[P Virley]

Has anyone else found that currently all Ecotricity CCS Rapid chargers are not working on the English motorway service station network?

 

[80698]

Are you possibly trying to use the app? They are generally all on free vend at the moment and work without the use of the app to get them started.

Despite their age and reputation, their CCS chargers have been faultless for me for a long time now. Though as you mau have heard, the Electric Highway is now under the control of Gridserve. Over the next few months you'll be seeing all of the existing chargers replaced with brand new units operated by Gridserve, rather than Ecotricity. Only two locations around the UK have them at present, but this will all change soon.

 

[P Virley]

Well that is very interesting. My wife has just been to three motorway service stations where she tried to use the Ecotricity app and was told the charger was unavailable. There were no other EV cars present and there was no mention of 'free vend' on either the app or the charger. Instead she had to use a Type 2 fast charger to get 30 extra miles in 45 minutes!! Very depressing!

 

[alegar]

Well that is very interesting. My wife has just been to three motorway service stations where she tried to use the Ecotricity app and was told the charger was unavailable. There were no other EV cars present and there was no mention of 'free vend' on either the app or the charger. Instead she had to use a Type 2 fast charger to get 30 extra miles in 45 minutes!! Very depressing!

When not connected/most of time when not working, the EH chargers go to free vend mode, but they will come as unavailable in their app.

You can see it on the top right of their screen if both symbols (wifi and earth are crossed), such as:


Free vend. (Simply choose your connector using the buttons alongside the screen)

As a comparison, paid vend. (Use the app etc to set up your charge session)



Always check the screen on the charger. About 90% of the time if Ecotricity say a charger is broken it actually simply means its in free vend mode.

 

[electricdriver]

I was at Gretna yesterday and both chargers were off. As in blank screen. No free vend on this occasion! I checked a few on the app and there was a comms problem reported for all of them - so I think it's likely that there could have been a more widespread issue.

 

[Problemchild]

I tried 2 on Friday
Reading wasn’t working and even restarting the charger twice couldn’t get it started - it said both were unavailable on the screen.

I then went to cheively and it said it was ok on the screen but not in the app so I plugged in and it just started on free vend

can be very frustrating

especially as the BP chargers in the petrol stations are still being commissioned

JJ

 

[londonguy]

I used a charger on CCS on Sunday at Leicester Forest and it worked fine. Sadly no free vend.

though admittedly, the charger next to mine (the Nissan branded Chad+AC one) was totally dead.

 

[urpert]

Pease Pottage (M23) worked fine on Sunday evening. Had to start it using the app but bizarrely the charge on the emailed invoice was £0.00.