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Parax ask some questions about the Ecotricity public charging network and public charging in general so I thought I would answer it as a separate post...
I think we need to differentiate between fast and slow charging and between charging requirements for ER-EV like the Ampera vs BEV like the Leaf. The Ampera can only charge at 16A tops and has a petrol generator when the battery is depleated so charging requirements for the Ampera are quite different for a 100% EV such as the Leaf. This must be remembered. When driving my Leaf I must have charging or I stop. This focusses the mind and means that my charging requirements are quite different to when I am driving the Ampera.
This is an Ampera forum so I will concentrate on the Ampera/Volt but what I say in this context might not necessarily apply in the same way to the Leaf.
The most important thing to remember is that public charging is not something many will do on a regular basis. Most people charge at home overnight and most do less than 30 miles a day. Easily achievable with the Ampera in EV mode. Most people will use very little petrol and most will have no need to use public charging.
However, for those longer trips you will stop for food/nature and at those times why not plug in and get some more EV miles thereby reducing your petrol use further? This is where public charging comes in. Hoefully, you will have charging at your destination either with your family/friends or at a hotel/B&B and if they don't advertise that they have charging then ask if they have a 13A plug you can use safely accessable from where the car is parked. More often than not they will be quite interested and will help if they can. Remember though to charge at 6A to reduce the load on their cables/sockets as you don't know if they are in good condition.
Charging on the move requires using public charging and right now it is limited. Ecotricity has started to roll out to Motorway services and offer a free access card and I highly recommend that everyone signs up. It is free for the forseeable future and if they start to charge you can then make your own mind up to whether to pay.
There are lots of other membership schemes and almost all of them require you to join in advance and they charge a membership fee... usually annual but some, like POLAR, have a monthly option. Be very cautious before signing up to any membership scheme. It is very unlikely that you will ever use it enough to justify the cost. Some might, particularly if commuting, but the vast majority of people will only do trips where public charging is needed occasionally and the benefit to Ampera owners will be marginal at best over using a bit of petrol. You must do the sums and make your own mind up as to whether they are worth it for you.
PAYG (Pay As You Go) charging is coming and is a much better way. You will pay by card or SMS with no membership, no joining fees, no up front payment committments. It is a way off before it is available in all areas so you might be able to justify a membership of a scheme for a year or two if you will actually use it but eventually all membership schemes will be superceeded by PAYG in my opinion.
POLAR is probably the biggest nationally run scheme but is very expensive. There is a monthly fee + a 95p per charge fee. I cannot see many getting value for money from POLAR and I anticipate they will fold in just a few years. The same fate is on the cards for most membership schemes unless they can switch to a PAYG model. Pod Point is doing this and they are now starting to roll out PAYG charging stations already but there are only a few as of yet.
Many towns and cities have their own schemes that require a membership and annual payment. I would avoid them unless you are sure you will use them sufficiently. Certainly do not join any scheme until you have had the car a few months and have learned how you will use it.
My general advice is this: do not join any membership scheme unless you can be sure you will use it enough to justify the cost. Most people will never charge away from home enough to get value out of even a £50 annual charge.
The exception is if it is totally free such as Ecotricity. OK, they may start to charge non-Ecotricity customers in future but for now it is free to join and free to use so do it! Ecotricity is the only network I have found useful. It is on motorway services... just where I am likely to be on long trips... it is free to use and I am stopping anyway so it is convenient. I have charged using the cable in the boot at 10A although you could buy a type 1 to type 2 cable to be able to charge at 16A if you want to get a few extra miles per charge... convenient but probably not worth the £250 for the cable in my opinion. Prices for these cable may drop in a year or two.
There are other free to use networks the biggest of which is Zero:Net. This is operated by the charity Zero Carbon World. They offer free charging stations to hotels, B&Bs and other public locations. They require no membership and no cards. They are generally free to use if you also use the services or buy from the establishment where they are installed. For example, hotels often have these installed and offer them free to guests of the hotel in a similar way to free WiFi. If you are not staying overnight then buying a meal or using the bar often qualifies you for free charging. If you were going to eat anyway then it a very pleasent way to spend your time whilst charging.
If anyone wants further info on any charging scheme I can get it... just ask.
Also, I will do another post about the mechanics of how to use using these charging stations. They can be quite confusing sometimes! Watch out for that.
There is another aspect to all this and that is how do you find out where the charging stations are? There are quite a few web sites around but the problem is that it is a very immature landscape and not all charging stations are on all web sites. Some are on all, some are on some and some are on none. Not very helpful! The best I have found is Open Charge Map http://openchargemap.org/ . Again, this is an open source initiative from Zero Carbon World http://www.zerocarbonworld.org/ and has most charging stations in the UK. It relies on us updating it so if you find one that is not there, or if the details are incorrect, you can add it or change it yourself. Perfect. There is a smartphone app too for use when out and about. As always it is free.
So there you are... public charging 101.
I throw it open to the floor...
I shall give you my opinions... remember, other opinions are available and widespread... make up your own mind what works for you... what works for me won't suit everyone!Parax said:Paul many of us here are new to EV's so haven't experienced public charging facilities yet, can you tell us a little about ecotricity and your experiences with any other providers?
