just the one listed. Looked like the 2 fast chargers and one cableless had only recently been installed, but they were powered up and looked operational. Couldn't get the app to work on any, so called the helpline number on the older unit. The guy on the other end of the line was great and I wandered around for a bit giving him the reference numbers on the units. It sounded like the newer ones were not registered to that location, but I passed all the numbers so they could investigate and update.
I was asked to use any contactless payment card on the RFID pad on the older unit to activate it - and it worked. I was assured that I wouldn't be charged - which was correct.
Next morning I stopped at Bellshill (3 fast units and one cableless) and the app worked with no issues. Stopped again at Abington on my way South in the evening. Used the contactless card trick and it worked fine.
CPS has installed a great network. Well done to them. I only saw one other user - an electric DPD van.
Together with BE EV and CPS I travelled just under 700 miles in a couple of days and didn't pay a bean for any of the charging. Sure, it takes longer than a Supercharger, but with a bit of planning, it is very manageable.
I’m a bit confused. Can CYC RFID cards still be used at CPS points? Or do I need to get a swarco card now?
Can swarco be used on other CYC points? (My area is full of legacy CYC posts which the CYC card is useful)
Can swarco be used on other CYC points? (My area is full of legacy CYC posts which the CYC card is useful)
Mr H
Active Member
CYC cards no longer work. If you register with CPS and set up a direct debit then a card will be sent to you FOC
You should have had an email a while back about transferring it to swarco ... I'm not sure how you do it now but have a dig around the Chargeplacescotland website. The new owners are not charging £20 a year for the cards like CYC did.
Specific CYC cards may not work but the old Chargeplacescotland cards (which also worked with CYC) were transferred over... there was an email sent out to CPS account holders a few weeks ago. I thought I heard it was going to be possible to register any rfid card to work with CPS charge points now.
Mr H
Active Member
I just waited for the changeover and set up a new account to save any ambiguity. My card arrived this week just in time for a trip up there in a fortnight.
interbear
Active Member
Indeed, I know this, but we headed straight to Gala as there were a couple of shops there that we needed to visit.
PS. I’m from Hawick so would normally avoid trips to Gala at all costs
I had to use CPS for the first time on my way to Skye. My RFID card did not arrive in time before I left for Scotland and I thought no worries, I just use the App. The first charger I tried about 20m before the Skye bridge was totally dead. Checked the CPS app and typed in the Post code of the charger near the Skye bridge. Took me to a wrong location but a friendly local knew where the charger was.
At the charger my app didn’t work as I didn’t had any network connection. That was something I never thought about. Down in Surrey you can’t find a spot where you don’t have mobile reception. Scotland is different.
I’ve tried a normal card but that didn’t work. Luckily my wife had reception, so we downloaded the app and she was then able to start the charge. Lucky for us as otherwise we would have had to return before seeing Skye.
I’ve now done over 1000 miles on my Scotland trip and the only time I had trouble charging was when I tried to use a non-Supercharger.
At the charger my app didn’t work as I didn’t had any network connection. That was something I never thought about. Down in Surrey you can’t find a spot where you don’t have mobile reception. Scotland is different.
I’ve tried a normal card but that didn’t work. Luckily my wife had reception, so we downloaded the app and she was then able to start the charge. Lucky for us as otherwise we would have had to return before seeing Skye.
I’ve now done over 1000 miles on my Scotland trip and the only time I had trouble charging was when I tried to use a non-Supercharger.
SpareHeadOne
Member
Yep, and be patient, I ordered a card for £10 after three weeks on the assumption that I wasn't getting a free one and now I have two!
Fortunately we have two BEVs and they won't cost us an annual fee, so I'm not that bothered.
Off to Inverness in October and I expect I'll use Superchargers rather than blocking the CPS ones, but I have a backstop.
Mr H
Active Member
Why didn't you just use the SuC in Fort William as i'll be doing that before going to Skye
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