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3,442 Posts
When I was researching the electric route, I was repeatedly told about the many free public charging opportunities. Of course, you really don't get into the complexities until after you've bought.
Now, my decision would not have been changed, but I'm finding that there seems to be very few free options for the Ampera. Many of the ecotricity posts aren't compatible (rapids). It's not worth paying because at the slow charging rates, it's cheaper to use your petrol. But it would be nice to have some 'icing on the cake' and get some free top up if convenient. If it's the choice of a restaurant, a motorway services, a shopping centre etc WITH a suitable charger than one without then why wouldn't you? I find the array of 'maps' bewildering and I know there's no one 'map to rule them all'. The biggest annoyance is that the My Ampera app returns points that simply aren't compatible.
So, I wonder if we could all list free charging points we know of. I'll then create a Google pin map for future reference. If people think this thread is pointless, then I'll let it dwindle and drop down the rankings.
So to start the ball rolling, here are the ones I know of:
Leicester Forest East Services M1
Woodall Services M1
Little Chef, Bicester
Pentagon Vauxhall, Sheffield
Now, my decision would not have been changed, but I'm finding that there seems to be very few free options for the Ampera. Many of the ecotricity posts aren't compatible (rapids). It's not worth paying because at the slow charging rates, it's cheaper to use your petrol. But it would be nice to have some 'icing on the cake' and get some free top up if convenient. If it's the choice of a restaurant, a motorway services, a shopping centre etc WITH a suitable charger than one without then why wouldn't you? I find the array of 'maps' bewildering and I know there's no one 'map to rule them all'. The biggest annoyance is that the My Ampera app returns points that simply aren't compatible.
So, I wonder if we could all list free charging points we know of. I'll then create a Google pin map for future reference. If people think this thread is pointless, then I'll let it dwindle and drop down the rankings.
So to start the ball rolling, here are the ones I know of:
Leicester Forest East Services M1
Woodall Services M1
Little Chef, Bicester
Pentagon Vauxhall, Sheffield