In my experience, it's not worth it since they changed from selling "kWh" to tiny discounts on the PAYG rate.

I'm sure the referral code crew will rock up any second now.

Personally, I use Elli - but I've not recalculated since they've increased prices (along with everyone else) as I'm still locked in to a 12 month deal.

Elli - The alternative to BONNET?

Now the nail has firmly been hammered into the coffin of Bonnet *(with the exception of those who have shed loads of referrals or banked units), I'd like to present what seems to be the next best thing for cheaper charging. I saw it posted here and the Bonnet thread was kinda hijacked with talk...

www.speakev.com

 

In my experience, it's not worth it since they changed from selling "kWh" to tiny discounts on the PAYG rate.

I'm sure the referral code crew will rock up any second now.

Thanks for replying.

Not 100% sure I understand what you mean by selling kWh and discounts on PAYG rate. I kind of assumed that you pay for whatever electricity you use via the app and that just goes directly to the relevant network. I find the app a bit confusing, but prob because I don't actually have my EV yet, so haven't actually been able to try it out.

 

It's popular. Works on a subscription model for better rates I think, if you do lots of miles. Electric universe ( or electroverse) from Octopus is another one that works across many networks for no extra cost. Zap pay too. But to be honest, you'll likely do most charging at home, and all new charging installations are contactless, so just pay with your phone or credit card. I rarely need any app or RFID card.
[Edit: I don't use Bonnet myself and don't think it's worth it for my personal usage]

 

It's popular. Works on a subscription model for better rates I think, if you do lots of miles. Electric universe ( or electroverse) from Octopus is another one that works across many networks for no extra cost. Zap pay too. But to be honest, you'll likely do most charging at home, and all new charging installations are contactless, so just pay with your phone or credit card. I rarely need any app or RFID card.
[Edit: I don't use Bonnet myself and don't think it's worth it for my personal usage]

Thanks! I didn't realise you could actually pay without an app. That's way better! Unfortunately, I won't be able to home charge as I am in a terraced house with street parking. (I don't want to be sued for trailing cables across the pavement!)

 

on that point Kerbo Charge | Electric Car Street Charging is doing the rounds. im in a terrace also

 

what you mean by selling kWh and discounts on PAYG rate.

You used to be able to buy XX kWh (units) for a set price, then use it as and where you need to. Now it's more a prepaid charge card, not really worth the hassle in my opinion.

You need to look at what charging network is most convenient for you and we can advise what discounts are available.

Thanks! I didn't realise you could actually pay without an app.

Many chargers nowadays have contactless payment capability, but not all.

 

Thanks again! Sorry for the n00b questions. There is a lamppost one in my street operated by Ubitricity, but I’m not sure it works (Bonnet doesn’t seem to think so anyway).

 

All you need to know when charging with ubitricity | EV driver hub

 

All you need to know when charging with ubitricity | EV driver hub

Thanks. The one in my street has road markings for a car club called Go Wheels, so not sure if just anyone can use it. Maybe it is only the parking space that is reserved for them rather than the charging point. Can lamp post chargers be restricted to only car club users, I wonder?

 

Bonnet came a long to solve the problem of requiring an app for each supplier. They launched with huge venture capital funding and therefore offered impossibly good deals to buy a user base. Free electric for signing up and more for referring people. But the cash ran out and Bonnet started screwing customers out of funds they’d accumulated in their accounts. All this was discussed in depth on this forum at the time. Frankly I didn’t think I’d hear about them on this forum again.

Back when Bonnet was new, this meme was used to explain how the app fitted in the market:

We are now in a “post app” world. The vast majority of chargers accept credit/debit cards. Just tap your card, plug in and you’re charging.

 

I think the OP was probably victim of media negativity about the charging network. As you say, the app thing is mainly behind us now. I have about a dozen network specific RFID cards in my car, never use any of them now, can't be bothered.

