Wiki UK and Ireland Supercharger Site News

[Wattsisname]

I was at Moto Rugby yesterday, all 12 Tesla chargers filled up with 2 Teslas waiting. Luckily the 2nd car arrived only shortly before we left so hopefully didn't have long to wait for the next departure.

Utter chaos up by the Gridserve chargers though - looked like an EV meet up, Porche, Jag, EV6, ID4, etc - but in reality everyone queuing for the chargers. Comment on ZapMap explains why. I felt sorry for all those non-Teslas waiting, and a bit sheepish driving past them after a quick 20 min stop, the drivers were looking very unhappy. If the anti-EV brigade had witnessed it they would be feeling very smug indeed.

View attachment 861989

Can you imagine these busy Tesla sites being opened to all EVs, as I think appeared in the earlier map. My decision to 'go electric' was partly influenced by the reliable and available Tesla supercharging infrastructure. I would not have purchased an EV if I had witnessed that Gridserve fiasco and assumed it was the norm. I know if I had a non-tesla and needed to charge I would always aim for Tesla chargers if they were available, even if there were dearer\slower. Other charging providers need to get their act together, and Tesla need to build more sites and hold off opening up to everybody any sites they can see are busy.

Today's wild heckle:
Are any other ( than Tesla) car manufacturers investing in charging infrastructure?
Let there be a quota obligation relative to the number of units you sell or forecast for a country and reflect it in the price.
Tesla would look less expensive then.

Surely this has already been muted.

 

[Epico]

Today's wild heckle:
Are any other ( than Tesla) car manufacturers investing in charging infrastructure?
Let there be a quota obligation relative to the number of units you sell or forecast for a country and reflect it in the price.
Tesla would look less expensive then.

Surely this has already been muted.

Ionity is owned by a load of the car makers (believe VW, hyundai, Kia, BMW and maybe ford?) All invested in it? I mean it's rubbish...but they have out money in toit

 

[HenryT]

Surely this has already been muted.

That'll be why you've heard nothing about it.

 

[adsheff]

We're about to replace our Model 3. Would happily look at other brands, but the idea of not having the Tesla Superchargers on our long drives is not workable for us.
I know Gridserve are investing, but it is still too slow and still not enough. And there are things like Instavolt which are good, but they are just in twos everywhere - and you look at Zap Map and you see people often plug in to a 100KW charger and only get 40KW - stories like that just make you realise how consistently good the Tesla ones are and how far behind everyone else is.

 

[HenryT]

The 'national roll-out' of an EV charging network reminds me of the advent of Wi-Fi.

In the run up to Wi-Fi becoming readily available there was talk of a free national network, all providers working together and a seamless experience for the users. Instead we had hotels charging obscene prices for dreadful connection speeds and a never ending number of apps needed, sign-ups and other obstacles put in the way. Patchy, disjointed and unreliable.

Such a shame that the non-Tesla EV experience will be marred in the same way. 'Leave it to the market' yeah right.

 

[Wattsisname]

Patchy, disjointed and unreliable.

Says it all about the non Tesla infrastructure. I hope it will improve vastly over time; we need a major conversions to EVs.

Now then.....SWMBO has two friends (among her many) who, on hearing, back in March, that we had ordered the gorgeousness that would become Lizzie Y, "sang" a weekly litany describing all the problems we would have, I won't itemise the nonsense here because you have probably been there too.

SWMBO took it all seriously and would run the hearsay past me. However, once we were out and about in Lizzie Y she became impatient with these naysayers. And yet, it has not stopped; they are now quoting, as if to prove the point, the charging nightmares experienced by their recently EVed friends.
Turns out, as you guessed, not one of their EVs is a Tesla... "...Do you now how much my son is paying for his Taycan S? And they got stuck in Cornwall! Don't talk to me about electric cars!" To which SWMBO, politely responded: "That's fine, because I really don't want to".

 

[roadcred]

The rub is that other EU countries are making a reasonable fist of it!
Norway Sweden Netherlands Belgium Germany France and by all reports tourist routes in Italy Spain. Italy
Presumably none are relying on the "Market" and have a better "Grid"?

