This is a clever idea. A charger that comes to you!

I wonder what the cost to charge is, though?

 

 

On 15/06/2022 at 19:57, EnterName said:

This is a clever idea. A charger that comes to you!

I wonder what the cost to charge is, though? 

 

 

So they charge a battery that drives to you and charges your battery… Add in transmission losses and you might as well just go fuel cell.

On 25/06/2022 at 10:09, cheezemonkhai said:

 

So they charge a battery that drives to you and charges your battery… Add in transmission losses and you might as well just go fuel cell.

It's quite recursive.

So a number of new charging hubs have opened recently. I'm bound to have missed some while on holiday, but hope this is of interest.

 

E.G.

Severn View Services Gridserve

Heston Services Gridserve

Instavolt Rhug Estate A5
York Monks Cross park and ride

York Poppleton Road park and ride

Fastned in Hamilton near Glasgow

Fastned at Redbridge Park and Ride, Oxford

 

 

Edited 6 July, 20223 yr by Luckypants

Not had any new hubs mentioned for a while, so here are three I've heard of recently:-

 

MFG 6x150kW chargers at Stanton St Quintin near the M4
MFG 5x150kW chargers in Lewisham
Denbighshire Council hub 3x50kW and 33 fast chargers at West Kinmel Street Car Park, Rhyl.

Edited 15 March, 20233 yr by Luckypants
33 fast chargers not rapids!

On 18/05/2022 at 14:56, wyx087 said:

Thanks for that.

 

Here's a list in case anyone needs it:

https://www.speakev.com/threads/tesla-opening-uk-super-chargers-to-all-from-today.169485/

• Adderstone NE70 7JU
• Aviemore PH22 1PN
• Dundee DD2 5JT
• Manchester Trafford Centre M17 8AA
• Flint Mountain CH6 5QG
• Aberystwyth SY23 3TL
• Banbury OX16 1LX
• Wyboston MK44 3AL
• Trumpington CB2 9FT
• Thetford IP24 3TP
• Wokingham RG41 5DG
• Uxbridge UB8 1QJ
• Thurrock RM20 2ZP
• Folkstone Eurotunnel Terminal CT18 8XX
• Cardiff CF23 8HE

 

<snip>

 

5 Tesla SC locations have been opened to all since the original list was released
 

• Harrogate HG3 1EW
• Birmingham B10 0BW
• Carmarthen SA31 1GA
• Newport NP18 1HQ
• Romford RM1 3JT

Applegreen have burst on the scene also, installing hubs at Welcome Break services (same group) and now have HPC hubs at

 

• Abbington Services
• Gretna Services
• Hartshead Moor services
• Newark Services
• Sarn Park services (Bridgend)
• South Mimms

 

https://driver.applegreenelectric.com/findCharger?53.6059337,-2.4951227,7z

 

Edited 15 March, 20233 yr by Luckypants

The Tesla sites that are open seems to be less busy ones. They are also testing and hopefully roll out V4 on all new sites so that there's no problem of cars using up 2 spaces. Busy places like South Mimms probably would not open until they get V4 chargers a lot more stalls.

If at all possible, it's worth using Tesla chargers, they seem to be cheapest around (outside their peak price period). Even for non-Tesla drivers.

 

I've used Applegreen in South Mimms before, it's fantastic and super easy to use. Same as Instavolt.

2 hours ago, wyx087 said:

If at all possible, it's worth using Tesla chargers, they seem to be cheapest around (outside their peak price period). Even for non-Tesla drivers.

I agree, with the subscription price per kWh almost half that of Osprey, Instavolt, Applegreen et al. I don't charge much on the road, so no CPO subscription is worth it to me. However, we are driving to the South of France in September and Tesla look the cheapest with a subscription, which I can take for a single month. They are also the most numerous on the autoroutes now and ABRP shows I can make the trip purely using Tesla SC at about 42p / kWh. 

I used the new bank of chargers at Washington South services on the A1 yesterday. 6x350kW chargers that worked nicely. One was in use when we got there, by the time we had a comfort break there were 5 in use. Six chargers per services is probably a minimum now.

