[Rachelnews]

Hello,

I'm a journalist for BBC Wales, I am looking to hear people's experiences of trying to charge their electric cars in Wales - during trips out, visiting parts of Wales or just as part of daily community.

I have looked on the map and see that Mid Wales has a lack of chargers.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with me, or if the lack of charging points meant anyone had thought twice or knew of people who had not bought electric due to concerns about not being able to charge?

Thank you,

Rachel

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Is this going to be another hatchet job, like last night's "Rip-Off Britain"?

For reference see this thread:-

BBC's Rip Off Britain tries to destroy EV's

Just watched an episode of Rip Off Britain which featured a couple of EV owners bemoaning their decisions to purchase their vehicles (A Jaguar ipace owner and a Leaf owner). I must say that they must have scoured the country for the most negative and depressing ev owners possible which resulted...

www.speakev.com

 

[LettuceLeaf]

Rachel you’ll have to forgive us if you get less-than-positive responses on here. Some of us have been badly burned in our transactions with the media.

There are also many here who struggle with Wales; as you have identified, the main networks don’t bother with mid-Wales for lack of population centres. A pair of rapid chargers (a singleton charger can easily be in use or u/s) in places like Lampeter, Newtown and Betws would transform things.

 

[Rachelnews]

Is this going to be another hatchet job, like last night's "Rip-Off Britain"?

For reference see this thread:-

BBC's Rip Off Britain tries to destroy EV's

Just watched an episode of Rip Off Britain which featured a couple of EV owners bemoaning their decisions to purchase their vehicles (A Jaguar ipace owner and a Leaf owner). I must say that they must have scoured the country for the most negative and depressing ev owners possible which resulted...

www.speakev.com

Hi, I totally understand, I didn't see the episode, this is more about the choices and if there is a problem with people being put off the shift due to a lack of charging points.
Hope that helps.
Rachel

 

[Rachelnews]

Rachel you’ll have to forgive us if you get less-than-positive responses on here. Some of us have been badly burned in our transactions with the media.

There are also many here who struggle with Wales; as you have identified, the main networks don’t bother with mid-Wales for lack of population centres. A pair of rapid chargers (a singleton charger can easily be in use or u/s) in places like Lampeter, Newtown and Betws would transform things.

Thanks for this, yes I totally understand, I didn't see the episode. There seems to be a lack of chargers in a vast area of mid-Wales, I've spoken to an expert who said that many people charge overnight at their homes, but I wondered what it meant for people who are visiting or for those who do long business trips in the area.

 

[ElectricBeagle]

Things have improved a lot over the last year from Aberystwyth southwards, since I got my car, both rapids and 22 kW. AC chargers (Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire,and Ceredigion councils). No improvement if you want to travel east to Shrewsbury or north to North Wales. Most National Trust/ ZeroNet chargers don't work with a Zoe, because their earthing is not good enough. The money seems to be for installation (to be seen to be 'green',) and none for maintainance, or to make them reliable.

f there is a one in ten chance that a charge point is already in use, or broken, that falls to one in a hundred for two, and one in a thousand for three. This is why there should be at least two in any location.

 

[srichards]

Mid Wales is still hard work for charging. North Wales is much better. I've used the Colwyn Bay charger in my Zoe. It was great. Unfortunately the spaces are often blocked by non electric vehicles. This is an issue that needs tackling. It shouldn't be acceptable for a non EV to park in charging bays. Those that do need an eye test!

There needs to be far many more destination chargers in every single car park in every single town that's big enough for a supermarket.

Mid Wales infrastructure for anything in general is quite poor. In Staffordshire and Cheshire I've got a huge choice of car dealers, independent repairers, supermarkets, fuel stations etc. Looking at some of the Mid Wales area, particularly around the coastal areas there are no new car dealers at all for miles. If I wanted to live there I couldn't as the nearest Renault dealer would be hours away rather than 20 minutes away. If that one dealer is also poor then you are totally stuck too.

