New or improved hubs announced, Government EV Loans in Scotland and free & no longer free public charging places..

[Ootohere]

[Ootohere]

What a PITA some parts of Scotland are like Moray Firth / Nairn and the Highland Council area.

Getting a Rapid charger that is working is a case of luck and some can be down for weeks.  Then with the likes of Nairn you are maybe coming from the A939 so you might get on a charger at Tomintoul or Grantown on Spey for 45 minutes and have enough range to get to Nairn and then get back to one of those chargers or along the coast.

 

30 pence a kWh on a 43/50 kw charger and then charged at £1 a minute if you go over 45 minutes. 

 

  No idea if charging for 45 minutes and then unplugging and then plugging in again is a loophole if there is nobody else waiting to charge.

If the chargers go unrepaired it hardly matters.

 

Edited 9 July, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[wyx087]

1 hour ago, e-Roottoot said:

Getting a Rapid charger that is working is a case of luck and some can be down for weeks. 

Welcome to the real EV ownership.

 

This is why I've been saying this for a LONG time. Rapid chargers are like fuel pumps, people depend on it to continue their journey, so they NEED to be installed in a forecourt fashion, multiple chargers at a single location. Still able to provide services should a few chargers break. Also greatly reduce possible queuing time.

 

 

Unless there's CCTV, you can freely unplug and restart a charging sessions to avoid the overstay fee. They work based on the amount of time car is connected during a single charging session.

[Ootohere]

Highland Council is taking the pith really.  The neighbouring Authority to the east take £3.90 per session.

 

So much renewable electricity is being generated offshore in the Moray Firth in the Beatrice Field. 

It is going to come down to the Commercial Suppliers making the investment in charging stations. 

 

 

 

Edited 9 July, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

I am charging at Castle View Park and Ride Stirling for the first time since it was completed and chargers all operating and the sun is splitting the pavement and providing lots of electricity via the solar canopies.  132 parking places under those.  Only 4 50kW charger units but 29 others and 70 connectors in total.   

 

The lack of toilet facilities is an issue, you need to walk quite a bit to get to a place with them, or get on a bus maybe. .

4 Rapid chargers really is not enough. 

People were waiting to get on them when i left.  If there were 100-125 kW chargers with the option of paying to use then people would do.

 Maybe one day there will be people parking up at the slow chargers for part or full days.

 

Edited 16 July, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Luckypants]

Very interested, since the public announcement did not make the number of 50kW chargers clear.

[Ootohere]

Edinburgh airport park and ride has 1 rapid charger unit and 2 slow.  The rapid has a broken charger head and the charger is shut down and has been for weeks even though it had been reported by me several times.   This is the Capital City for Scotland's airport and the provision is pathetic. A single rapid left inoperable is just inexcusable. 

[Ootohere]

An Article about the cost of public charging featuring an EV driver that uses my local charging hub provided by Angus Council.

While the photographer was there 2 of the 4 Rapid Chargers were not working including the one the e-208 driver is pictured at.

A regular thing that is a real PITA as the hub can be busy with local drivers & those passing through Angus while travelling on the A90 where public charging facilities are pathetic for the main route from Dundee to Aberdeen and points further North, East, West & South.

There might be Super Quick commercial chargers being installed pretty close in the near future.

http://eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/two-tier-electric-vehicle-charging-would-be-unthinkable-for-petrol-drivers-says-retired-angus-lawyer

 

 

Edited 23 August, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

So much for Scolands largest and most expensive to build EV Charging hub at Castleview Park & Ride Strirling.

70 plus connectors and only 4 rapids, and lots of visitors now setting up home at it.

 

I will nosy in past tomorrow and try to get a charge.

 

Edited 27 August, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

Is 'Charge Place Scotland' or others providing a Gold Standard Service ?   An article in the Dundee Evening Telegraph.

http://eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/gold-standard-service-we-take-to-the-road-to-test-scotlands-struggling-ev-charging-network

 

http://pressreader.com/uk/evening-telegraph-first-edition/20210827/281792812120825

 

http://thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/2480461/sponsored-smart-charging-dundee-articlesfree

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 September, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

Edited 9 September, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

While i sat in the sun for a few hours while the car was sitting on a 7kWh charger i was  trying to phone Charge Place Scotland / SWARCO to report that at any one time only 2 cars were able to get CCS charging started.

Cards were authorised and just would not start the chargers on CCS.  The CHademo would start and AC was OK on the Tethered Chargers. 

I never got an answer and neither did some that tried to call or start chargers with the APP.

Drivers were just moving on in many cases. 

 

The  issue is not just at my local hub there are drivers telling of having the same issues all around Scotland and some that never have issues and then it is common that those that do have never reported them or might try but get no answer. 

 

There was a KIa Niro occupying a Rapid Bay and using the CCS for 3 hours.

This meant nobody went to use it, but when it switched off with a full charge i unplugged it and someone got on it.

The owner came back and i spoke to him. 

He was not concerned i had unplugged as he leaves the car having used the switch at the 'Charger Unlocked setting' so that people can.

Not many dare touch another's car and i have seen many people just assume the charger is in use so tough luck. 

 

 

Edited 15 October, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

Angus Council has decided that the cost to charge will be 23 pence per kWh at their chargers.

 

The going has been good while it lasted.