 

[Wattsisname]

The rub is that other EU countries are making a reasonable fist of it!
Norway Sweden Netherlands Belgium Germany France and by all reports tourist routes in Italy Spain. Italy
Presumably none are relying on the "Market" and have a better "Grid"?

Good to know for non Tesla EV folk. Tesla have done a great job in France and even allow non Teslas to charge at some of them; not a problem when there are so many stalls.

 

[HenryT]

The rub is that other EU countries are making a reasonable fist of it!
Norway Sweden Netherlands Belgium Germany France and by all reports tourist routes in Italy Spain. Italy
Presumably none are relying on the "Market" and have a better "Grid"?

I had that in mind when I posted earlier - they got it so right across the channel. Without a doubt state intervention was (and is) needed and is how they did it. 'Leave it to the market' is the sop we get when government can't be arsed/doesn't want to pay.*

Expect more of the same I'm afraid.

*(see also railways, public transport, electricity generation, etc, etc)

 

[NewbieT]

Let’s not forget Ionity had a fist full of EU (er…our) cash to build its network too.

 

[JupiterMan]

Let’s not forget Ionity had a fist full of EU (er…our) cash to build its network too.

UK government doing likewise, as are many other governments worldwide, likely one of the motivators for Tesla to open up its network to receive such grants too.

 

[Country Boy]

Here's picture from Denbies Vineyard (Dorking) which looks nearly complete with 8 stalls but also 3 destination chargers

View attachment 871739

Thank goodness for that.. the Southern M25 was a no charge zone between Heathrow and Sevenoaks..

 

[Mr Miserable]

The rub is that other EU countries are making a reasonable fist of it!
Norway Sweden Netherlands Belgium Germany France and by all reports tourist routes in Italy Spain. Italy
Presumably none are relying on the "Market" and have a better "Grid"?

Norway and Netherlands aside, finding a working non-Tesla charger can be a struggle. When you do find one they are either too slow, ICE'd, occupied (because it's the only charger in the village) or you don't have the right RFID card to pay.

 

[rotherad]

Norway and Netherlands aside, finding a working non-Tesla charger can be a struggle. When you do find one they are either too slow, ICE'd, occupied (because it's the only charger in the village) or you don't have the right RFID card to pay.

This is exactly what "sealed" by decision to go with Tesla for the time being. Although Ionity on the continent seems pretty good it still seems to be nowhere near as good as the SuC network.

 

[Derek25]

This is exactly what "sealed" by decision to go with Tesla for the time being. Although Ionity on the continent seems pretty good it still seems to be nowhere near as good as the SuC network.

You can now travel across most of France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia in a non-Tesla on the supercharger network alone. There are few gaps.

 

[Mr H]

You can now travel across most of France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia in a non-Tesla on the supercharger network alone. There are few gaps.

Have you tried this?? They were only available to residents of each specific country i.e a German can't use french Sucs

 

[Derek25]

Have you tried this?? They were only available to residents of each specific country i.e a German can't use french Sucs

I’ve not tried it yet. I’ve mapped some journeys I might do. I’ve seen posts of Brits with non-Tesla’s charging in France. I’ve not seen anything to suggest that there are any restrictions as long as you live in one of the countries with open superchargers. Where have you seen this?

 

[rotherad]

as long as you live in one of the countries with open superchargers

This in itself is a rediculous notion, why couldn't someone from Ireland drive their non-Tesla into the UK or onto the continent and use the SuC just because the network isn't open at "home".

I'm guessing its some tax or regulatory reason but still seems like a pathetic limitation.

 

[Wattsisname]

Norway and Netherlands aside, finding a working non-Tesla charger can be a struggle. When you do find one they are either too slow, ICE'd, occupied (because it's the only charger in the village) or you don't have the right RFID card to pay.

Have not tried a non-Tesla charger and hope to keep it that way.

 

[Jason71]

I don't want to steal @GeorgeSymonds thunder but can we stick to "supercharger site news" here please