Jolt EV charging network

[moa999]

Any hope for them going in around the top of the blue mountains? Katoomba and Leura are a bit light on for public charging.

I'm sure anything is possible, and Jolt seemingly have some $s behind them.
Though think AusGrid area stops at about Parramatta. Anything West of that and up the Blue Mountains is Endeavour, in terms of electrical box conversion.

And depends on the whether the local council will allow digital advertising as that seems to be part of their Freemium model.

 

[moa999]

Jolt #14 for Sydney with Everton Park Nr Strathfield Station opening.

The Maroubra one appears to be having some teething issues, currently removed from the maps.

 

[moa999]

Jolt has signed a deal with Endeavour Energy (covers Western Sydney, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and South Coast) similar to the AusGrid one

JOLT partners with Endeavour Energy to deliver Free and Fast Electric Vehicle charging stations to help turbocharge Greater Sydney’s growth

JOLT to partner with Endeavour Energy to build up to 1000 free fast chargers in greater Sydney. JOLT's chargers are free fast to use.

jolt.com.au

230 stations by 2025.
Sadly looks to be more of the same 25kW units.

Endeavour map

Our network coverage

www.endeavourenergy.com.au

 

[moa999]

Received an interesting Jolt survey looking at various options

Including price changes, plans, more free charging.

Was a bit random and couldn't pick any trend.
(But that's now at least NRMA, Ampol and Jolt thinking about plans)

And didn't have any free form suggestions.
My main issue with Jolt is being only a single charger and slow at 22kW (or lower with Tesla overheads) is it can be a waste to drive to one of not in your immediate area.

They'd get more of my charging if they were say 50kW and had two CCS2 cables and two spots (checking my history I've logged 100+kWh over a combination of free and paid sessions)

 

[moa999]

And another Jolt email this morning with a price increase due to power prices.
Kicks in 21 July 2022

In NSW, still 7kWh free per day, then $0.42/kWh (up from $0.40).

SA might be different, wasn't mentioned on my email.

 

[doggy1]

Quite a modest increase. My home rate went up 38% in NSW!

 

[Hairyman]

Quite a modest increase. My home rate went up 38% in NSW!

Ouch!

 

[scully]

More coming soon sites on`plugshare in Georges river council

 

[Hairyman]

I’m dying to see more charging around Katoomba and Leura, even if slowish. There is fast stuff on either side of the mountain at Jamistown and Lithgow, but precious little if you are staying on top.

 

[moa999]

Took at least 6 months from the AusGrid announcement till stuff started happening and it's still pretty slow, so might be a while yet till we start see things happening in the Endeavour areas.

But agree the mountains needs chargers. Assume still no sign of any construction at Blaxland.

 

[moa999]

More coming soon sites on`plugshare in Georges river council

First of these has opened on Morgan St Nr Beverly Hills Station.

Takes Jolt to 15 25kW sites in Sydney

 

[moa999]

And Jolt now at 16 in Sydney.
Think the addition was Cook St NR Mortdale Station.

Catching up to Adelaide's 21

 

[moa999]

Interesting post on Whirlpool forum by a regular Jolt user with new Jolt+ plans for regular users.

been using the Jolt (25kW DC) chargers at Mona Vale (Sydney Northern Beaches) reasonably frequently, according to my PlugShare check-ins something over 40 sessions. Yesterday Jolt sent me an email – as a frequent user – of a new program they are launching called Jolt+. If you look in your Jolt app in the Subscription section you should see this, I *think* it is available to everyone, just "soft launched" right now as far as publicity goes (I definitely see it in mine).

Anyway, what they are offering, in addition to the current deal (first 7kWh/day free then $0.42/kWh) is two tiers of pre-paid monthly subscriptions:

• $39/month, first 7kWh/day free then 150kWh/month at $0.26/kWh after that (ie you are paying $0.26*150=$39 rather than $0.42*150=$63 by pre-paying)
• $69/month for unlimited charging.

 

[moa999]

Can't see the plans on my app, although my usage means they wouldn't be relevant.

Jolt Sydney dots now at 18 with I think new sites in Narwee and West Ryde. Both not active yet.

 

[Sir Surfalot]

Can't see the plans on my app, although my usage means they wouldn't be relevant.

FYI…

 

[Sir Surfalot]

Jolt sent me an email today pointing out a new feature whereby a user can reserve a charger for a short period (5 minutes) before they get there, so pre-emptively block other cars from charging (for that time period) even though the charger "looks" to be free when you drive up to it (shown as occupied in the app though apparently). Details at https://support.joltcharge.com/hc/en-au/articles/9312962725783-Can-I-reserve-a-charger-

I'm not in favour of this: it's not a precedent I'd like to see get any traction in Australia, and even if I wanted to use it I would be more than 5 minutes away from the charger when I might decide I wanted to reserve it. Allowing a longer window would make it more "useful" (ie reserve it before starting to drive to the charger) BUT at the expense of locking out the charger to other users for a lot longer.

Anyway, as with the pre-pay plans they (soft-)launched a couple of weeks ago, this is something Jolt are throwing out there to see what happens. I won't be using the feature and I'll be annoyed if I turn up at the charger at Mona Vale to charge my car and despite it looking vacant when I go to turn into the carpark and back into the parking spot, get out, plug in the charge handle, hit the app to start charging and THEN get told it is occupied/reserved by someone else (who isn't there)...

 

[moa999]

Interesting. Maybe makes more sense at a multi-stall layout where there is a display or lights to let you know.
Think it makes zero sense at Jolt's outlets..

And also what's to stop someone who gets there first just sitting there for a few minutes before it times out anyway.

 

[OzVic]

I won't be using the feature and I'll be annoyed if I turn up at the charger at Mona Vale to charge my car and despite it looking vacant when I go to turn into the carpark and back into the parking spot, get out, plug in the charge handle, hit the app to start charging and THEN get told it is occupied/reserved by someone else (who isn't there)...

1. Wait the 5 minutes and then use the charger.
or..
2. Other person shows up. They say "I reserved the charger". Be an arsehole & tell them "get stuffed", wait the remainder of the 5 minutes and use the charger.

Seems like it's just going to create points of conflict.

 

[Sir Surfalot]

Seems like it's just going to create points of conflict.

Yup.

interestingly I was looking in the “Exploren” app this morning - they seem to have mainly AC chargers and share a backend (and app developer - even though skinned quite differently) with Jolt. They also have introduced a function to reserve a charger in the app, only in their case it is a 60 minute reservation. No good can come of this (IMHO).

 

[Vostok]

Seems like it's just going to create points of conflict.

Well, unfortunately we already see conflict and lack of consideration shown at DCFCs

Reservations can only ever reduce throughput, so there is a cost. And if nothing else, if such a feature is to be added, the reserver should pay a fee for doing so. First to discourage frivolous or malicious reservations, and second to reflect the cost of doing so to the operator.

But it is fraught. At one level, arguing that first come first served is the only way to ration DCFC access seems to me to be a bit unimaginative and defeatist. But any other method to assess “worthiness” to be the next in line is extremely problematic. “I should go next because of A, B, C!”. “No, I should go next because of X, Y, Z!”. How do you algorithmise that?

Why anyone would want to reserve a Jolt charger is a mystery though.