The whole mid Wales area has been left behind.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

More rapid chargers have been installed along the A55 corridor recently, at St Asaph & Ewloe.
Don't know about mid-Wales though.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

More on this:-

Electric cars: New Welsh homes 'must have' car chargers

Some motorists say they are unable to switch due to a lack of chargers in rural areas.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[ElectricBeagle]

"Currently there are 547 public charging points in Wales, of which 60 are rapid chargers."
60 rapids?
Edit: Not quite as far off as I thought, but most are close to the M4.

 

[MetalHead]

Hi, I totally understand, I didn't see the episode, this is more about the choices and if there is a problem with people being put off the shift due to a lack of charging points.
Hope that helps.
Rachel

Well seen as about half of the episode is themed about charging infrastructure perhaps you should watch it!
It's pretty comprehensive hatchet job. Lots of FUD.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00091x5/rip-off-britain-series-11-episode-12

 

[Ralkbirdy]

Travel from Birmingham, charge at Shrewsbury and can arrive in lots of mid / north Wales, but then need a base to charge overnight.

National Trust properties have a single or double 7kW charger, they now need to increase the numbers as they get filled up.

There is a need to continue improving as more cars get on the road.

Not been stuck yet.

 

[Andy13]

this is more about the choices and if there is a problem with people being put off the shift due to a lack of charging points.

For me, it's more that I'm put off holidaying in Wales due to lack of rapids. Since I bought an EV North Wales is out of bounds for us, all our UK holiday plans are for Scotland now. Reliable CCS rapids in either Caernarfon or Porthmadoc would solve this.

 

[ringi]

Compare how easy it is for a EV driver to holiday in the Lakes due to Booths compared to Wales, and maybe ask the Wash CoOp way they have not had InstaVolt chargers installed at no cost to themselfs like Booths did at at all their supermarkets.

Also try interviewing drivers using the Brooth chargers in the Lakes and ask them if they are on holiday and about their views of going on holiday to Wales.

Also look at the holiday cottage booking sites and see if it possible to find cottages with chargers and ask the management companies about it.

 

[ElectricBeagle]

For me, it's more that I'm put off holidaying in Wales due to lack of rapids. Since I bought an EV North Wales is out of bounds for us, all our UK holiday plans are for Scotland now. Reliable CCS rapids in either Caernarfon or Porthmadoc would solve this.

You might be lucky soon:

PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

 

[Andy13]

You might be lucky soon:

PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

It's a good start!

It's unclear from that whether it'll be a single unit or have some redundancy? I see one is also planned for their Bangor store so I guess that's the fallback option.

 

[Tooks]

The charging infrastructure in Wales (along with much of the UK) is barely coping as it is, and that’s with the current low numbers of EVs on the roads attempting to make longer journeys. Parts of Wales are effectively ‘no go’ areas for some EV owners due to lack of charging infrastructure.

When/if the large scale move to EVs happens, unless there is massively more charging infrastructure including in places like Mid Wales, then there won’t be many people making a trip there in an electric car.

Placement/availability of chargers at the coast/etc is already influencing where I take my car and spend my money.

Whatever number of chargers local authorities might think will be needed, times it by 50 and you might get somewhere close.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

It's a good start!

It's unclear from that whether it'll be a single unit or have some redundancy? I see one is also planned for their Bangor store so I guess that's the fallback option.

If it's like Morrison's Wrexham location, it'll be a single unit.

 

[andrew*debbie]

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with me, or if the lack of charging points meant anyone had thought twice or knew of people who had not bought electric due to concerns about not being able to charge?

Hi. I live in North Wales and have been driving an EV since 2014.

I'm generally positive but Mid Wales is very much a no-go zone due to lack of charging infrastructure.

Are you still interested?

 

[andrew*debbie]

I've spoken to an expert who said that many people charge overnight at their homes, but I wondered what it meant for people who are visiting or for those who do long business trips in the area.

Yes, nearly all of us charge at home overnight. A lack of chargers in our immediate area isn't a problem. We never need them.



For us and many others, the problem is a lack of en-route "rapid" chargers in Wales. There are just enough chargers along the A55 and M4 corridors but that is about it.


I can get from Anglesey to Shetland but I can't get to Aberystwyth. Dolgellau is about the limit since I need to have enough charge to get there and back home.