http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/465690-government-ev-loans-in-scotland-and-free-no-longer-free-charging-places/page/5

 

 

 

 

Edited 23 July, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

I received a Email from CPS to read the new T&C,s and  accept the change over and reset my password. I did the first bit and tried tried and tried again and then tried and tried twice more.  Now I am locked out of my account.   The whole transition is a PITA.   Hopefully CYC card is still OK, I will try it later. 

I had no issues on the day of the change over or since any worse than the usual chargers out of  commission, ones failing to authorise my card or start charging and no answer from CPS etc.  Just what may experience weekly. But the Dundee Evening Telegraph as and Dundee Courier has as article concerning how it did not go well.   The Minister for Transport in Scotland might now familiarise himself on just how poor the infrastructure still is despite millions of tax payers money being given over to SWARCO /e-Volt and others.   They are now based in Dundee.   Since 2013 the Scottish Government have spent 45 million on the EV charging network.       Supposedly SWARCO e-Volt were unprepared for the size of the job they were as bout to be involved in.   Surprising as they were already very much part of it and pretty bad at it before taking over control of it. 

Edited 27 August, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

Reading that article and the 'news' article on CPS website (https://chargeplacescotland.org/uncategorised/phase-2-of-network-migration-is-underway/) will make every seasoned IT professional cringe. All the problems they are talking about are easily identified ahead of time. The database merge they are talking about for instance, that should have been done well ahead of time and run in parallel for a couple of months.

I am just away to come off an AC charger. 3 times this week I called CPS and this time the Dundonian Accent as as answered  quickly.  He sees a Reported Fault at 3am this morning but not my reports in the past week.  He will talk to his supervisor, will report to maintenance.  All good but sadly maintenance come out and find no faults and not enough people are reporting when they can not charge. Some do on ZapMap or Plug Share but that means nothing to SWARCO.  I am away early tomorrow and the Rapid in Dunblane is showing as still having issues as it was when I reported it 3 weeks ago, and the same at Stirling.  You can not count on any CPS station as being available even if CYC shows it as available and working.    26 mph charging speed on the AC up to 99% was quicker than I would have got using the CCS from 90%.   Saturday I need to be home before Sunday. So 6 hours driving, allowing 3 hours charging and an hour for what I am traveling to do. That is if all goes well. 

Edited 27 August, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

24 minutes ago, Luckypants said:

will make every seasoned IT professional cringe.

You're not wrong there. Imagine if this was happening in a merger between 2 banks for example...

 

https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/chargeplace-scotland-why-the-worlds-largest-electric-vehicle-switchover-went-wrong-and-how-a-dundee-team-are-trying-to-fix-it

 

 

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

 

36 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

 You can not count on any CPS station as being available even if CYC shows it as available and working. 

Should you be using Charge Your Car app now? SWARCO have launched a replacement app and that is the one they update. CYC have nothing to do with it anymore.

I have never used it because it never works but I still check it.  I use a card that does not work often so requires a phone call.  There are chargers with no mobile reception or internet receptions or some if you wander about trying to get it. 

Looking for this SWARCO app, all I have is my Charge Place Scotland Account that I can sign into and do to report faults which are not being given much notice to.      Just downloaded SWARCO-econnect.  But it is just showing Starbucks as ones locally not many others which as are CPS ones. 

Edited 27 August, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

As a paid up member of EVA Scotland i was able to watch a Webinar this week which had SWARCO Seniors on and Andy Robinson from Transport Scotland.

 

https://chargeplacescotland.org

http://transportscotland.org

 

 

Transport Scotland are cutting SWARCO lots of slack, and personally to me it looks like a love in from 2 organisations that are pretty damn hopeless.

All the stuff about the blame going to the previous provider and lack of records and incompatible stuff being transferred and Maintenance Contracts with Hosts & Providers etc.

 

*Funnily they have been involved for 10 years in Scotland so really if they were caught out this July they need to think on about their team.*

 

Well SWARCO can not even get the Map right for chargers and it shows them in the wrong places and even if you provide them with information on the correct locations they do not sort them weeks later.

 

Local to me they show a Broughy Ferry charger hub as in the North of Forfar which is 18 miles further north than Broughty Ferry. 

The Broughty ferry hub is only 4 miles from the SWARCO HQ in Dundee.

 

When you do use the CPS Site / App to check chargers they show as available in lots of cases even when they are being occupied by a car charging, even occupied and charging where someone phones CPS / SWARCO to have the charger started.  

They claim they have no connection with that charger, yet they started it charging.

 

Loads of public money is going to Hosts / Local Authorities etc to help in installing chargers and then many are out of order for long periods of time, or even out of use for a year or more now and still showing on the system. 

 

As for using Apps to start chargers, that can be pretty hopeless where there is very poor phone reception so internet reception.

That might well be why CPS / SWARCO have such poor up to date info and maybe why they were saying there was an issue with a SIM provider.

 

2021.   They can not half spin stories. 

You would think they could get it right in a country like Scotland.   Best not hire them to organise a pith up in a brewery.

 

 

 

 

 

2019

 

 

 

They have a long way to go, and Transport Scotland need to be making sure that it is not going to be taking for ever. 

Scottish MSP's and the Government, First Minister, Transport Minister etc need to actually get a grip and stop throwing public money the way of businesses that are failing to provide what they are contracted to do.

If they are under staffed or resourced then that needs addressed. 

 If those dealing with them on behalf of the public / tax payers are too close to them then maybe that is an issue.

 

 

 

Edited 17 September, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

4 Rapids.

2 not working , one failing to start & one Red Light, out of service, and 1 person charging. 

I go on the one CCS available.

Then call Charge Place Scotland who say the 2 not working are showing as in use.

 

Just by coincidence or chance up pulls a SWARCO Employee.

Maybe not a Tech person, no mater if they are as 'Not on their list', so up pulls another, passing by then away.

So first one charges their car on the one without the CCS available, but uses the Chademo. So charger is working, and works after they leave.

The CCS was not locked in as not right in the holder, but worked locked in when i gave it a jiggle.

 

I called ChargePlace Scotland again just to ask if the Employee can not check the charger 3 along since there is a fault.

No they can not unless there is 'A ticket' and it is on their list.

 

This is the issue really, if not their job, if they are not a Tech but have some other function surely being at a site for an hour charging they could at least check a charger.

Too much to ask really.

 

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

Good news for me is the person that has Trolled me on Plugshare for months when i reported faults has deleted their Plugshare account today after i had been charging and posted on Plugshare about charger faults and 'Not on list'.

Last time was at the weekend as the system was really bad and call responses for those having problems,

that has them telling me what a greedy sad sod i am expecting everything for free and driving a crap car.

They called me 'BOLD metal micky', 'blade runner'. Said to watch out for magnets. LOL.

Coincidence. 

Previously the trolling was about me complaining on the attitude of maintenance employees and the poor performance of CPS & SWARCO / e-Volt.

 

 

 

 

Edited 22 September, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

Speaking of, according to an Australian environmentalist I know, all EV chargers in Scotland are working at all times, and you are lying about the number not in service.

More good news is that when the APP does not work or the Charge Place Scotland Card you can now just use your Debit / Credit card.

 

Obviously only where and when that is working as not all chargers are able to.  But it is good to tell people they need not be stuck other than when they are and when you get through to a Call Handler they say there is communication faults.  

 

 

Edited 22 September, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

@e-Roottoot Yeah, I thought as much. And cheers for the cup.