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Which networks to sign up to?

2K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Somex 
#1 ·
Apologies if this has been asked a hundred times before, but I'm about to become an EV driver (e-Niro arrives in a couple of weeks) and I have read so much stuff on charging networks that I am befuddled...

I'm hoping to be able to do the vast majority of charging at home (PodPoint on order) so don't need high volumes (so almost certainly not worth paying any monthly subscriptions). There aren't any particular journeys/locations I need to take account of - it's just the occasional out-of-range journey to a random place when I will need a rapid topup to get home. Could be anywhere in England or Wales.

I don't mind putting the odd app on my smartphone if that's what's needed.

Are there a couple of networks that would be worth signing up to that would give me a decent probability of being able to charge? Or is it not worth bothering and just rely on ad-hoc contactless?

The low volume means that squeezing out the last penny/kWh is a lot less important than convenience and reliability.

Suggestions very welcome.
 
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#2 ·
For now, you should get the Electric Highway app for all the motorway service stations. Soon they will be getting replaced with chargers that support contactless though.

Other than that you should get the Pod Point app, not only for your home charger but because they are commonly found at supermarkets and shopping centres.

Only other suggestion is to get the Electric Juice card from Octopus. It will cover you for a decent number of other networks and will combine all your usage into one bill.

Zap Map is your friend for finding chargepoints. You can alternatively set up a filter in that app to only show the chargers that accept contactless credit card payments. See if that would be enough for you without having to sign up with anyone else. The most reliable names in charging like Instavolt and Osprey for example will work without you needing any apps or membership cards anyways.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
I'd second getting the Zap-Map app and also the Plugshare one so that you can see what chargers are on route or near your random destination. Then you can download any apps, if necessary, before you set off.

You don't need the app to use Instavolt, but you can get £5 of free charging via the app with a referral code when you sign up to their app. See my sig below for my code. You can earn points via the app which can also earn you free credit.
 
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