Graham Clayton drives a Skoda ENYAQ iV 80 2022 and shares his experiences to-date on public charging.
What do you think of the UK public charging network in general?
Very good yet much maligned.
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What and where are your favourite UK public chargers with your Skoda ENYAQ?
To understand this you need to appreciate things change. York Hyper Hubs were definitely a favourite when they were free of charge! They remained a favourite when they charged 25p/kW as I regularly pass them. No longer a favourite as they’ve gone up in price and home charging at 35p/kW (7.5p/kW for 4hrs/night) is now cheaper.
Pod Point has also gone up in price so less of a favourite than they were; Tesco topping-up whilst having a coffee/shopping was great. Even in the Yorkshire Dales where chargers are much fewer, Pod Point was a useful go-to.
What’s been your best experience with a UK public charger?
bp pulse at York Hyper Hubs before charges were levied. Max 135kW/hr free of charge. Even when charging 25p/kW the bp pulse account meant a single invoice per month but the app meant you knew what was building up so a great way to manage your charging costs.
What’s been your worst experience with a UK public charger?
Basically, ones I have not used mainly due to extortionate charges. However, I did use ChargePoint at York McArthur Glen and it was abysmal. Charging point said $0.00 (yes dollars!) but the app then charged me 46p/kW. I complained. They said it was a display error. Two months later after saying they were fixing it, still the same ‘free offer’ which they were charging for. So misleading, should be fined and made to correct or close.
What’s got to change about public charging in the UK to get more people driving electric cars?
- Price (incl. VAT disparity between home and public). Plenty of charging points in Yorkshire area and range of charging speeds but prices plain stupid. Price rip-off is biggest hurdle.
- Accessibility to a charger is generally very good (only had to move on as none free once in 5 months)
- Reliability not too bad – occasional non-working chargers but not often.
*library image used.
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