[catherington]

This is a depressing article. Is London really this bad ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...ric-car-infrastructure-falling-into-ruin.html

 

[Julian Thomas]

It does look like a bit of a mess.

Milton Keynes is similar, but different. There is only one provider here (Chargemaster) for all of the public posts, but maintenance is very patchy - I've seen posts out of action for 3 months+ regularly. But then, usage is almost zero since the Chargemaster pricing came in (avg 2 charging sessions per day across 170 posts), so what's the point of maintaining them...?

 

[smartie]

It does look like a bit of a mess.

Milton Keynes is similar, but different. There is only one provider here (Chargemaster) for all of the public posts, but maintenance is very patchy - I've seen posts out of action for 3 months+ regularly. But then, usage is almost zero since the Chargemaster pricing came in (avg 2 charging sessions per day across 170 posts), so what's the point of maintaining them...?

Apparantly they are meant for taxis!

 

[Julian Thomas]

Apparantly they are meant for taxis!

I think that's the new Rapids... I meant all the standard & fast chargers...

But yeah... Same poorly thought-out roll out as London it seems

 

[VW eGolf Owner]

Any one good with wording a freedom of information request to TFL via "what do they know" website, to get to the bottom of who is meant to do what?

Anyone want to suggest the best questions?

 

[Grumpy-b]

Its likely to get worse, with the commercial operations being so fragmented, and no common payment option. I would like to see a common payment option across all the providers, perhaps ultimately directed back to your Electricity provider, or through a common payment collection account. What the providers charge is up to them but use of any point would be up to the individual who needs power, rather than hoping a point associated with the network you subscribe to available.

 

[Julian Thomas]

It would be nice to be able to shop around for energy suppliers, so that the price you pay at the post isn't determined by one company holding you to ransom.

... The whole OLEV thing... I mean, how do people with such little commercial accumen get put in positions where they're custodians of millions of pounds of taxpayer funds?

 

[Lee Dalton]

It would be nice to be able to shop around for energy suppliers, so that the price you pay at the post isn't determined by one company holding you to ransom.

... The whole OLEV thing... I mean, how do people with such little commercial accumen get put in positions where they're custodians of millions of pounds of taxpayer funds?

Jobs for the boys !

 

[Eventer]

Until we have a network work of chargers that is truly available to all on a pay as you go basis, with realistic charges, we will continue to have problems with quality and availability. How you can anyone maintain a quality network when there is no real revenue stream to make it viable

 

[GBEV]

... The whole OLEV thing... I mean, how do people with such little commercial accumen get put in positions where they're custodians of millions of pounds of taxpayer funds?

By focusing on their private receipt of tax payer funds in the form of salaries and pensions first, never taking risks in persuit of any cause, no matter how worthwhile, seeing success as dangerous and always covering their arses as priority no 1, thus being totally unaccountable for the inevitable organisational failure this attitude engenders. Perfect departmental promotion material.

Systemic Error and Moral Hazard (Banks!) with numerous examples of ruinous waste of resources in Blighty. Meanwhile for the taxpayer, austerity including the need for food banks (i.e.Big Society remember that?) is the medicine prescribed by government and national debt still continues to grow.

That feels better

 

[smartie]

Until we have a network work of chargers that is truly available to all on a pay as you go basis, with realistic charges, we will continue to have problems with quality and availability. How you can anyone maintain a quality network when there is no real revenue stream to make it viable

Not necessarily true when charging is provided as part of another service e.g hotel stay or as part of an energy company's aims e.g Ecotricity (their issues are being resolved and have had nothing to do with their chargers being free)

 

[Sussex Trug]

This is a depressing article. Is London really this bad ?

Yes it is but......

There is a bit of journalistic timing here. I had noticed the Source London network gradually crumbling over the last 6 months or more. Points were going off line and different maps and apps were showing differing status reports. It seems that as the end of the TFL era approached nobody had a real handle on just how bad things were becoming (or perhaps they just didn't care as it would soon be "Somebody Else's Problem".)

I imagine that there has been something of a stock-take here and this is where its stands now. A true test will be where it stands in 6 months. I imagine that some of these posts are not repaired because they were little or never used under the TFL era.

The new owners need the posts operational if they are to launch the hire car scheme planned for next year. If there is any responsibility on others to repair these under contract I am sure that this will be enforced by a private business where the government run operation would just keep their heads down.

If you think this is leading to a conclusion that private enterprise will succeed where a local government scheme has failed then yes, it will. The only snag is that it will come at a price. London will no doubt join the list of places that people will charge in for "emergencies only". When we complain about the pricing I am sure we will be told that they inherited a network that was in need of significant repairs and this cost must be clawed back.

Despite my comment regarding journalistic timing I still welcome the article for raising awareness.

 

[alan campbell]

case in point Tolworth sports ground. I have reported to source London 3 times this unit not working correctly each time they tell me they have sent an engineer to fix it, but as yet I have failed to find it working after such comment. I have since put a comment on open charge map suggesting people keep away from this unit.

 

[jontracey]

I have found that reporting to the post vendor usually gets things done, In london Podpoint will send out podboy to fix broken posts, usually pretty quickly

 

[alan campbell]

I have found that reporting to the post vendor usually gets things done, In london Podpoint will send out podboy to fix broken posts, usually pretty quickly

in this case I did that as the number is on the post but with no joy. I spoke to the engineer directley he said he would fix the problem then contact me.