Cost to charge at many Charge Place Scotland 7kW or 22kW Fast chargers & 43 or 50kW Rapid chargers is Free.   A charge card is £20 a year.

http://chargeplacescotland.org

 

 

 

 

 

Above 12*oC just so not cold.

 

 

 

 

Edited 16 May, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

 

 

Sitting charging at Perth's excellent park and ride charging hub.   Only done 30 miles since leaving home with 100% battery and an indicated 192 range. But there is thunder and lightning, flooded roads in parts and vehicles stuck in floods.  So putting in more charge to 98% which took 10 minutes. Range now showing 180 miles, as and if no detours I am doing 125 miles to where I can do a rapid charge at 100kWh.   Charging is free with s ChargePlace card in Scotland. 

Edited 12 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

Epic fails.  I will get a TESLA soon.  Driven through floods that cars and vans had conked out in. Did a 60 mile diversion. Tried 5 charge points.  Either car park so charging blocked off.  Or out of order.  Would not work / accept any card.  So insta volt used in Newton means to do a splash and dash and get on my way. 260 miles done and 50 more today.  Lovely weather now but what a PITA.   Lots of emergency vehicles heading North  so Stirling direction.  Unmarked Volva XC 40 included in off white.

Zap map hopeless. Plug share as well.  If only everything in life was as good as an InstaVolt app. And their Rapid chargers. 

Edited 12 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

@e-Roottoot I’m enjoying the journey.

I doubt you’ll be able to get the Tesla ‘soon’ enough though! 

22 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

Epic fails.  I will get a TESLA soon.  Driven through floods that cars and vans had conked out in. Did a 60 mile diversion. Tried 5 charge points.  Either car park so charging blocked off.  Or out of order.  Would not work / accept any card.  So insta volt used in Newton means to do a splash and dash and get on my way. 260 miles done and 50 more today.  Lovely weather now but what a PITA.   Lots of emergency vehicles heading North  so Stirling direction.  Unmarked Volva XC 40 included in off white.

Maybe the Aberdeen to Dundee Train derailment possibly caused by a landslide due to the heavy rain in Scotland.

Roads flooded all about as far south as the central belt.  Several convoys of police vehicles about north of Glasgow and near Ayr.     ChargePlace Girvan is pathetic for charge speed and only one DC charging at a time.  Touch screen faded out because it faces the sun so that makes getting the charger started pretty difficult.

Edited 12 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

Welcome to EV ownership. 😝

 

I've been slagging off the poor rapid charging infrastructure for years now. It's simply not reliable enough to do long journey. Only one brand provides a good enough charging infrastructure, enabling seamless travel throughout Europe, like owning a fossil car.

4 minutes ago, wyx087 said:

Welcome to EV ownership. 😝

 

I've been slagging off the poor rapid charging infrastructure for years now. It's simply not reliable enough to do long journey. Only one brand provides a good enough charging infrastructure, enabling seamless travel throughout Europe, like owning a fossil car.

That's why the average Tesla owner covers 12,000 miles per year because there are no compromises either with the product range or the charging infrastructure to support it.

Edited 13 August, 20205 yr by shyVRS245
more info

I posted by mistake in the Citigo section about adaptions for Tesla to have CCS charging. Not read the article yet and no idea for which cars or where.

European Model 3 and Model Y have CCS charging already. All new Model S and Model X come with a CCS adaptor to allow the use of non-Tesla chargers. Most older S and X can have the software and charge port upgraded to allow the use of the CCS adaptor, cost was about £400 IIRC. This has just been reduced this week it turns out... 

https://www.electrive.com/2020/08/10/tesla-reduced-european-ccs-conversion-prices/

You ought to send your experiences to someone high up in Govt George to make the reality of EV ownership known to those in their ivory towers...

 

PS - I really hope @lol-lol the EV evangelist is reading this reality check.

Those in the Scottish Government past and present that promise plenty like Alex Salmond, Keith Brown, Nicola Sturgeon and the present plonker that is Transport Minister only bother about the Central Belt and a bit of spending here and there or promises of, and neglect many transport routes important to the economy of Scotland.