I understand that the Ecotricity Scheme is free (even for non customers for first year) So I have been tempted to sign up. Whether I pay up for year two will depend on how many times I use the facilities (I suspect I may only use them 5-6 times a year so probably wouldn't bother to pay but we shall see...)
I am not happy about the 'pay for' regional schemes idea I think its the stupidest thing... I only need public charging when I'm away from home, ie out of my region... so I'd need to join all regions except where I live, So tbh I'd rather use petrol!
P.
I think we need to differentiate between fast and slow charging and between charging requirements for ER-EV like the Ampera vs BEV like the Leaf. The Ampera can only charge at 16A tops and has a petrol generator when the battery is depleated so charging requirements for the Ampera are quite different for a 100% EV such as the Leaf. This must be remembered. When driving my Leaf I must have charging or I stop. This focusses the mind and means that my charging requirements are quite different to when I am driving the Ampera.
This is an Ampera forum so I will concentrate on the Ampera/Volt but what I say in this context might not necessarily apply in the same way to the Leaf.
The most important thing to remember is that public charging is not something many will do on a regular basis. Most people charge at home overnight and most do less than 30 miles a day. Easily achievable with the Ampera in EV mode. Most people will use very little petrol and most will have no need to use public charging.
However, for those longer trips you will stop for food/nature and at those times why not plug in and get some more EV miles thereby reducing your petrol use further? This is where public charging comes in. Hoefully, you will have charging at your destination either with your family/friends or at a hotel/B&B and if they don't advertise that they have charging then ask if they have a 13A plug you can use safely accessable from where the car is parked. More often than not they will be quite interested and will help if they can. Remember though to charge at 6A to reduce the load on their cables/sockets as you don't know if they are in good condition.
Charging on the move requires using public charging and right now it is limited. Ecotricity has started to roll out to Motorway services and offer a free access card and I highly recommend that everyone signs up. It is free for the forseeable future and if they start to charge you can then make your own mind up to whether to pay.
There are lots of other membership schemes and almost all of them require you to join in advance and they charge a membership fee... usually annual but some, like POLAR, have a monthly option. Be very cautious before signing up to any membership scheme. It is very unlikely that you will ever use it enough to justify the cost. Some might, particularly if commuting, but the vast majority of people will only do trips where public charging is needed occasionally and the benefit to Ampera owners will be marginal at best over using a bit of petrol. You must do the sums and make your own mind up as to whether they are worth it for you.
PAYG (Pay As You Go) charging is coming and is a much better way. You will pay by card or SMS with no membership, no joining fees, no up front payment committments. It is a way off before it is available in all areas so you might be able to justify a membership of a scheme for a year or two if you will actually use it but eventually all membership schemes will be superceeded by PAYG in my opinion.
POLAR is probably the biggest nationally run scheme but is very expensive. There is a monthly fee + a 95p per charge fee. I cannot see many getting value for money from POLAR and I anticipate they will fold in just a few years. The same fate is on the cards for most membership schemes unless they can switch to a PAYG model. Pod Point is doing this and they are now starting to roll out PAYG charging stations already but there are only a few as of yet.
Many towns and cities have their own schemes that require a membership and annual payment. I would avoid them unless you are sure you will use them sufficiently. Certainly do not join any scheme until you have had the car a few months and have learned how you will use it.
My general advice is this: do not join any membership scheme unless you can be sure you will use it enough to justify the cost. Most people will never charge away from home enough to get value out of even a £50 annual charge.
The exception is if it is totally free such as Ecotricity. OK, they may start to charge non-Ecotricity customers in future but for now it is free to join and free to use so do it! Ecotricity is the only network I have found useful. It is on motorway services... just where I am likely to be on long trips... it is free to use and I am stopping anyway so it is convenient. I have charged using the cable in the boot at 10A although you could buy a type 1 to type 2 cable to be able to charge at 16A if you want to get a few extra miles per charge... convenient but probably not worth the £250 for the cable in my opinion. Prices for these cable may drop in a year or two.
There are other free to use networks the biggest of which is Zero:Net. This is operated by the charity Zero Carbon World. They offer free charging stations to hotels, B&Bs and other public locations. They require no membership and no cards. They are generally free to use if you also use the services or buy from the establishment where they are installed. For example, hotels often have these installed and offer them free to guests of the hotel in a similar way to free WiFi. If you are not staying overnight then buying a meal or using the bar often qualifies you for free charging. If you were going to eat anyway then it a very pleasent way to spend your time whilst charging.
If anyone wants further info on any charging scheme I can get it... just ask.
Also, I will do another post about the mechanics of how to use using these charging stations. They can be quite confusing sometimes! Watch out for that.
There is another aspect to all this and that is how do you find out where the charging stations are? There are quite a few web sites around but the problem is that it is a very immature landscape and not all charging stations are on all web sites. Some are on all, some are on some and some are on none. Not very helpful! The best I have found is Open Charge Map http://openchargemap.org/ . Again, this is an open source initiative from Zero Carbon World http://www.zerocarbonworld.org/ and has most charging stations in the UK. It relies on us updating it so if you find one that is not there, or if the details are incorrect, you can add it or change it yourself. Perfect. There is a smartphone app too for use when out and about. As always it is free.
So there you are... public charging 101.
I throw it open to the floor...