They are not for everyone 
EV usage without a smartphone?
21 - 40 of 40 Posts
Joined
·
356 Posts
How about car manufacturers including a screen and connectivity. That would enable them to partner with charging point suppliers to give an in car display of on route and nearby charging points, all of which could accept contactless payment? Could check before setting off and even include a SatNav to allow you to find the charge points. No need to mess with phone while driving.
Joined
·
12,086 Posts
They are not for everyone
Just to be clear, I have got one, an iPhone, had it for around 3 1/2 years, I just don't see much use for it now. If it was useful, I'd use it, in fact when I had the Model 3 I used it a fair bit to check on the car, set preconditioning, etc. I no longer do that with the i-Pace because the i-Pace, rather inconveniently, doesn't have wifi, so the app is a waste of time at home.
Most new cars already have mobile phone tech in them for data. That is how you can use the app to see state of charge or start pre-heat etc. It wouldn't be a leap to extend that to voice and data and just add your own sim.
Joined
·
356 Posts
Sorry, I should have added a smiley. I was just trying to make the point that most cars already have all the necessary tech to not need a smart phone, just a bit of additional software.
Or do we have to wait for the 22nd century?
Joined
·
12,086 Posts
Easy to use your own SIM in the i-Pace, just plugs in to a slot in the rear of the centre console box. Comes with a SIM that works for a couple of years, after that you either sign up to Jaguar's mega expensive data plan, or just plug your own SIM in. Tesla's use an eSIM, which seems to work in much the same way, but doesn't need anything to be plugged in. Only slight downside is that their eSIM provider is in The Netherlands, so some stuff, like YouTube etc, defaults to Dutch settings (not language, just geograpic stuff, I think).
Joined
·
346 Posts
Back on topic with the questions the OP asked.
I have a smart phone but I don't use apps for public rapid charging. I stick to Instavolt, Osprey and Gridserve networks which are contactless payment. I have one RFID car for the ChargePlace Scotland network because I'm quite often in Scotland and most of their chargers are old, not contactless enabled and either use RFID or smart phone app and as you can imagine finding a mobile signal in the Highlands can be problematical. The only time I would be prepared to use an app is when Tesla open their network to non-Teslas.
Yes I'm sure there are loads of new EV drivers rocking up to legacy BP Pulse or Geniepoint chargers and being amazed they can't pay for electrons using a contactless card when they can buy a Mars bar from a vending machine with one. Only the other evening I had a conversation with a newish EV driver and his first complaint was the number of apps he had collected on his phone. His second complaint was not being able to start a charge on a BP Pulse charger
I use my smart phone all the time, iPhone. Expensive to buy but it does give me FaceTime calls to my sons in NZ and Canada for next to nothing. Go back to 2000 and calls to NZ were expensive and then a bit later you could get adapters for the phone line for Voip calls
I do use it for travelling, both for searching for chargers pre trip and during the journey. Having been an Orange customer from the start (and made a packet on their shares!) I liked their business features of call divert. Initially helpful when they were building their network. BT customers with BT sims get this functionality too but they don't publicise it. So calls can be diverted to a land line. I divert mine to a land line no. on a Voip account which I access through an app so when I am in Canada and NZ I get calls to my phone without roaming charges, similarly I can call out on a land line no. which is penny a minute to nos. in N America and NZ providing I have wi fi.
I suppose as early adopters of EVs we are expected to be tech savvy and use smartphones, until I got one, I didn't need one whilst I had a works dumb phone, I didn't see the advantage, however I would miss all you guys without it now!
Way back I attended the Orange's AGM, Hans Snook was their chief man and pleased to be bidding for the Irish Republic market. I and a small group of shareholders told him he was wasting time. Wrong name, you'll never get the licence and they didn't. I think he was originally German but living in HK for years.
I do use it for travelling, both for searching for chargers pre trip and during the journey. Having been an Orange customer from the start (and made a packet on their shares!) I liked their business features of call divert. Initially helpful when they were building their network. BT customers with BT sims get this functionality too but they don't publicise it. So calls can be diverted to a land line. I divert mine to a land line no. on a Voip account which I access through an app so when I am in Canada and NZ I get calls to my phone without roaming charges, similarly I can call out on a land line no. which is penny a minute to nos. in N America and NZ providing I have wi fi.
I suppose as early adopters of EVs we are expected to be tech savvy and use smartphones, until I got one, I didn't need one whilst I had a works dumb phone, I didn't see the advantage, however I would miss all you guys without it now!
Way back I attended the Orange's AGM, Hans Snook was their chief man and pleased to be bidding for the Irish Republic market. I and a small group of shareholders told him he was wasting time. Wrong name, you'll never get the licence and they didn't. I think he was originally German but living in HK for years.
Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, Renault ZOE R135 ZE50 GTLine (Sold: R90 ZE40 i Dynamic Nav)
Joined
·
1,012 Posts
Some, including Teslas, provide browser working over the built-in SIM. I've been in the situation of being at a charge point where my mobile network didn't have coverage (in the Dales), but the roaming SIM in the Tesla had signal from another network, so I could start the charge from the car's browser.
I rarely use mobile data as I'm usually in reach of WiFi. I also prefer charging networks where I can use a contactless card or one of the three RFID cards I carry (or a supercharger). That means that I get away with PAYG data usage for the few times a year I need it (or pay for a month if I want it on holiday).
I think the Tesla eSim has been updated to use a UK provider. Coverage seems worse so I'm assuming when it was a Netherlands provider it roamed and now it doesn't.
Shame the Starlink kit is so expensive and bulky as that could be quite a game changer for mobile data and connectivity.
Shame the Starlink kit is so expensive and bulky as that could be quite a game changer for mobile data and connectivity.
I have a fairly modest one which spends 99% time switched off, on a cheap Lebara package. I use it most often to claim Podpoint free charges while shopping, and would carry it on longer ev trips to run Zapmap or Plugshare. Reluctant purchase really. The daily use device is a £25 Nokia on a minimal payg.
How do you get free charges from Podpoint? I would like some of those
Joined
·
26 Posts
I don't have a smartphone, but I run an EV. I have a basic mobile phone but only use it for the occasional phone call, and even rarer text message. But then again I don't do a high driving mileage, and I charge up my car at home. On the rare occasions I travel further I use Zapmap to plan where I am going to charge, so far with no issues. I look for chargers that allow contactless payment. As far as I can see, it just needs a little planning ahead, with some backups in case of things going wrong. However, I do appreciate that I am probably in the large minority of both EV owners and the general public who don't own a smartphone. I don't have need of one (as fas as I can see), but I do accept that others can't manage without. If in the future the ownership of a smartphone becomes essential for EV ownership, then I think this will be a bad move.I am not going to try to convince anyone to get a smart phone if you don't feel you need or want one. But IMO it will become increasingly difficult going forward to do the things we all want to do without one. My mother-in-law has only just got one. She didn't want it and tbh didn't need it but banking and facetiming her grandkids in the USA convinced her to get one. So I got her a £70 one from a secondhand shop and that is when the trouble started... she really hasn't a clue and I spend hours (or what seems like hours!) explaining and showing her how to use it but I might as well be trying to teach the dog (not wanting to be rude about the dog you understand... I am sure he is quite intelligent
So, like EVs, they aren't for everyone right now
Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, Renault ZOE R135 ZE50 GTLine (Sold: R90 ZE40 i Dynamic Nav)
Joined
·
1,012 Posts
We spend about £60 per year on three PAYG SIMs! If you don't use mobiles much (we don't) then PAYG is very worthwhile. If you use you phone a lot then, obviously, a plan is better. Plenty people on this thread not using a mobile much.
Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, Renault ZOE R135 ZE50 GTLine (Sold: R90 ZE40 i Dynamic Nav)
Joined
·
1,012 Posts
Interesting. I know the provider has moved to the UK, and people say they can now get UK content (I've not tried). Didn't know about the reduced coverage. I'd rather have coverage for real-time traffic than content!
Tesco 7kW Podpoints in the car parks. Free to use but only run for 15 minutes if you don't "claim" the charge in the app, limited only by any local car parking allowance. Those vary.How do you get free charges from Podpoint? I would like some of those
Most Tesco ones are 7kW. Is it really worth the effort to charge at 7kW for 15 mins just because it is free? You would get 5 or 6 miles tops from the charge?
I am not saying don't do it... that is up to you... but I wouldn't have thought it worth the time to plug in and unplug just for 6 miles?
I think the point they were making was it's 15 minutes free emergency charge. But if you activate it with the app (for free) then you can charge for either as long as their parking restrictions allow, or up to 24 hours before the Pod Point boots you off the charge session.
Most people spend a bit more than 15 minutes in their Tesco stores, and for the most part those 7 and 22kW free AC Posts are there to give the users a free charge to recover the energy used to travel to and home from the grocery store. In those cases it's totally fine. But if you need more range, or a faster charge then you can pay to use their rapid chargers alongside.
And this links back to the original thread topic, that to get one of these free charges longer than the 15 minute emergency session, you need to have a smartphone.
Got it! Thanks
21 - 40 of 40 Posts
Join the discussion
