Chargemaster press release for CrossLink rapid EV charging...

2600 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Paul, Mar 11, 2014

Paul

Discussion Starter · Mar 10, 2014 (Edited)

So, here's a little background.

The following photo was obviously very important to Chargemaster, so much so that when an EV driver and forum member – @Eunicholas to be precise – pulled up to charge his Renault ZOE he was told in no uncertain terms to "go away".

Now, they could have got a nice little voxpop from him, maybe spoken to him as an EV pioneer, obviously keen to use their shiny new chargers (out of action as of this weekend, as reported elsewhere on here). However, all they did was tell him to go away.

Nice PR work, glad you're in it for the EV community Chargemaster. When I nearly ran over a BBC film crew they spoke to me and got extra footage for their EV news piece, you just created a bit more negative PR when really, you don't need it...

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Nissan

Some choice snippets from their PR include:

The rapid chargers are some of the first ‘tri-standard’ units in the UK and will allow EV drivers to charge their cars in approximately 20 minutes, enabling cross-country motoring through Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Oxford.

Milton Keynes CrossLink is one of the first from this round of OLEV funding to be completed, and is one of a number of key initiatives being implemented by Milton Keynes Council to make the city a low-carbon and emission-free centre. The network, which does not rely on any financial contribution from the rate payer, enables electric vehicle owners and operators to recharge their cars several times faster than conventional chargers and allows easy access to the Milton Keynes regional shopping centre and recreation facilities.

Councillor Keith McLean, Milton Keynes Council Cabinet member for Transport said: "This is excellent news for local electric vehicle drivers and is another vital step to lowering our collective carbon footprint in line with the Council's low carbon strategy. We have enjoyed a very constructive relationship with Chargemaster Plc, a local company, for the last four years and we are pleased to be able to extend this partnership.

“The fact that Chargemaster be fully responsible for extending the network each year and for all the operating costs of the units rather than the council means that we can make valuable savings to the council budget. The city will get all the benefits of having a comprehensive network of charging points".

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster Plc, added: “I’m very proud of our installation teams and partners, who have worked tirelessly over the last 6 months to get this project completed and operational ahead of schedule. It has been a pleasure to work with Milton Keynes Council, which has a ‘can do’ attitude and positive approach to helping motorists make the most of their electric vehicles on a day-to-day basis.”

Anywho, here's the full press release that goes with the picture, here: http://www.automotivepr.com/news_de...etwork-completed-weeks-ahead-of-schedule-1623

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Reactions: 1

1 - 13 of 13 Posts

Paul_Moxhay

· #2 · Mar 10, 2014

OMG! Things are even a lot worse than I first imagined. This is very serious.

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Paul

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 10, 2014

Paul Newport said:
Did the BBC interview you Paul?

Yup, just a local tv thing.

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brian orr

· #4 · Mar 10, 2014

I just cannot understand how OLEV money can create a revenue earning service for Chargemaster. How much did OLEV pay and how much did Chargemaster contribute? I know it all starts on 1 Apr - but the April Fool's Day jokes have started too early to be funny!

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Darren Griffin

· #5 · Mar 10, 2014

This entire debacle is making my blood boil. I only hope that it blows up in their face and they realise what a huge mistake this has been. I can't see any sane EV owner choosing to charge using their network at those prices. I wonder who long they can survive without making any profit?

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brian orr

· #6 · Mar 10, 2014

Darren Griffin said:
... I can't see any sane EV owner choosing to charge using their network at those prices. I wonder who long they can survive without making any profit?

They will survive just a long as OLEV have millions to give away! Did I read there is an underspend of £170m between Plugged in Car Grant and Plugged-in Places?

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Paul_Moxhay

· #7 · Mar 10, 2014

This really needs someone like BBC Panorama or Newsnight to get hold of it and uncover the truth.

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Paul

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 10, 2014

Forgot to mention, that's also a rapid not in an EV dedicated spot (yet) and that I found to not be working this past weekend... Brilliant.

http://speakev.com/threads/so-tonight-i-went-to-check-out-our-new-triplex-rapid-chargers.1472/

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Eunicholas

· #9 · Mar 10, 2014

They were very rude to me, they just told me to go away as there doing a Photo shoot, what was funny they were back today with out the BMW, but the rapid charge post was iced, I all most wet my self as they look really angry

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Paul_Moxhay

· #10 · Mar 10, 2014

Is there anyone here who can help us expose this dreadful waste of public funds by OLEV and Chargermaster?

We have all been shouting about it and quite rightly so but I feel very angry about this and I want to do something other than just bend everyone's ear here.

I feel totally powerless and frustrated. We need the national press to get hold of this and at the moment I don't care which one. This needs to be made public IMO.

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LK13

· #11 · Mar 10, 2014

Paul_Churchley said:
Is there anyone here who can help us expose this dreadful waste of public funds by OLEV and Chargermaster? .

I suspect that OLEV are not aware of the fact that some funds they have allocated to promote the uptake of EV's are about to have a negative effect by making the cost to run an EV on public charging exceed that of an ICE. Should not the Electric Vehicle Drivers Association (EVDA), who should be representing the driver community, make this point strongly to them and make the contact with the press?

I don't know anything about The EVDA but I do feel that approach to the press by an entity would be more effective than by individuals.

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