Chargeplace Scotland changing from Charge your Car to SWARCO eVolt

22659 Views 259 Replies 32 Participants Last post by Duncan, Sep 2, 2021

DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · Mar 5, 2021 (Edited)

News has just hit that Chargeplace Scotland (CPS) who have used Charge your Car for their authentication and billing for the last several years will be switching to SWARCO eVolt starting in July:

SWARCO eVolt to operate ChargePlace Scotland | Transport Scotland

www.transport.gov.scot

This is an interesting albeit not unexpected change. What does it mean for end users?

Will existing RFID cards continue to work or do we need new ones? Will CPS accounts (which are basically just CYC accounts and use the same CYC app) be migrated across or will we be needing to create new accounts?

Will CPS cards stop working on CYC sites in England and will CYC cards stop working on CPS sites in Scotland?

Will CPS finally get their own mobile app instead of just using the CYC branded app and a fairly useless web browser based lookup?

While I of course recognise eVolt and a lot of rapids on the CPS network are already eVolt units, I have no knowledge of their ability to run a back end authentication and billing system, although they're unlikely to be worse than CYC.

So, good news? Bad news? Ambivalent ?

To be honest it's quite a while since I've used a CPS charger!

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DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · #41 · May 20, 2021

I don't see what you mean by "enjoy the free juice while you can" - something like half the Chargeplace Scotland chargers already charge for use and have for a while - about 25p/kWh is typical but it varies. Some are still free but the Scottish government signalled a couple of years ago that this would end by around now. (I suspect some changes to pricing have been delayed by Covid though, as introducing fees during lockdown would not generate any real revenue)

The price or whether a charger is free is not set by the CYC back end, it's decided by the owner of each individual charger, and that pricing has no reason to be affected by the changeover to Swarco as the backend provider is not deciding the pricing in the first place and in fact has no control over it...they just bill on behalf of the owner of the charger.

Chargeplace Scotland does not work like any of the other charging networks - it's not really even a network, just an umbrella of disjoint charger owners mostly local councils and some private businesses, who share a common backend and user facing branding, but are free to set their own pricing, so trying to extrapolate what will happen to pricing based on what happened to other networks is pure speculation on your part.

Chargeplace Scotland is more like a federation than a single unified network, for better or worse.

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Reactions: 3

freddym

· #42 · May 20, 2021

Kingpleb1 said:
Soooo nothing in writing then...
May as well point to dale Vince's videos stating CCS will be upgrading and working on all EH sites 3yrs ago... That's still yet to happen 🤣🤣

Post up the written commitment from them on the process and I'll believe it. Until then I'll bet my money on it playing out exactly the same way the other migrations have done. Enjoy the free juice while you can is what I'd be doing though in CPS land.

Difference is Transport Scotland have a proven and on-ongoing commitment to making public charging work!

Kingpleb1

· #43 · May 22, 2021

By free charging I mean the new units.
Unless your saying that when you use a CPS card on one of the new units that it charges your account some how?

And on the other point, actions speak louder than words and if nothings on writing then they have no commitment to it do they?

DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · #44 · May 23, 2021

Kingpleb1 said:
By free charging I mean the new units.
Unless your saying that when you use a CPS card on one of the new units that it charges your account some how?

Sorry, you've lost me.

To get a CPS card you have to set up a payment method in the account, and you need to keep the payment method up to date even to use free chargers.

If you use your card at a free charger, you are not charged. If you use the card at a charger where you are charged, it is charged to your account...

So, your question doesn't really make sense.

80698

· #45 · May 23, 2021

DBMandrake said:
Sorry, you've lost me.

To get a CPS card you have to set up a payment method in the account, and you need to keep the payment method up to date even to use free chargers.

If you use your card at a free charger, you are not charged. If you use the card at a charger where you are charged, it is charged to your account...

So, your question doesn't really make sense.

I think @Kingpleb1 is comparing the Chargeplace Scotland situation to the transition from GMEV to BE.EV, not realising that it's not the same thing.