 

There are very few rapid chargers that require you to pay with an app and those that do should generally be avoided. If you particularly want to use Tesla or Podpoint, you have to use their own app. Apps are less reliable than other methods. The biggest reason for this is that if the app bugs out, you lose access to an entire site, whereas a fault with an RFID or credit card reader only takes down a single charger.
Most chargers can be paid for with contactless cards/phones (Google/apple pay) but it's worth having an RFID card, either Electroverse or Elli, to cover the few decent networks that don't take contactless.

Bonnet was popular for a short period because it gave very cheap access to a few networks. It's now lost the vast majority of its customers because it put its prices up, changed the pricing structure and removed some customers credits that they had built up.

I never joined it because it was always clear that its business model was completely unsustainable and I was suspicious of those in charge. They just burnt through a load of investment and then lost all their customers. I'm glad I never gave them my data to be frank.

 

Maybe worth it if you do a lot of mileage but I found it difficult to set up and there is a significant learning curve for their app, as there is to every app.

 

If you need a receipt for claiming business expenses Bonnet is a good option.
Not all chargers are on it, which is probably why you can't find your ubitricity one.

 

I've only recently signed up and have only done 3 rapid charges with them so far. I'm on the £2 a month sub.

No issues on 2 of the charges. I struggled to charge via the iOS app on one of the charges but fortunately had my work Android with me and that worked on that without issue.

Made my £2 back on a single charge so good value.

Will continue to use.

The app gives bonus for charging. I think I've had about £4 added to my account thus far.

 

I closed my account once they changed to a subscription model. I didn't have off road parking at the time and my mileage fluctuated month to month so topping up my account in the evening if I saw my purchased kWhs getting low was better for me than paying a subscription for X charges which didnt roll over. The fact there was only one charger compatible with it locally (attached to a Morrisons, you know the ones) and it was broken for 11months made me not regret it at all. I went back to getting out of the car, tapping a card and leave - no regrets.

 

this is all super helpful everyone! Thank you.

Forums are a godsend when you're new to something. Can't beat real life experience!

 

Some prefer contactless others prefer RFID and others prefer Apps. Each to their own.

I have Charge Place Scotland and Electroverse RFIDs, and I also have a Bonnet account which I use less and less, but there are still some places where Bonnet works while Electroverse doesn't. These 3 cover all my away from home charging and I like having the charge history in the apps.
Yes, Bonnet have a bad rep due to changing terms on the huge amount of free kwhs that some had built up.
Elli's discounts sound great for frequent chargers but for some like me they won't charge away from home often enough to justify the subscription.

 

I started off mainly using Instavolt or Osprey as the are well looked after.
On Bonnet you can use Osprey and it's a bit cheaper.
After switching energy to Octopus I got the Electroverse RFID card and app.
If you holiday in Scotland then get CPS and pay the extra for the RFID card as the signal can be poor to use the app.

 

Many thanks. Interesting that several of you are happy with Electroverse as an intermediary but not Bonnet. Don't they both merely handle your payments? (I have not had to pay a subscription to Bonnet, I assumed it was just pay each time you charge somewhere - but I guess I've misunderstood).

I've signed up with Electroverse now so should get a card soon

 

electroverse just charges your home electric bill if with octopus energy, it’s quite good really. Subscriptions like Elli and Bonnet charge a monthly fee for a discounted service so you need to do X amount of charging to make it worthwhile. Both of these have hiked prices this year and made changes to the model. Elli no longer offers a yearly contract, bonnet no longer sells you energy credit like a mobile top up. Because energy from these providers is bought ahead of time, sometimes up to a year, they are really susceptible to electric prices changes like we’ve seen this year so we might see these prices coming down but probably not to 2021/2022 levels just yet. I first used Gridserve in 2020 and it was 25p a kw which is insane by todays levels.

 

One of the perks of Electroverse is that it's added to your octopus bill as far as I'm aware, I haven't looked into it too much if I'm honest, just pick bit up from here.

 

Ok, I am not with Octopus energy at home (in fact, this is the first I've heard of it!). I have put my debit card details in there, so it can charge me directly.

Seems silly I know but 99% of the time I charge at home.

