I called in at Stafford North yesterday and saw a dozen machines in the petrol station with Polar covers over them. Not the 2 Ecotricity machines in the main car park. Are BP Pulse rolling out chargers at MSAs then?
BP Pulse at motorway services
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According to Plugshare it was first spotted in mid-2020, so I wouldn't hold my breath on it opening any time soon:
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You
Similar situation with the Reading MSA BP chargers.
Would love to know what's stopping these being activated ...
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You
Similar situation with the Reading MSA BP chargers.
Would love to know what's stopping these being activated ...
Probably the usual dilatory DNO syndrome.
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It seems to be BP Pulse standard procedure to install chargers and just never get around to connecting them. I don't believe the DNO issue, a project manager in my industry would have very short career if they installed hardware without having a timely plan to connect the infrastructure. I highlighted in another thread a set installed in Formby, Merseyside, which are alongside an urban substation but still not switched on after about a year.
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6 new ABB 150kw DC chargers at the BP Services on the M8 at Harthill. 42p/kw or 27p if you are a member (£8/month)
Those on the westbound services are working and charged my Leaf at 70kw from 14 to 43% before gradually dropping, this morning.
Those on the eastbound side are not working properly. The app works & the display is working but when you try to start a charge it told me the charger was ICEd.
(The chargers have been in place for weeks so not sure why they only turned them on last week.)
Those on the westbound services are working and charged my Leaf at 70kw from 14 to 43% before gradually dropping, this morning.
Those on the eastbound side are not working properly. The app works & the display is working but when you try to start a charge it told me the charger was ICEd.
(The chargers have been in place for weeks so not sure why they only turned them on last week.)
Could it possibly be green washing by a global energy firm struggling still routed in fossil fuels, using the number of chargers installed (but not necessarily operational) for their “green” PR stories? Or maybe just incompetent project management/planning?
I’ve seen a few sites with rapid chargers installed, but not commissioned, such as the pair of rapids at the BP filling station on the A77 at Monkton, Ayrshire, which have been in place for more than a year but are still to be made live.
Or the number of broken BP chargers, both rapid and fast, that are seemingly left ages waiting for repair.
And the BP Pulse App that still feels like an amateur effort, with problems like the missing “charge stop” button, which could be fixed by a team with decent resources, and yet continues to be complained about by users with no sign of any action from BP to fix.
It feels like BP are simply throwing a certain amount of funding at the sector, with no real plan or willing over site from senior management teams to ensure it actually delivers a reliable service and smooth user experience for EV drivers.
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The app does have a stop button - just used it at Harthill this morning. In fact I was quite impressed how quick and easy it was to choose the charger by its number, choose the connector and then click on start.
I think some delays are due to commissioning - not enough technicians to atttend and test them. The BP Pulse van had just turned up on thursday, though why they couldn't get the eastbound ones working is hard to know - they are all powered though the blue strip lights at the edges were not lit, but the display was.
I am afraid I tend to lean toward BP “virtue signalling” or “green washing”. I just cannot believe a multi billion dollar company can be so slow at connecting up their chargers…or fixing the ones that do not work ….and have an app that frequently does not work ….or contactless points on their chargers for their own RFID cards or the credit debit cards that frequently malfunction! (Personal Experience) And put that together with the regular “Re-Branding” of their EV side of the business.
They are very much a last resort after GridServe, Instavolt etc who are smaller & newer and for some reason have absolutely no problem doing any of the above and quickly & reliably!
It is a worry of mine that they will eventually just try and buy out one or all of those companies soon and then do bugger all so as to ensure as many people as possible continue to “have to use “ their fuel stations.
They are very much a last resort after GridServe, Instavolt etc who are smaller & newer and for some reason have absolutely no problem doing any of the above and quickly & reliably!
It is a worry of mine that they will eventually just try and buy out one or all of those companies soon and then do bugger all so as to ensure as many people as possible continue to “have to use “ their fuel stations.
I don't know why anyone that was sane would keep searching for oil and selling it indiscriminately. Called BP.
I cant help to think there is a different issue... i checked the staffordshire planning site and guess what... no planning request from BP. You have costa doing a drive through, or M&S doing something with its store, but nothing from BP.
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How does it know? And more importantly, why should it care? If you've managed to plug in then it should start a charge, it's not like it needs to refuse to deliver electricity because somebody has managed to plug in an ICE car!
Agreed, I bypassed a BP charger the other week knowing that if I didn't stop there I was risking an Instavolt with no viable alternative. Fortunately the Instavolt worked reliably (as expected - I was more concerned that it would be in use).
I also don't really understand BP's confusing pricing structure, which is a grid of 9 options based on how you pay and what speed the charger is. I understand the reasoning behind it, but it doesn't need to be that complicated, and most of their sites only have one choice of charger, so it's not even encouraging people to use the most appropriate one. Just seems to be an excuse to make EV charging look as confusing as possible. No reason why they can't have one flat rate for everyone, and a separate subscription rate with x% discount off the usual prices. The faster chargers are dispensing kWs quicker so will earn more per hour anyway!
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My thought at the time and I have no explanation.
BP's pricing structure seems clear to me: 42p/kw if you have not signed up to the monthly membership, or 27p if you have. I didn't because there are too few chargers where I drive in Scotland.
After I stopped charging at 80%, the app showed the time spent charging, kwh supplied, cost per kw and the total cost which was £15 but as i only had preloaded £10, I owe them £5. I did wonder whether charging would be stopped when I reached £10's worth.
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Only for 150kW+ chargers, otherwise:
It lets you go into debit. I owed them money when they changed the app, which conveniently didn't carry over to the new one.
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I was only looking at the 150kw DC costs as the AC tariffs don't apply to a Leaf.
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It's the same story with the 2 x 150kW units they've put in at BP Mickleover Derby, been in since August 2020 and still not switched on. With Ecotricity out of the picture it's hard to know if BP Pulse or GeniePoint will take the crown of most naff UK network?
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Just new to EV's. We made the mistake of making our first ever rapid-charging attempt at BP Polar Hartill (east) on the M8 very late last night. Despite the promise of a 'pay as you go' option promised on the BP website, we got absolutely nowhere. Terrible, terrible software design. Users shouldn't have to navigate through a whole load of options, only then to find that the charger 'failed to connect'. Why no plug in, tap & pay? They do that for self-serve petrol pumps?
Of course the reason the brand-new kit looks so good, yet doesn't work, is that BP are on green-washing mission - not a customer service one (that will rob them of their main income). Never forget that 'P' in BP = "Petroleum".
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Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I've had no problems at the westbound services on both occasions I've used them. I use the quick and easy app so can't comment on the contactless option if implemented.
Did you try the free chargers at the nearby Park & Ride? You would take junction 5 and head for Miller St, Harthill and then afterwards, carry on down to junction 4a to rejoin the M8 so it doesn't add to your journey miles.
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Thanks for the info. My wife also tried to register the app too last night, but it wouldn't let her in (said 'wrong password', then went around in circles). After half an hour faffing around (including trying to phone BP's helpline), we gave up and went to the 50kW Charge Place Scotland site at Whitburn (off at the next motorway junction heading east, which was in our direction of travel).
The user experience at BP Polar 150kW charger vs one of their 'self-serve' petrol pumps couldn't be greater and it speaks volumes.
Roll on the future, when Gridserve etc. own Hartill re-fuelling (along with all other M-way services too) & FF car owners have to go hunting for one the last few remaining petrol stations!
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