 

for those interested I got 75kW with a cold battery and 25% SoC. Not lightening fast, but good enough.

Talking about charging out and about. We also charged at Beverley MfG 100kW charger which is brand new (not on Zap-Map yet) where we briefly got 60kW before someone else plugged in to the other cable on the unit (2xCCS 1xChademo) and knocked speed down to 30kW. I'm assuming its a split charge system and I got a bum deal. As this was meant to be a quick top up to get home, I left as soon as I had enough with little buffer if things went badly. An hour or so later we needed a comfort break and I decided to get a splash and dash at Birch services. Three chargers and only one free, which I plugged into and was getting a measly 30kW but immediately a Mercedes EQE plugged in to the same charger and split the charge down to 15kW. So a 10 minute break added about 4kW. turns out a good decision as it rained and consumption increased and we got home with 3% remaining.

My point is that unless implemented well, shared charging is ****e. I want to go topped up fast on the road and both these chargers were severely compromised by split charging. In the case of Birch, the charge was slow anyway before it was split in half. We need a lot more places like Washington I mentioned in my previous post so on route charging works for everyone.

 

 

EDIT: I was also a bit ****ed at the EQE driver who has a 400 mile range capable car and plugged in to shared charger when they had 77% battery. Of course he may need every last electron to complete his journey and I'll never know.....

Edited 21 March, 20233 yr by Luckypants

4 hours ago, Luckypants said:

My point is that unless implemented well, shared charging is ****e. I want to go topped up fast on the road and both these chargers were severely compromised by split charging. In the case of Birch, the charge was slow anyway before it was split in half. We need a lot more places like Washington I mentioned in my previous post so on route charging works for everyone.

 

 

EDIT: I was also a bit ****ed at the EQE driver who has a 400 mile range capable car and plugged in to shared charger when they had 77% battery. Of course he may need every last electron to complete his journey and I'll never know.....

There's your answer as to why shared charging is needed. It makes better use of resources when slow charging vehicle is plugged in.

 

Gridserve implementation of charge sharing is really bad. It just splits speed in half. Tesla V2 and V3, Kempower, all able to gradually ramp up the second car as first car's charging speed ramps down. This is ideal and allows the second car to plug in, get charging while not affecting first car.

Another point raised by my little trip out at the weekend. I was thinking I could charge at Hartshead Moor services, as something was telling me Applegreen had opened an 8 charger / 16 plug hub there recently, but could not find mention on the usual apps, so chose to charge early at Beverley. Today with some time on my hands I found the post about it and a link to the Applegreen charger map. They were operational and would have made an excellent stop. With low SoC and 180kW capable charger I would have been away in 10 minutes (or a bathroom break). I think this underlines how quickly things are moving now we have more players in the EV charging space and it is worth researching as much as possible before heading into an unfamiliar area. 

 

Link to Applegreen charger map

 

Banbury, wow.  Population just over 50k people, a hundred mostly high powered DC chargers.

The Instavolt site just off the M40, something else.  Costa a stone throw away.....

 

Apparently this is on the site of an old steel works, so lots of power available. Instavolt have 32 80kW chargers (400V vehicles), Osprey have 6 Kempower 150kW and Tesla have 12 250kW which are open to all. Here is a little review of the area I spotted on YT yesterday

 

https://youtu.be/qfTBv7ikA4w

 

4 hours ago, Luckypants said:

Apparently this is on the site of an old steel works, so lots of power available. Instavolt have 32 80kW chargers (400V vehicles), Osprey have 6 Kempower 150kW and Tesla have 12 250kW which are open to all. Here is a little review of the area I spotted on YT yesterday

 

https://youtu.be/qfTBv7ikA4w

 

 

Both the bunch at Banbury Cross, which is someway in to the town of Banbury, but the mass of Instavolt one are literally a few hundred yards off the M40.