There aren't going to be new units. They aren't ripping out all the chargers and replacing them with new ones. The old chargers are simply being brought under the control of new management. It's the same chargers, the same RFID cards, the same direct debits being migrated over etc.

All that's changing is the operating company behind it. The support aspect of things. And a new app too.

Swarco don't need to come in and overhaul everything. A good amount of equipment on the network is already their own anyways.

freddym

· #46 · May 23, 2021

80698 said:
I think @Kingpleb1 is comparing the Chargeplace Scotland situation to the transition from GMEV to BE.EV, not realising that it's not the same thing.

There aren't going to be new units. They aren't ripping out all the chargers and replacing them with new ones. The old chargers are simply being brought under the control of new management. It's the same chargers, the same RFID cards, the same direct debits being migrated over etc.

All that's changing is the operating company behind it. The support aspect of things. And a new app too.

Swarco don't need to come in and overhaul everything. A good amount of equipment on the network is already their own anyways.

The App will be different. Search have said in public they will use their existing one.

Kingpleb1

· #47 · May 23, 2021

That's where I was confused as there has been mention of new units.

I'm still confused as well on how they will migrate someone's account over with the direct debit and all without breaking some of the regulations around personal data and credit data as well without people pre agreeing it.

I hope it pans out well but after seeing how cyc threw their toys out with gmev as they'd obviously banked on winning the renewal with 0 effort put in, I hope the cps handover is smoother.

Reactions: 1

alegar

· #48 · May 28, 2021

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) 🤦🏻😂

farmergiles

· #49 · May 28, 2021

alegar said:
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.

DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · #50 · May 29, 2021

Another timely CPS rapid rant from Jonathan Porterfield just in case people don’t realise how unreliable and un-maintained CPS currently is.

I really hope the changeover improves things…!

Reactions: 2

farmergiles

· #51 · May 29, 2021

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.

electricdriver

· #52 · May 30, 2021

alegar said:
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 did the same...nothing to do with CPS in my case, was or the MFG branded chargers going up on some motorway sites.

alegar

· #53 · May 30, 2021

electricdriver said:
I did the same...nothing to do with CPS in my case, was or the MFG branded chargers going up on some motorway sites.

Wait a minute, I also registered there 🤦🏻
Problem is cannot see to which app/provider is the card linked (I can only now that is swarco...)

Bill N

· #54 · May 31, 2021

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399289579191128065

DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · #55 · May 31, 2021

Bill N said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399289579191128065

What was the tariff before?

farmergiles

· #56 · May 31, 2021

DBMandrake said:
What was the tariff before?

Free

freddym

· #57 · May 31, 2021

Bill N said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399289579191128065

What is your point?

Kingpleb1

· #58 · Jun 1, 2021

It depends on the council area you were in what price you paid.
Watch the network usage drop like a rock now, especially at destination units.

electricdriver

· #59 · Jun 1, 2021

Kingpleb1 said:
It depends on the council area you were in what price you paid.
Watch the network usage drop like a rock now, especially at destination units.

Yes - this transition to paid-for charging is interesting, isn't it? In theory it's good news, as rapids should become available for travellers who actually need them, as opposed to locals freeloading. However, does the much lower utilisation mean that the chargepoint owners will be even less inclined to pay for repairs as their revenue will drop? Or, is the whole thing rendered moot by the fact that the CPS to Swarco transition will mess things up anyway...?

DBMandrake

Discussion Starter · #60 · Jun 1, 2021 (Edited)

Kingpleb1 said:
It depends on the council area you were in what price you paid.
Watch the network usage drop like a rock now, especially at destination units.

If it's freeloaders who don't need to charge at the chargers (live nearby with home charging etc) and only do so because it's free, I say good.

One reason I more often than not use Instavolt is because you have to pay for it there are no freeloaders hogging them.

Having said that I used CPS at Ayreshire Athletics centre yesterday, which is still free - 4 rapid chargers in a row under a sun roof, two of the rapids free when I arrived there, everything worked as expected, no fuss. That's more like how it should be than the one broken charger at the more remote locations...

Reactions: 3

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