Hello and some advice

[pjuk]

Hi,

I've been browsing these forums for the past month and thought I'd take the time to ask a few questions and say "Hi" at the same time.

I'm in a fortunate position that I've been able an order a long range / 100 MX or whatever it's called now which will be a big jump from my family Audi A3 e-tron. The big step for me (aside from a much bigger car) is going full EV without off-street parking. I plan on moving in the coming years so won't have to worry about charging at home then and have done pretty well to date using a 16A socket and cable cover across the pavement for the past 4 years - no complaints from neighbours/pedestrians as I tend to charge in the late evening.

Clearly with a much bigger battery I'll try to keep it topped up but cannot keep it permanently plugged in as I don't have a reserved space and only use the car 1-2 times a week for commuting into central London. The question is what EV charging cards would people recommend subscribing to? I live about 3 miles from a supercharger so if things get desperate I can always pop there for a top-up, but with most companies charging a monthly subscription is it really worth having any extra cards?

Lastly is there any other important charging / general things to prep before delivery?

Thanks!

 

[theoceanwaves]

Hi, congrats and welcome! I would say source london card is going to be the most used one in central London. Zap Map will give you a better understanding of the different charging providers
https://www.zap-map.com

 

[arg]

but with most companies charging a monthly subscription

That's not really true. Only Source London and Polar are monthly subscription. CYC is £10/yr for their card, but English sites (not Scotland) included in Polar if you've already subscribed to that, and you can alternatively use their mobile app.

Others are all pay-as-you-go from a tariff point of view, though many require you to download an app, request a card, set up an account etc. which is better done in advance rather than at the roadside.

Of the major networks;

Instavolt are contactless bank card payment so no advance preparation needed (though you can sign up for a Chargepoint account if you like - perhaps for expense claim convenience).

Shell petrol stations were originally app based or TheNewMotion card (apply in advance for the card but it's free); they are supposedly upgrading to contactless bank cards too.

Ecotricity are app-only.

PodPoint are app-only (apart from a dwindling number of legacy card-operated sites, though such sites are also unmaintained and probably don't work). Their network was historically all slow charging; they are supposed to accepting bank cards at rapid chargers in the future, but their initial rapids (at Lidl supermarkets) require the app.

Engenie are contactless bank card (but not yet really qualifying as a major network, but apparently now expanding after a long standstill with only a handful of sites).

 

[RedBall]

As a soon to be new owner, this sort of stuff just confuses the bejeezus out of me.

With my current dirty diesel, I can pull into any station, whip out a credit or debit card and fill up. Its simple.

This whole, app for them, card for that, subscription for this nonsense is just offputting. Obviously there is money to be made from reselling the data collected by these various apps/cards etc, but in my opinion its just a massive mental barrier to entry to the EV market.

I just want to use a single app (if I must) to tell me where the charging stations are, pull up, swipe a credit card and get a sandwich.

 

[arg]

I just want to use a single app (if I must) to tell me where the charging stations are, pull up, swipe a credit card and get a sandwich.

Things are moving in that direction, particularly for rapid charging where it matters most - most of the newer operators are taking credit/debit cards (and have historically had the excuse that the equipment wasn't available to do it).

The one exception is Chargemaster/Polar, who think the world of EV charging should be more like cellphones (subscribe to one of a few national networks and only use their coverage wherever you go) rather than petrol stations or ATMs (use the nearest convenient one, though your regular supplier may still give you discounts or extra services). You can persuade them of the error of their ways by refusing to sign up to their service....

For slow charging, there's more of an argument that the cost of collecting the payment is a significant part of the overall service and cheaper options may be perferable; also by definition you aren't in a desperate hurry. I rather like PodPoint's model (for slow charging only; it isn't convenient for rapids). Subscription schemes do make sense for schemes aimed at local users only (city on-street charging for example).

 

[WannabeOwner]

As a soon to be new owner, this sort of stuff just confuses the bejeezus out of me.

With my current dirty diesel, I can pull into any station, whip out a credit or debit card and fill up. Its simple.

Sorry about that, but you are spot on. Some mitigation though:

Charge at home overnight, leave home every day with a full tank of electrons, so you are only needing the chaotic replacement for "whip out a credit or debit card" when you are doing more than, say, 200 miles in a day. And if that journey takes you past Tesla Supercharger you still don't need one.

I do 27,000 miles a year and use a 3rd party charge as close to never as I can get away with. The experience has been universally bad (not working, wrong WIDGET-APP-THINGIE, Got APP but couldn't connect, phoned for connection and they promised but then failed, etc etc). In practice on my out-or-ranged days I have manged with Supercharger at least 90% of the time ... depends where you want to go of course. 13 AMP socket will get you recharged, over a weekend, e.g. when staying with friends.

have done pretty well to date using a 16A socket and cable cover across the pavement for the past 4 years ... Clearly with a much bigger battery I'll try to ...

Are you likely to need more juice than your previous EV? If not then previous charging arrangement will be fine (except for the occasion when you do a longer journey, but presumably you can road-charge for that)

full EV without off-street parking

One thing to be aware of (more especially with Tesla than other EVs I think) is the parasitic power consumption. There are settings you can use to minimise this; use of 3rd party APPs (and Tesla's own Phone APP) will wake car up to chat to it, with consequential power consumption, and any badly behaved 3rd party APP, or two APPs interfering with each other, can cause significant parasitic drain. This might be something to be alert to if off-street charging not available.

Has your council got any plans for on-street charging? Lamppost charging for example

I live about 3 miles from a supercharger so if things get desperate I can always pop there for a top-up

Best time to Supercharge is at low state-of-charge, and NOT with a cold battery [i.e. in Winter at start of journey], so Supercharging on way home seems like a good idea on occasions when you know you will need charge sooner than you can easily replace it at home. Other than that finding a Supercharger 150-ish miles along your journey is the ideal scenario. Supercharger charges fastest up to 60-70%, and incredibly slowly from 90%-100% (13 AMP plug will probably give you a similar rate for that last bit)