Not silly at all! If I didn't live in a terrace, I'm sure I would. But I am imagining (my EV is not yet delivered) that I will only be charging at public ones. Hence why I am trying to scout out where they are, how they work etc.

I'm sure you get used to it eventually, but it's blowing my mind a bit how complicated all this is (rapid, fast, slow, RFID, PAYG, various plug types, etc etc). I had no idea! I guess it's all still new, so standards haven't properly settled down.

Anyway, really appreciating all the help. Thank you again everyone

 

Ok, I am not with Octopus energy at home (in fact, this is the first I've heard of it!). I have put my debit card details in there, so it can charge me directly.



Not silly at all! If I didn't live in a terrace, I'm sure I would. But I am imagining (my EV is not yet delivered) that I will only be charging at public ones. Hence why I am trying to scout out where they are, how they work etc.

I'm sure you get used to it eventually, but it's blowing my mind a bit how complicated all this is (rapid, fast, slow, RFID, PAYG, various plug types, etc etc). I had no idea! I guess it's all still new, so standards haven't properly settled down.

Anyway, really appreciating all the help. Thank you again everyone

A lot of the complexity has gone now. There was a time when we had competing standards and some older standards are still about, but a modern car with Type-2 and CCS will be able to charge anywhere.

Most people will never use a RIFID or an app. They'll tap their credit card (or flash their Apple watch), plug in and charge.

The words used to describe the different types of charging are outdated they don;t mean what they say, you just have to understand that (it is just like how Compact Flash cards are the big ones):
- "Fast" is AC charging overnight at home or a hotel or a lamp post. You usually have to provide your own cable. They are all Type-2 these days (you won't see a public type-1 connector). It is typically 3.6-11kW.
- "Rapid" is for charging while you do something else (eg shop at a supermarket or eat at a pub). These always come with a cable already attached, some have the old ChaDeMo connector in addition to the newer CCS, all have CCS. It is typically 50-75kW.
- "Ultra-Rapid" is for charging en-route as fast as possible. Some cars charge so fast you have to jog if you want a pee. The process/connector is the same as rapid but it charges faster, typically 100-350kW.

I promise you'll find it all a lot more simple in practice than the internet might suggest. The only thing You need to be aware of is that the absolute worst places to stop for an en route charge is often Motorway Services. However there is often a really great place to charge right next to the motorway just not signposted for legal reasons.

 

A lot of the complexity has gone now. There was a time when we had competing standards and some older standards are still about, but a modern car with Type-2 and CCS will be able to charge anywhere.

I promise you'll find it all a lot more simple in practice than the internet might suggest.

This is very reassuring. Thanks

I suspect that a lot of your problematic thoughts will be ironed out once you actually start charging, well, I hope so as it was the journey we have been on.

Yes, I am sure that's right. Just now, I can't see the wood for the trees, but once the car arrives I dare say I'll figure things out.

I think the OP was probably victim of media negativity about the charging network.

Actually no. I don't read or watch any news, so wasn't actually aware there was any negativity! My concerns were due to googling all this once I decided to get an electric car last week. Until you have some experienced people to guide you, it's hard to know what on the web is old and new info.

 

This is very reassuring. Thanks


Yes, I am sure that's right. Just now, I can't see the wood for the trees, but once the car arrives I dare say I'll figure things out.


Actually no. I don't read or watch any news, so wasn't actually aware there was any negativity! My concerns were due to googling all this once I decided to get an electric car last week. Until you have some experienced people to guide you, it's hard to know what on the web is old and new info.

I must say, you are right to think it through given you have no home charging. For most of us the vast majority of our charging is done at home so we don't really worry about cost on the occasional public top up.

 

I ditched Bonnet and Moved to Elli but that was nearly a year ago when the rates were super cheap.
In your position now I'd just use the Gridserve motorway network, use the newer hubs with >6 units.

Good speeds. reliable, not busy after the rush hour, plug in tap your debit card, done no fuss 66p/Kwh ish no monthly fees.

Gridserve Motorway Charging hubs in yellow