Our Network | Evie Networks I see Yatala on the map here, some news articles claim the rest of the network will be up by 2020Q1. Any theories on the location for Yatala yet...?
Their presentation at the AEVA Expo suggested that ones to be done by 2020 Q1 are: NSW: Sutherland [see below], Yass, Taree, Tarcutta Vic: Seymour, Mulgrave, Werribee SA: Noarlunga Qld: Coochin Creek [done], Townsville The Sutherland one has been identified - there was a DA for their station at a Heathcote servo. (that should be a bit of a hint - the locations are sometimes up to 10 km from the named suburb)
Campbell town, Tas location development application thanks to The Examiner. https://www.northernmidlands.tas.gov.au/source-assets/files/Planning/PLN-19-0243_public_exhibition_documents.pdf
This one is now approved! Ultra-fast electric vehicle charger gets green light Note, the Chargefox one mentioned in the last line is about 64 km north of this one. The Campbell Town location is perfect, both location within the town and within the state. Pretty much the same place that AEVA was begging for since about 5 years ago... a single 50 kW fast charger would have done us then.. but now, good things come to those who wait!
Yep, I was sitting at the Banjos over the road during a Hobart to Launceston trip over Christmas. It's bound to be a popular charger.
Resurrected oil brand Ampol signs up for network of ultra-fast EV chargers | The Driven Great news! Evie has formed a partnership to install their fast chargers at the new Ampol sites. (Someone in another group pointed out that Ampol is a great name for a site with EV charging!) The article says the first six Caltex/Ampol sites are: * Avenel, Vic (opening tomorrow) * Taree, NSW (end of June) * Dandenong, Vic (Q3 2020) * Seven Hills, NSW (Q3 2020) * Werribee, Vic (Q4 2020) * Macksville, NSW (2021) I notice Evie has already added all these to Plugshare (blue circles) As an aside, since this thread hasn't been updated for ages, it's also worth noting that Tarcutta, NSW opened a month or two back, and Cluden, Qld (near Townsville) is also under construction.
That Calder Park one would be good to use if you want to try some quarter mile times at the track, though i'd prefer one at Philip Island for the track down there.
Interesting that the goevie website only lists 6000km of EV charging provided. I'd think that's pretty poor for 6+ months at Coochin Creek and a couple of months Tarcutta. Premium price keeping people away?
Evie prices are surprisingly high. You would need to be charging at 350kW to make it even close to competitive with Chargefox or Tesla.
Also no Amex for payment which is a bit weird given the early adopter demographic buying electric cars.
I think Amex is losing market share in Australia, I haven’t used Amex for about 10 years. Is there a known correlation between Tesla owners and Amex card holders?
The Evie website has a countdown currently at 1 day 19 hours to the next site opening. Our Network | Evie Networks I'm guessing that will be Taree?
I dunno, I think its got a cult following with some, it's actually a pretty good value card. Just don't use it anywhere that charges you a surcharge (or if they accept Paypal, use that and link PayPal to your AMEX card). You can get a fee free Amex card that earns points, gives extended warranty on purchases and phone screen insurance, pretty good value. Don't know a service station that doesn't take it. Can transfer points to any airline scheme (I know, not that useful at the moment). In more interesting news... Avenel recharging is on, with the first of 6 Caltex service station chargers going live in VIC - techAU I assume this is "Caltex" from Caltex Australia PL that is rebranding to Ampol because Chevron wants its name back (who is currently buying Puma Energy Australia so it can presumably rename it to "Caltex"). However, it says their partners are both Caltex and Puma. Anyway, I think this is a great location, as the site is 24/7 like Shell Euroa. Check out the images, there is a guy tapping his Tesla key card against the charger, always time for a moronic photo opportunity! I'm not familiar with Evie, but again looks like a bit of a fail like ChargeFox as in you can't just tap your Credit/Debit card on the charger to pay, like you know, every other thing you ever purchase. I'd generally refuse to use a Petrol station that required me to download an app before I could pay. Perhaps if it read my cars VIN as soon as I plugged in I would find that acceptable, otherwise its an unnecessary complication unless you are providing some kind of discount to app customers/fleet users etc.
I hear your pain about the ChargeFox app. Far from a complete solution, but they will send you an RFID card so you can just tap at the charger. Saves me worrying about phone reception and saves trying to work out what the charger designation is,
Is downloading an App that big a deal? Doesn’t worry me, but each to their own. I have Plugshare, Chargefox and Chargepoint Apps on my phone. By the way, Tesla requires you to have an App OK... you can use the car without it, but it would be a lot more inconvenient and crippled in functionality without the App.
My guess is the app/swipe card thing came about from when the first chargers were installed in Europe/USA - I'm not sure when that was but probably before Paywave and other contactless payment methods were really a thing - credit card readers had a slot to read the magnetic strip on the card, and a keypad for your pin. All these parts on a fast charger were relatively bulky and costly, and probably unreliable when out in the elements. NFC readers have changed this. Transaction fees may have also been a cause. Many credit cards charge a fee per transaction. This can add up with multiple small transactions. An invoice each month which only needs a single payment for the months worth of charging reduces this unnecessary overhead.
Paywave/Paypass has been around for a long time, people have been doing that for 5-6 years now. Besides, they DO have contactless readers on the charger anyway. Have a look at similar items, vending machines, parking meters etc. They all allow you to pay with a NFC card (and obviously Apple Pay / Samsung Pay etc). On the cost front, its irrelevant, a transaction charge will still be billed to the merchant regardless of whether its with a physical card or a transaction via a online stored card number. For general idea, because all card fees a negotiated between merchants and banks, its around 0.5% for Visa/MC Debit, around 1.0% for Visa/MC Credit and around 2.0% for Amex. It has no bearing if there is one $100 charge or 10 $10 charges. My biggest gripe is that you end up with an phone full of apps, no consistent way of paying that is familiar to consumers. The RFID fobs are easier, but that's another pain in the rear because you have to have them all in your car. Thats annoying if you are lending out your car etc etc. I see the fob/app as useful in the same way a fuel card is to someone who drives a company car. There should always be a simple way of paying that is ubiquitous.
I spent a couple of months in the USA last year and used my card(s) almost exclusively, yet only came across one instance of a paywave capability and that was in a restaurant and the waiter didnt understand how to use it.