Hi All;

Picking up my Enyaq in the next few days but the dealership seem to be very poorly informed about the POWERPASS  feature.

I think I have provided them with more information than Skoda and when I asked for information from Skoda UK I received no reply !

 

As I understand it, POWERPASS is Skoda's version of the IONITY network which is jointly owned by Mercedes, VW Group and others including some Japanese manufacturers.

 

On the Powerpass tariff website (https://www.skoda-auto.com/other/powerpass-tariff-information) it shows that if you sign up to the Pass in the first 12 months of buying a new

electric Skoda then you get free membership which then entitles you to a discounted charging cost (25p per kWh if charging with IONITY compared to the normal 69p rate).

 

Now I know that IONITY's charging installations are as rare as hen's teeth in the UK, but as it happens their newest (ultra High Speed) charging site is in Leeds which is on my doorstep.

 

Has anyone on here signed up to POWERPASS and if so, can they share their experience of signing on and using ?

Where do you get to read that you do not have to pay the £9.99 a month to get the Ionity for the 25 pence kWH?

Hi e-Roottoot;

As evident from your response, the situation is confusing to say the least.

First click on https://www.skoda-auto.com/other/powerpass-tariff-information

That will give you the option of 'Click to Start'.

Click on that page and you will be ditrected to 'Select EV model'.

Click on 'Enyaq iV'.

You will be directed to 'Select Option'.

Select 'DC Package'.

You will be directed to 'Available Tariffs'.

That shows the 'Charge Faster' tariff with zero GBP per month and £0.25GBP/kWh.

 

0,25 GBP/kWh

P.S.

Note that it states

"the above tariffs are valid for a period of 1 year after purchase"

21 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

Where do you get to read that you do not have to pay the £9.99 a month to get the Ionity for the 25 pence kWH?

 

You only get the Ionity price without a monthly fee if you have paid for the DC charging upgrade when you buy your Enyaq. (100kw on 60 and 125kw on 80) This is the DC package referred to in the website. Ionity want to keep slow charging cars off its 'premium' network by charging a fortune to them. (e.g. £9.99 / month or 69p / kWh on PAYG)

So car manufacturers are following the lead of mobile phone operators and signing you up for a nice contract that costs you even if you don't use it.

 

But think of the money you could save they will say.

 

Payg? Maybe they will add goody bags or bolt ons later.

 

Maybe they'll even have a cheery chubby Yorkshireman advertising here in gods own country.

 

That'll do

I guess I am lucky that I opted for 100kWh charging then !

However, it is a matter of concern that this facility is so poorly

advertised (and so poorly understood by dealerships) !

Incidentally, you might want to visit

for a different perspective on whether 69p is "charging a fortune".

 

You need to consider whether you would be prepared to pay more in a rural petrol/diesel filling station if you ran out of the fuel you bought 

in a supermarket in Chester, Wrexham etc ?

 

At the end of the day, the cheapest option will be a residential charger but if you are stuck, I suspect you would be prepared to pay 69p to 

top up your batteries in the same way that you would probably be prepared to pay £1.70 a litre in a rural area for petrol (or more for diesel)

to get you home !

 

Best Wishes,

So I emailed our dealer about this and he said the latest update had dated 13th July is that PP is in Europe but not the UK yet and they are waiting on service agreements to be sorted before they are rolling it out.

 

I pointed out to him that it appears you can already sign up (not sure if anyone actually has) and that it would be very poor form it they allow people to start the 12 month period if they can't use the chargers! Also hope no one goes to Ionity and gets charged full whack or can't charge at all! 

I see plenty charging at the Ionity charger in Perth.  They have their Audi card or whichever and just want charged up quickly. They are not wanting to mess about 2 mile up the road at Broxden Park and Ride on free charging with chargers that might or might not start and give you well under 50kW. There they can sit with 1 or more out of order for weeks or months broken. 12 Tesla chargers there as well seldom used. 

 

There is Rapid BP Pulse Charging not far from the Ionity Charger but i have not been desperate enough for a charge to go there.

Edited 22 July, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

Thanks Xtopher;

 

I think that your comments demonstrate the disorganisation I referred to in my original posting !

 

My dealer (I am collecting the Enyaq on Monday) made no reference to the information you referred

to in the first sentence of your reply. I was just fobbed off with "Download the App".