Whisky, Fish / Seafood, Timber and Tourism Routes.

 

Keith Brown MSP could not and will not sort out Winter Road maintenance,

By-passes taking decades and dueling of roads as well has never been a priority.

What chargers there are are out of order or not fit for purpose in many cases.    Being driven around by 'public servants' means that Nicola is no more switched on to the state of the infrastructure than Alex was as he went from Grace & Favour home to 5 star hotels as he went about the Governments business and his own personal business.

 

You get as much work and value for money out of the 'Elected Members' as you do from this guy. 

Only he is free and there all the time for a photo opportunity, 

The Scottish Government Ministers make sure there is something in it for them when they turn up to be seen promising the earth and poo.

Edited 13 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

The bad charging experience is not directly due to poor government legislation. The key is manufacturers need to actually want to sell a car that is able to offer equal end user experience to their fossil fuelled counterparts. Currently no ICE manufacturer is happy to push EV and the lack of investment into rapid charging infrastructure shows this.

 

Business model for charging operators is simple, blanket cover as much roads as possible with chargers that are used as often as possible. This means single chargers everywhere. But single charger are unreliable as means of continuing one's journey. A single charger can be in-use, causing one to wait up to 30 minutes, and a single charger can be broken, requiring plan B.  With multiple chargers at a location, it means virtually zero probability needing to wait full length of charging time, it also means probably of all chargers broken is very low.

But business case for installing multiple charger hubs is not so clear cut. The fewer the charger per location, the higher its utilisation rate, thus the higher return on investment. But to get high utilisation rate, it means end user will likely have to wait -> bad user experience.

 

Car manufacturers need to invest in charging operators to provide the initial investment for multiple large charging hubs along trunk routes. This, in turn, gives better end user experience and pushes EV as fossil car replacement.

 

 

 

But which ICE manufacturer want to strangle their golden ICE goose? 

1 hour ago, wyx087 said:

The bad charging experience is not directly due to poor government legislation. The key is manufacturers need to actually want to sell a car that is able to offer equal end user experience to their fossil fuelled counterparts. Currently no ICE manufacturer is happy to push EV and the lack of investment into rapid charging infrastructure shows this.

 

Business model for charging operators is simple, blanket cover as much roads as possible with chargers that are used as often as possible. This means single chargers everywhere. But single charger are unreliable as means of continuing one's journey. A single charger can be in-use, causing one to wait up to 30 minutes, and a single charger can be broken, requiring plan B.  With multiple chargers at a location, it means virtually zero probability needing to wait full length of charging time, it also means probably of all chargers broken is very low.

But business case for installing multiple charger hubs is not so clear cut. The fewer the charger per location, the higher its utilisation rate, thus the higher return on investment. But to get high utilisation rate, it means end user will likely have to wait -> bad user experience.

 

Car manufacturers need to invest in charging operators to provide the initial investment for multiple large charging hubs along trunk routes. This, in turn, gives better end user experience and pushes EV as fossil car replacement.

 

But which ICE manufacturer want to strangle their golden ICE goose? 

 

We continue to install new 22 and 7 kWh chargers, many double output ones.  They are not easy to install, particularly the 22 kWh as they need to tap the 3 phase supply.

https://www.sourcelondon.net/new-ev-charge-points-installed-5-london-boroughs

We now have over 1300 in London. Whilst London is very supportive of the change to EV it is still a 44 Borough authorities rather than the Unitary authority that Paris is for that roll out.

 

UK government cut the EV subsidy by 20% rather than keeping it up with inflation is not helping the rolls out but EVs now are a substantial percentage of overall sales.

 

Tesla banks at service stations seem to often have 16 chargers in their bank, shame the bigger battery non-Tesla EVs cannot use their chargers even for a price.

Model 3 LR, Ford Mustang-e or Zoe seem the optimum choices.  Who really knows how much we will need to travel by road over the next few months/years ?  

 

22 and 7 kW chargers are different kettle of fish though. They need to be spread to every corner so everyone can be within walking distance of a couple dotted around the neighbourhood. They are like parking spots, if ones on your road is in-use, try around the corner.

