[farmergiles]

My CPS card worked at the weekend at Abington, Larkhall, Inveraray, & Lochgilphead. (E-volt chargers)

However I have signed up to Swarco E.connect and await a card from them.

 

[farmergiles]

This is nonsense peculation.
Are you based in Scotland. If you are, checkout with EVA SCOTLAND for some FACTS.

Where are the 'facts' on EVA Scotland? I've had a good look and cannot see anything other than the old news about Swarco.
Please post links.

 

[farmergiles]

I’m a bit confused. I just got in the post a SWARCO E.CONNECT RFID card, which I remember registering 2 months ago... but now I even forgot why I joined (I probably was visiting somewhere which might have needed it there) 🤦🏻😂

I'm still waiting for mine and you should need it in Scotland on the CPS chargers if not elsewhere.

 

[farmergiles]

I wonder whether the Local Authorities will hand over responsibility to Swarco for their chargers, who may have a free hand at pricing. I am happy to pay 25-30p/kwh provided there are more rapid chargers and reliability is improved.
Also, many non free chargers do not have an overstay penalty which is just stupid and there needs to be a bigger sign with a £60 fine notice for non EVs or non charging EVs parking in an EV bay.
Time for a professional approach and oversight.

 

[farmergiles]

What was the tariff before?

Free

 

[farmergiles]

I'd think you'd be better cancelling it on your online banking to make sure they don't take it.

Since Swarco take over on the 26/27th, it may not be taken but I'd just bite the bullet and do nothing rather than have the hassle of the card being cancelled by mistake and then you possibly having to pay £10 to rejoin and receive a new card. (Swarco do say they cannot refund renwal charges happening before they take over, which implies they will have cancelled the CYC DDs when they have).
The charging payments are being switched from GoCardless to E-Volt by the time of the switch over without you having to do anything.

 

[farmergiles]

I’ve been unable to log into my account for the last week - get an HTTP Status 403 error message. Anyone else?

Use this url:

Charge Your Car - UK's open recharging network

secure.chargeplacescotland.org

 

[farmergiles]

For those of us whose renewal dates are next year, we don't have to do anything ?

And I haven't been keeping up with the latest but am I expecting a new RFID card to replace my existing one or will the existing one keep working ? If it's the former, I haven't received any card or any communication to say that a new card is coming...

Correct.
If you login using the link above you will find that auto renewal is set to 'false'. (or should it not be, just change it)

 

[farmergiles]

Charge point back office communication test to take place on Monday 12 July

Charge point back office communication test to take place on Monday 12 July - Charge Place Scotland

Charge Point ID	Location	Charging unit
50540	Riverside Museum, Glasgow	SWARCO 50kWh
52082	SEC Hydro Car Park, Glasgow	SWARCO 22kWh
51426	Princes Street Charging Hub, Dundee	SWARCO 50kWh
50271	Clepington Road, Dundee	SWARCO 7kWh
52472	Ayrshire Athletics Arena, Kilmarnock	SWARCO 50kWh
51236	Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow	Siemens 7kWh
50403	Duke Street Car Park, Glasgow	SWARCO 7kWh
51512	Newhouse Car Park, Motherwell	bp Chargemaster 50kWh
51092	Bay Street Car Park, Port Glasgow	bp Chargemaster 7kWh
51377	Falkirk Grahamston Railway Station, Falkirk	Alfen 22kWh

 

[farmergiles]

Can anyone confirm that the CYC app still works with CPS chargers? CPS claims it should still work until 26th but would like to know for sure.

The app seems to still work, having just tried it.
Where in Scotland are you going?

 

[farmergiles]

Still trying to decide whether to take the EV down the Mull of Kintyre next weekend (I started a thread on Charging Locations you replied to). If I do will be using the CPS rapid charger at Lochgilphead as it seems to be the only one working west of Loch Lomond and I have phone signal at Lochgilphead plus we will be overnighting there so even if the CCS isn't working I can leave the car on the AC charger for a few hours. I have a CPS account but no RFID card.

There is a charger at Kennacraig ferry terminal which also seems reliable as well as two Rapids at Campbeltown so you should be okay and its a nice drive with a choice of normal or slow (up the east side).

Good restaurants, chippy etc at Tartbert (& 2, 22kw AC chargers + two none time limited ones in the harbour car park.)

I'm afraid my complaints about the Inveraray Rapid to the council and even involving the MSP for Argyll have achieved precisely nothing: so much for them being 'public servants'.