 

As mentioned earlier, I am aware that the Ionity network in the UK  is way behind our Continental

cousins but nevertheless they have "rolled it out" as demonstrated by https://www.skoda-auto.com/other/powerpass-tariff-information

but it fails to properly explain what is available (as exemplified by 'e-Rotttoot''s comment).

 

This is a real pity as Skoda have a real opportunity to promote a cheap charging option in response to comments about deficiencies

in the Charging Network and their lack of clarification will not do much to convert the anti-EV lobby !

 

I am aware from web searches that others have navigated this minefield, but would have expected better from a company

I have bought from in the past (3 x Yetis and 1 x Octavia) and which is promoting their EV credentials !

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/profile/86161-e-roottoot/

 

Hi Roottoot;

 

Thanks for the comments about Ionity in Perth.

 

As mentioned before, I am fortunate enough to have an Ionity Charging Point in Leeds and if Audi 

can get it right in Perth then why can't Skoda in Leeds (they are the same Group) ?

 

As regards TESLA, they are the best-regarded charging network in the UK and have just announced that they

will also be making their network available to allcomers. 

 

So if all these companies are trying to encourage EVs, why can't they jointly promote their charging networks as

a way of encouraging EV sales ?

 

@HeikeRegardless or TESLA charging network being regarded the best that does not mean that Tesla Drivers use the chargers when there are Free or Low Cost CPS chargers to use.  Tesla charging is not cheap for those that need to pay for it.

There are obviously some that do pay to use them but many in Scotland got Free Charging with the cars they bought and are at the Superchargers.

 

Mostly Jaguars i see at Ionity Perth, & Taycans. It is beside the BMW Dealership & Starbucks.

 

The other Ionity is @ Gretna Green.

 

There are areas like around Aviemore that those driving a Tesla are lucky to have Superchargers because the other Public Charging is pathetic.

.......................................................................................................................................................

This is Perth Park & Ride and the CPS chargers and the Tesla Superchargers.

 

I used to charge there once or twice a week when passing Perth, maybe 30-40 mins if i got on a charger, longer if i was waiting for a charger to come free.

Tesla drivers would charge there or be waiting their turn to get on a charger.

So many hours spent on the CPS chargers or parked, various times of day or night and only once did i see one Tesla go on the Superchargers.

Edited 22 July, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

Maybe that's because those marques are promoting the availability

of the Ionity network ?

 

The drivers i speak too are not caring about the cost as their company is paying and they just want to get a move on as the A9 is a PITA and so is out of order CPS Chargers.

Thanks.

I think that the view that although the Iinity network may be sparse and relatively expensive, it is extremely fast and is a useful back up if other networks fail.

For me that fallback network is Instavolt which i have used 3 times,

then it will have to be BP Pulse which up til now i have only used my Free Charging i got to charge my E-bike battery on the 3 pin plugs at chargers at Asda.

 

Shell Chargers i have tried just to be familiar with have never worked.

Yes, I suspect that your back up use reflects the relative availability of the various networks.

It will be interesting to see how or if the Iinity network develops in the UK.

In terms of Powerpass, it is just one of several backup networks. It's just a pity that Skoda aren't promoting it more.

20 hours ago, Heike said:

Incidentally, you might want to visit

for a different perspective on whether 69p is "charging a fortune".

 

You need to consider whether you would be prepared to pay more in a rural petrol/diesel filling station if you ran out of the fuel you bought 

in a supermarket in Chester, Wrexham etc ?

 

At the end of the day, the cheapest option will be a residential charger but if you are stuck, I suspect you would be prepared to pay 69p to 

top up your batteries in the same way that you would probably be prepared to pay £1.70 a litre in a rural area for petrol (or more for diesel)

to get you home !

 

Best Wishes,

 

I have seen that video several times thanks and I do agree with some of it's points, especially the one about .69p being a discouragement to drivers of slow charging cars to use the 'premium' Ionity chargers. As Skodas with 50kW charging have to pay for Powerpass at £9.99 to access the cheaper rates, I'd say I'm bang on. If you pay for high speed charging on your VAG car, you get cheaper Ionity charging.

No I am not willing to pay extra for fuel in my actual rural location, as the arguments about higher transport costs etc to me is a smokescreen. It's quite easy to plan refuelling around trips to the towns mentioned and others. In the case of charging my car, the 'increased costs' argument is even more rubbish as there are no transportation costs and the cost per kW to the rural charger is the same as the big city. So I am not prepared to pay double the price for public charging at Ionity thanks (even though my WeCharge card from VW gives me a discount). I have never run out of fuel in my entire driving career, so it doesn't worry me I'll be in that situation. Additionally, being able to charge at home means I'll always have a 'full tank' when needed. 

