JC shares his experience of public charging with his Volkswagen ID.5 77kWh.

What do you think of the UK public charging network in general?

The public charging network continues to expand. There is a significant increase in the number and capacity of charging points around the UK. Three years ago it was relatively common to find 7kW charging points and the high capacity ones were 22kW and 50kW (introduced by bp pulse).

Now you can even find fast charging points at supermarkets (e.g. Sainsbury’s with 150kW). Similar with expansion on motorways. IONITY was a breakthrough on fast charging points (150kW) but others have stepped up and similarly invested in their respective charging infrastructures. In some cities, Shell has opened large EV charging stations entirely devoted for EVs, where you spend 30-45 minutes (with a coffee) and fully charge your vehicle.

I have driven a fully electric vehicle since 2021 (I am on my second EV now) and have always charged in public stations. I have never required a home charging unit. We have travelled across the UK without charging problems; some anxiety on the first trip just after lockdown but all went well.

Trips so far include: London-Scotland (Edinburgh, Inverness & back), London-North Wales (Snowdonia), London-Cardiff-South Wales (Pembrokshire), London-Dover-Canterbury & London-Liverpool-Manchester. We’ve always used public stations on motorways, at supermarkets, at dedicated charging stations and at local charging points. Of course, I’ve ended up with several charging cards but that’s fine. It gives complete flexibility to travel the country.

What and where are your favourite UK public chargers?

Some pleasant surprises in our trips around the UK:

• Discovering IONITY charging stations on different motorways. A real game changer for fast charging.
• Newly introduced fast charging stations in McDonald’s car parks in Wales
• Local charging points in Pembrokshire, Wales. The County Council is doing a good job on facilitating access.
• Charge Place Scotland – with charging points in remote areas and historical landmarks, just brilliant! There’s no anxiety of finding a charging point where you thought you would never find one!
• Source London – is a must as it allows for free parking in areas of London where it would be almost impossible to find a place otherwise. We often use Lincoln’s Inn Fields charging points.
• MFG and InstaVolt – expanding networks, truly a lifesaver in the Midlands.

And finally, that more and more charging points do not require you to get one of their cards or subscription services. It’s now more common to use debit or credit cards, as if you were doing any other purchase. That does makes a difference on where to charge. You want ease of use not complex procedures to charge. Why would you subscribe and pay monthly even before you charge? You don’t do that for petrol, so why would you for EVs?

What’s been your best experience with a UK public charger?

Shell station, Fulham, London – the first time I used it, it was a very, very pleasant experience. It has a Costa Coffee and a Waitrose so you can have a nice croissant and read a newspaper with your coffee. There are large screens showing the charging progress for every single charging point in the station so you never miss a detail. We stayed 30-40 minutes to fully charge and it was such a nice start to a weekend morning.

What’s been your worst experience with a UK public charger?

bp pulse (deteriorating service) – three years ago they introduced 50kW charging points which became a really good option for us near home and on the road. Suddenly, they introduced subscription services, then the need for a card, then the use of an app and then constantly changing the fees charged. It became a nightmare to try to use their charging points. They did introduce the use of debit/credit cards for charging, bringing simplicity back, but the cost per kWh was high. I think they were asking customers to pay in advance in order to set up their charging infrastructure but their business model was not clearly defined. I have abandoned them and will not be using them anymore.

What’s got to change about public charging in the UK to get more people driving electric cars?

Ease of use – if every supplier of electricity or manager of a charging station asks you to get a user card or a subscription account, it becomes a nightmare. The easiest way is for everyone to allow the use of debit/credit cards and be allowed to use it whenever you want, just like petrol stations. It seems the idea of cards and subscriptions early on was to encourage customer loyalty but that is not where loyalty comes from. In my case, I have become a loyal user of those suppliers and stations who make the process simple.

When at home, I use a new fast charging station at my local Sainsbury’s. If I’m driving into London, I use Source London. If I’m using the motorways, then InstaVolt, MFG or IONITY, depending on what’s available in the region and at the time of charging (some stations are always busy!). If traveling to Scotland, I would go for ChargePlace Scotland.

See other public charging reports here