 

Rapid chargers, on the other hand, is like motorway petrol stations. They are expensive to use and you rarely use them, but when you do, they MUST be reliable and numerous, should be manned and you would never want to queue 30min mid-journey.

 

 

@wyx087   750 miles done since Monday.  Car if filthy and away to get a wash. Also 'Wind Deflectors' for the front windows as essential if sitting in the car when charging, or just when it is pouring down, or roasting hot, and even both at the same time. (Heko only delivering to the EU, so that excludes the UK.)

 

Given up on the ECO mode and AC off in the roasting weather and motorway miles covered.

Most interesting 'hypermiling' was leaving a Charger in Ayrshire with 98% indicated and 180 miles.  Drove the average speed area for 20 miles to Ayr and had 178 miles range showing, then took 20 mile coastal route back to the charger and i had 160 mile range left when i put on the charger and i put it to 100% and had 210 mile range available.

*Driving the same roads in the same directions at much the same speed in the 10 year old 1.6 Auto Suzuki gives a pretty accurate 46mpg & i got 48 mpg doing that from cold starts in the 2.0TDI DSG Alhambra and that was using 'Coasting Mode'.*

 

 

That is as much as i can be bothered seeing what is possible on those roads and now the tyres are scrubbed in and the pressures as i like i will just get more genned on alternatives for charging when on trips and enjoy the car.  Done some draggy times, and Max speed and once replicated a few times i will print them out.

 

https://networks.online/technology-operations/scottish-government-investing-in-ev-infrastructure

 

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotland-spending-twice-much-rest-uk-electric-vehicle-chargers-1403534

 

 

Public / Tax Payers money in Scotland is going someplace if it leaves the Government Account as the Government has been spinning that the money is going to be spent.

Perth & Kinross & Tayside generally has a pretty good spread of chargers.  This morning i charged again outside Angus Council Head Quarters and used the 'Guests' WiFi as well.

Pity that there are chargers sitting faulty as they have been for a while, and then the many EV's from various manufacturers sitting going no place as unused.

 

Last night in Auchterarder a gent in a TESLA finished his charge early to let me get wired in.

But my ChargePlace Scotland card would not start the charger so a 5 minute holding on got the Call Handler and she fired it up.

This morning at 6.30am i finished charging earlier to let a gent with a e-Tron get charged.

Both of these drivers shared info on where i can find proper RAPID chargers.  These are ones that i had not found on Zap Map or Plug Share and will be happy to pay some cash money to use if and when required.

So far i have paid £2.06 & £9.30 to InstaVolt.

 

 

 

Edited 14 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

 

 

Shame they haven't got any on sale and no plans for UK sales. Too many electric car start-ups producing vapourware.

There is more important places in the world than the UK to get buyers in. 

There can never be too many companies producing vehicles and time will tell who prosper and survive & who might fail.

It is the Biggest Corporations that seem to be taking for ever to get the actual production and deliveries going after years of spinning their vapour-builds.

 

 

 

Edited 15 August, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

20 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

There is more important places in the world than the UK to get buyers in. 

 

For the manufacturers I don't doubt it. For me reading a UK board about electric vehicles, based in the UK its important to me what I can buy in the UK. So Lucid, while of interest from a technology viewpoint, is pointless until they are actually selling cars I can buy. The Chevvy Bolt for instance appears to be a good vehicle, but is hardly spoken about in the UK because it cannot be bought here - and the Bolt is a real thing not vapourware. 

 

 

We all know that roof bars can affect your fuel consumption a little, and then bikes, boats and roof boxes fitted will affect fuel consumption even more.

 

So i was expecting a little affect on the range of my EV with the bars and bike carrier fitted, and more so with a bike carried.

Just how much that has been has shocked me and i have to rethink where i will be charging and how often when heading off with a loaded up car.

 

Maybe some of the EV Vloggers / Car Reviewers will get the new Crossover / SUV EV's and get bikes and boats / roofboxes on them and stuff in the boot and then see just what the real world ranges are.

 

The VW ID.4 / Skoda Enyaq being the type i mean where if people want people carriers then they might actually being used to carry people and stuff.