 

[farmergiles]

It looks like I am wrong and the app doesn't work. Read the last posts on this thread:

Scottish chargers

NEWISH HARTHILL CHARGER DC WAS NOT WORKING, NOW IS WORKING. I noticed that the DC chargers at the Park & Ride had been showing out of service on tuesday and wednesday, but all was okay when I checked at 4am this morning and i had no problems at 7am, with a 33kw charge in 43mins from 39 to 90%...

www.speakev.com

 

[farmergiles]

I've not had that email but after their system was overloaded when CYC sent out the last big email batch, I'm not surprised they have done it. (I have a rfid card so may be one of the last to receive the app email)

Maybe the new helpline will be adequately manned from tuesday so you can call them for manual activation.

 

[farmergiles]

Just received the email.
It will take time for Swarco to get it all sorted - not like flicking a switch especially with the mess CYC have left behind.
Just a pity it wasn't done in the spring when the announcement was made (on 21st April) rather than at the height of the summer.

 

[farmergiles]

There seem to be many chargers with coms problems if the number showing as 'unknown' is anything to go by, even though some seem to working going by the 'last charge time' displayed on the web page.
It is Charge your Car, not CPS that is to blame other than to say that they should have kicked CYC out a year ago.

 

[farmergiles]

It might be worth installing the BP Pulse app if you will be on the M8 and there are some Osprey's scattered about here & there.

 

[farmergiles]

Hate to say I told you so that it could get messy but.....

FFS give Swarco a chance, they only migrate between 10pm on monday and 5am on tuesday and only then can they discover which chargers are not responding and test the app with their own staff before making it publicly available.

CYC will have done as little as they can to aid the transition.

Come back with 'messy' comments at the end of next month! Hopefully you won't need to or I'll have to eat my words.

 

[farmergiles]

I will be travelling up to Scotland on the 28th or 29th. As previously stated haven’t been able to visit my mum for 18 months, so not keen to delay my trip further.
I can’t charge at my mum’s and the nearest chargers to her are all CPS chargers so cost saving is part of it but was also convenience. There is a CPS rapid 5 minutes walk away and some fast chargers about 15 minutes walk. Next nearest are an Instavolt then an Osprey which are not within walking distance. I’m 3700 miles into my EV ownership and haven’t paid for a charge yet, which helps offset the large outlay to purchase the car.


Always had contingency plans as this is will be my first big EV trip and I’m unfamiliar with the charger reliability on route. I know what the local chargers are like down here as I don’t have the option of home charging, so visit them regularly.

When I do my regular 250mile trip to Argyll, there is no destination charger so I simply do a 90% charge at the BP Ultrarapids on the M8 at Harthill and this leaves me with enough for pottering around when I arrive.

I admit, I have to rely on the CPS charger ar Lochgilphead for a decent charge to get back to Harthill on the return journey so won't be heading up this weekend although I have an rfid card which should be on the charger's whitelist.

 

[farmergiles]

Given the mess of untangling the CYC back-end systems from the existing CPS stuff I would really hope the new contract has a condition requiring them to keep the two operations separated. SWARCO may not have the contract for ever so they need to plan for a cleaner exit.

On the other hand as an EV driver it would be nice if existing Swarco accounts just worked with CPS.

There's confusion over what role CPS plays - it does not control the chargers, the network, the app or accounts, or take payments. It is an agency of Transport Scotland, the Scottish version of England's dept for transport (DfT).

It appoints the operator and according to their website the contract is 2years though you can say it is ultimately responsible for the CPS charging network, just from a distance.

CYC (BP Chargemaster) obviously were useless, like, some say, Chargemaster in the rest of the UK , but you can imagine just how big a task it is for any new operator to take over.

Hopefully CPS will have added conditions to Swaro's contract for minimum uptime, helpline availability and what happens if the want out in 2years, etc.

I expect in time, Swaro accounts used in the rest of the UK will also work in Scotland, without you having to have a CPS card as well.

 

[farmergiles]

It's even more complicated than this, as there are local authorities involved.

Tell me about it.
Argyll & Bute council believe that CPS should repair their chargers, despite CPS stating that charge point hosts are responsible for their chargers.

I'm waiting for a reply from Transport Scotland after they speak to the council, since I raised the matter of the Inveraray, Dunoon and Fionphort chargers with the council and got nowhere.

Another important charger at Arrochar is still also showing as 'unknown' with the last charge being on the 20th. That means no working rapid charger between Balloch and Lochgilphead. If this packs up then it's potentially a disaster for some EV owners. Couldn't have a lower opinion of A&B council who also must have the fewest rapid chargers of any local authority.