Mike4 wrote:AF62 wrote:Dod101 wrote:Thanks AF62. I had no idea.
Dod
No problem - I think they have snuck up without people noticing. I 'borrowed' that map from
http://www.zap-map.com and filtered so only the fast chargers were showing.
I've heard it said though, that there are five or six different charge point providers and to use any of them one needs to open accounts with all of them. Also, it may not be true but I've also heard there are compatibility problems with the plugs and sockets. E.G. if you have a Tesla you can only charge from a Tesla charging point, and no other brands of car can use Tesla charge points.
Is there any truth in any of these urban rumours or are they just anti-BEV rubbish?
Only Tesla owners can use the Tesla network - Tesla pay for it and sell it as part of the perk of ownership of the car.
There used to be an issue about the type of charging plug, with originally cars from the far-east using CHAdeMO and European cars using Type 2 (Type 1 was only used by very few manufacturers) but the EU required all European cars to have Type 2 so that is what you will find on all new EVs, whether it is a Renault Zoe or a Tesla (although a Tesla will also have a Tesla charging port as well for its dedicated charging network).
In addition there is the CCS port which is a Type 2 port with an additional bit to the Type 2 port. Type 2 will charge at up to 43kW at a public charging point, although 22kW is more common, and can charge at 7.4kW from a single phase home charger. CSS will charge at up to 170kW at a a public charging point, although 50kW is more common.
Having accounts with the different providers isn't usually necessary, but if you do subscribe you will get benefits such as lower or even free charging. For example with BP Pulse with a £7.85 per month subscription you can charge at around 12p to 27p / kWh depending on how fast you want to charge (faster is more expensive) but without the subscription it is around 18p to 42p / kWh.
staffordian wrote:Not to mention that the reliability of some of these chargepoints seems to be questionable. I've read several reports where users have got to a charger only to find it wouldn't accept their (correct!) card, or it accepted the card then wouldn't supply any juice
True, but with the 200-250 mile range on many new EVs then charging whilst out is getting less likely if you have a charger at home, unless you want to take up the offer of companies like Tesco who are installing charging points in their store car parks where you charge at 7.4kW for free (or pay for a faster charge) so for many a subscription isn't necessary. You can charge from a 3 pin plug but it isn't recommended unless an emergency as it would take 24 hours or more to charge to full from empty, whereas a 7.4kW will charge overnight.
On the right tariff at home you can pay 5p / kWh for electricity to fuel the car or even free or paid to take it away if there is surplus being generated.
With modern EVs doing around 4 miles per kW that is around 1.25p per mile compared to a car doing 40 MPG costing around 10.5p per mile; so 8000 miles would cost around £100 a year in electricity vs £1,090 in petrol. Even paying 25p /kWh for a PAYG rapid charger for a 50kW charge to get you 200 miles home would only be £12.50 vs £27.50 in petrol.
Sure EVs are not for everyone, but for those who do buy/lease new cars and do mostly less than 200 mile round trip journeys, they are no longer a crazy idea.