I will charge in Perth & Kinross now where free if that lasts and at Tesco occasionally at Free Chargers for maybe an hour or so on a 7kW charger.

If needs must my home tariff is 18 pence a kWh for another couple of months.

 

45 kWh @ 18 pence £8.10  @ getting 3 miles per kWH that is for 135 miles. 

After that then to charge my EV is 45 kWh is going to be £10.35 with Angus Council.

 

 

 

[Ootohere]

This EV driver in the article used to often be charging locally at the same time as me is using the press to get out his discontent.

 

Knocking his head against a brick wall i feel and since he can charge in Dundee for a bit less then fair enough.

I wonder when i will see him doing his charging free a mile from his home at Tesco to top up from the electric used getting home from Dundee.

 

https://thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/angus-mearns/2724381/electric-car-driver-dundee-charges-protest/

 

The day the photographer took this picture which was for a previous article the charger was actually not working but then that is neither here nor their.

Paying for a service and getting a rather unreliable service because of a poor maintenance set up and the poor performance of the administration is an issue IMO.

 

Edited 12 November, 2021 by roottoot

[lol-lol]

4 hours ago, roottoot said:

This EV driver in the article used to often be charging locally at the same time as me is using the press to get out his discontent.

 

Knocking his head against a brick wall i feel and since he can charge in Dundee for a bit less then fair enough.

I wonder when i will see him doing his charging free a mile from his home at Tesco to top up from the electric used getting home from Dundee.

 

https://thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/angus-mearns/2724381/electric-car-driver-dundee-charges-protest/

 

The day the photographer took this picture which was for a previous article the charger was actually not working but then that is neither here nor their.

Paying for a service and getting a rather unreliable service because of a poor maintenance set up and the poor performance of the administration is an issue IMO.

 

 

Hi George, its premium content so we cannot see it as it is behind a sign up pay wall.

 

[Ootohere]

Sorry I thought there was access to 5 articles free. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Yeah, as @lol-lol says, it looks a wee bit like this... I hate that they do this to be honest, especially the Scotsman.

 

[Ootohere]

http://evros.uk/route

 

http://evros.uk

 

[Ootohere]

'Shock bill for EV drivers after charging glitch.'

https://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59347468

 

 

[Ootohere]

Edinburgh airport park and ride now has 6 X 50Kw chargers BP Pulse chargers fired up next to the still free single 50 kW charger.

There is also the row of 7kw CPS chargers which are free.     EDIT, while in charged their was an interuption to charging as a CPS update was done.  Card or App now needed to start the old charger. 

 

Edinburgh Airport Park & Ride chargers.   30 x 7Kw chargers.

 

Bottom pic new chargers at Auchterarder. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 December, 2021 by roottoot

[Ootohere]

Dundee Council is increasing the cost to charge on their chargers from 1st February 2022 & other changes in April.   There will also be a £10 penalty for over stayers on chargers other than those in the Multi Story car parks.  70 mins allowed on rapid,s and 190 on fast chargers.     Various sources of info other than in the Dundee Courier.  I will link an article later.  The Daily Record have an article that covers it well.  It says Tayside but Tayside is much more than Dundee City and I have not yet seen that Angus Council are increasing the recently increased charges. Perthshire might be staring to charge to charge but I have not read that as happening yet. 

 

https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/news/article?article_ref=4137

 

'Across Tayside.'  from 1st April.   No Dundee,  and charging cost rises in February,  that is the 'Next month',

maybe Tayside if that is announced by other Councils Leaders.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/electric-vehicle-charging-rates-set-25881309

 

Edited 8 January, 2022 by roottoot

[wyx087]

What's the typical parking time at those car parks? AC fast chargers are also known as destination chargers. I don't agree with having a time limit on those. It's more of a convenience feature of the parking spot. But if I have to go out of my way moving the car, it's no longer convenient.

 

70min on rapid is totally needed, rapid need to have high availability and rapids are like petrol stations, fuel up and leave.

[Ootohere]

I have never used them so no idea. 

But the Multistorey car parks will be there for long time parking on fast chargers and they are in the centre of Dundee. 

There are chargers at the University, Colleges, Hospitals and elsewhere that are not Dundee Council ones. 

Plenty charging about it is just not free or even cheap as it was to encourage EV's in Dundee. 

Edited 8 January, 2022 by roottoot

[cheezemonkhai]

I’d say:

 

<7kW unlimited and have plenty

22kW chargers are 4 hours (a typical day out)

43AC/50kW DC chargers are 90-120 minutes

100kW are 60-70 minutes

125/150kW are 45 minutes

200+ are 30 minutes.

 

Basically long enough to fill a car with a typical long range battery from nearly empty to 80%.

However I’d also allow a 15 minute grace period when the car hits 80% then start charging idle charges. That way there is an incentive to get the car off the rapid DC.

 

Perhaps some car parks could offer a move from DC to a 7kW AC to get from 80-100% gets you free power if you’ve paid for the DC and moved the car.

 

I have to say though I would probably see a use for say 6-12 bays sharing 2x22kW supplies which can configure to 2x22/4x11kW / 6x7 /12x3.5  and any viable mixes.

 

That would allow faster charges and more charging points.

 

 

[xman]

Who is paying for all this infrastructure and subsidised or even free electricity, not to mention the free parking?

 

I have the distinct feeling it's me and I don't even have an EV/PHEV 😠