No stupid apps or RFID cards just wave ones credit/debit card, even American Express we is my preferred card of choice (due to the kick backs of course)

 

Reminded me of the Not the Nine O'clock News sketch.  Apologies to anyone offended by the non-PC humour of the time......

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Tesla hubs open to all are now up to 24.

Aviemore

Dundee
Adderstone
Harrogate
Manchester Trafford Centre
Flint Mountain
Aberystwyth
Birmingham Merry Hill
Birmingham St Andrews

Thetford
Cambridge Trumpington

Banbury
Carmarthen
Cardiff
Newport
Uxbridge

Heathrow T1 & T2
Romford
Wokingham
Grays

Sidcup
Dorking

Guildford
Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal

Edited 9 May, 20233 yr by Luckypants
Heathrow added over the weekend.

Trying to keep up with the open hubs is difficult and I've taken to just assuming there is plenty of charging available now.

For instance Gridserve now have 18(+) 350kW hubs at motorways. Applegreen are live at Gretna (12 plugs) and Hartshead moor (6 plugs on each carriageway). MFG power are ripping ahead with over 40 100kW+ stations with 6 plugs or more. Osprey have 6 hubs now and a big one about to open in Devon (Salmon Leap at Buckfastleigh).

Just thought I'd give the topic a boost as a lot is happening.

3 minutes ago, Luckypants said:

Trying to keep up with the open hubs is difficult and I've taken to just assuming there is plenty of charging available now.

For instance Gridserve now have 18(+) 350kW hubs at motorways. Applegreen are live at Gretna (12 plugs) and Hartshead moor (6 plugs on each carriageway). MFG power are ripping ahead with over 40 100kW+ stations with 6 plugs or more. Osprey have 6 hubs now and a big one about to open in Devon (Salmon Leap at Buckfastleigh).

Just thought I'd give the topic a boost as a lot is happening.

 

Charging at Buckfastleigh !!!   That is a real tonic !!!   I think I can use Osprey with my Electroverse Octopus card so it goes on my monthly lecky bill.  

 

Bank of Grideserve chargers at Xecteter (Exeter) services and a few in Plymouth but needs much more along the A38 and probably the A30 as well and the A360 N.Devon link road. 

 

Progress. 

 

There is now apparently 200 rapid charging hubs across UK and Ireland, excluding Tesla-only.

https://www.speakev.com/threads/milestone-200-rapid-hubs-now-open-in-the-uk.177382/#post-3431772

 

The hubs map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1DOswN-GODssM2XmKV4oQ9r-mkGcbGno&ll=54.13136950620638%2C-2.8241776258469464&z=7

 

 

So with 6 or more Rapids.  

Making Scotland look very devoid of Rapid Charger Hubs because there are quite a few with 4 or 5 Rapid / 50 kWh chargers. 

 

The Map actually shows ones with 5 Rapids like Hermiston Park & Ride or Falkirk Stadium but just has not got others with 5. 

Edited 9 May, 20233 yr by toot

Hence posted in the England thread.

 

Worth bringing those missing ones to the map owner's attention, data source isn't always reliable and nothing beats real user experiences.

 

 

Yes in the England thread.  The point being it says '200 rapid charging hubs across the UK'. 

 

 A deceiving figure for the UK and needs to be clear if 6 Rapids or more and they get that at 200. 

6 sort of is the minimum these days....... especially on trunk roads.

 

Decrease the required stalls per location and there should be a lot more "hubs".

6 sort of thing might well be for England.  Well if many places even get that or any charging hubs.

Trunk Roads & Motorways and all roads are what matters & there are no Motorways north of Perth.  

 

This 'UK' stuff is just what confuses.  

As it is there are 4 countries making up the UK and each of these countries will need many many more hubs and 4 or 5 chargers will be as much as many get including ones planned by Councils around Scotland and i will guess in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.. 

 

Ground Breaking. & what can well be expected.  Pathetic to be honest when not being spun by SWARCO. 

Not enough Rapids obviously and only 2 miles from Charge Place Scotlands HQ' which is being run by SWARCO you own e-Volt. 

Edited 9 May, 20233 yr by toot