1 hour ago, Luckypants said:

 

I have seen that video several times thanks and I do agree with some of it's points, especially the one about .69p being a discouragement to drivers of slow charging cars to use the 'premium' Ionity chargers. As Skodas with 50kW charging have to pay for Powerpass at £9.99 to access the cheaper rates, I'd say I'm bang on. If you pay for high speed charging on your VAG car, you get cheaper Ionity charging.

No I am not willing to pay extra for fuel in my actual rural location, as the arguments about higher transport costs etc to me is a smokescreen. It's quite easy to plan refuelling around trips to the towns mentioned and others. In the case of charging my car, the 'increased costs' argument is even more rubbish as there are no transportation costs and the cost per kW to the rural charger is the same as the big city. So I am not prepared to pay double the price for public charging at Ionity thanks (even though my WeCharge card from VW gives me a discount). I have never run out of fuel in my entire driving career, so it doesn't worry me I'll be in that situation. Additionally, being able to charge at home means I'll always have a 'full tank' when needed. 

 

I don't actually disagree with anything Luckypants says.

I certainly don't believe that being in a rural area should mean that the £ charging cost per kWh

should be any higher than elsewhere and in fact the Ionity rates are the same whether the charger

is located in a rural or urban area.

I would agree that sensible use of my home charger plus occasional planned use of "public" charging

points should enable me to get on OK - in fact my house has solar panels and as I work from home I anticipate 

enjoying "free" electricity much of the time !

 

My original post, however, was more to do with the lack of information from Skoda UK and Skoda Dealers about

the Powerpass scheme. If EVs are to be encouraged it is important that there is easy and transparent access to

information about charging options as this will allow "range anxiety" to be reduced.

I have powerpass setup for my Enyaq in the UK. There are no specific PP chargers, just access to other chargers, some of which you can already access and some you can't.

 

I can pull up at a 350kw charger in any Porsche dealership and use those with a tap of my PP card for instance.

Thanks.

Interesting to hear how you use it.

Yes, I suspect that your back up use reflects the relative availability of the various networks.

It will be interesting to see how or if the Iinity network develops in the UK.

In terms of Powerpass, it is just one of several backup networks. It's just a pity that Skoda aren't promoting it more.

Hi All;

 

Collected my new Enyaq today !

Yippee !

Used the VIN number to open a Powerpass account successfully.

The application shows a map with locations of nearest charging points, although seemingly only those in the scheme (which appear to be beyond the Ionity network.

However, no indication of the charging rates .

However, the separate https://www.skoda-auto.com/other/powerpass-tariff-information shows that charging at Ionity sites should be at 25p per kWh and the DC charging (my Enyaq has DC charging facility) at non-Ionity sites should be £0.35 per kWh.

I will see if that happens and will report back !

 

I can see in the PP app it gives an indication of 'session cost'. I dont have the Enyaq yet so not signed up but the cost seems to indicate £6.90, which I assume is 10kWh@69p. I would imagine if you have a valid subscription then it would show the lower cost there? 

In terms of chargers, from what I can see its using Ionity (part owned by VAG) and it had Insta Volt last time I looked but my local ones have been removed so maybe not. 

What we need to know is if you charge up at one of the chargers using the card, what they charge you. My dealer said its not live yet, so technically shoulnt work, but would be the first time Skoda/VAG do something without telling dealers! 

Collected my Enyaq on Monday.

It has the direct current option.

Having obtained the VIN number I was able to complete the App registration and have received confirmation that y card is on its way.

I will provide an update when the card arrives.

Card duly arrived from Germany.

Had to Pair the card with the App and I am supposedly ready to go.

No instructions for use other than on the App so I emailed 'Powerpass Support',

also known as 'Elli', and received these instructions, although it didn't explain what the process was for

using the card at the charging station:

 

Regarding your request, we would like to inform you, that you can find the available charging stations from the Powerpass app:

1. Open Powerpass App / search & find charging stations on the map around you.
2. Search by Speed of the charging output of the station.
3. Search by Outlet type of the charging station.
4. Get detail of the charging station and its availability.
5. If you select a charging station within Powerpass App and click "Get directions", your favorite navigation app will show you detailed direction (e.g. Google Maps).
6. When you find your desired station you can charge your vehicle using your charging card.
7. You select the desired payment method.
8. You plug your vehicle and you start the charging process