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Fair enough. Once I get the car and start exploring the network I think it'll start to make more sense.
EV general discussion
- Thread starter Ricochet J
- Start date
Other EV owners will be able to give you better information I'm sure as I'm still figuring it all out myself while waiting for my R5 to arrive; generally most can now accept contactless payments, but you'll often get a slightly better price if you use the specific app/card for that charging network. You can also subscribe to most of them which gets you a better rate again, and then there are the manufacturer-specific schemes which will provide preferential rates at one or more networks. Some Tesla chargers can also be used by other car manufacturers but I believe you need the Tesla app to use them.
It does all seem a bit much at first but I guess it's no different to Shell, Esso, BP etc loyalty schemes when buying petrol/diesel.
We had an ePod installed in April, so assuming it is the latest revision and unfortunately, you cannot lock a charger cable into it.
Our EV only gets charged once per week, so not a huge chore for us but the extra steps in winter when it’s hammering with rain will most likely get old pretty quickly
If it was my main vehicle, the mileage I do would have put having untethered a no go but for now it’s ok.
Get an Octopus Electroverse card if you are going to use public charging, they have deals with a lot of the large CPO's (Charge Point Operators) and if you are an Octopus customer it gets billed to your domestic electricity account. They also often price drops/discounts of 40%+ when there is cheap(er) electricity in your area. It is also useable abroad should you need to use it there, e.g. France/Spain etc.
Those loyalty schemes don't change the price of the fuel though!
Never used a Tesla charger. Is it obvious as to which ones are open?
In the app - those displayed are available to non-owners.
As a general rule of thumb, if it’s a motorway service area, nearly all are Tesla only and if it’s else where the nearly all are open.
There are a few exceptions this this e.g. Gloucester services (open to all) and Kings Lynn (back end of no where and still Tesla only).
Edit: if you have an 800v car your speed bay be terrible and if you value your time you may be better off elsewhere. Check what you can expect to get for your car.
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True, but at least you get the saving at the point of purchase rather than having to earn points for months to eventually redeem them for discount.
Need to have a cheapest charging option/control on a ABRP routes, so you could explore if becoming a tesla/ionity member might be beneficial for longer trips.
(I use it for petrol ICE route planning as it allows strict waypoints, and then share the route with google maps - but if it knew about petrol prices that would be good too)
(I use it for petrol ICE route planning as it allows strict waypoints, and then share the route with google maps - but if it knew about petrol prices that would be good too)
true
So I've commenced my look around for an i4, had a nibble at a LCI 40 in Blackburn but decided it was too far for us to travel, nice car with just about every option including a £1600 leather seats upgrade.
So I've contacted our local dealership and he's trying to sell me a new car on the basis it isn't subject to the Expensive Car Supplement of £425.
So I've contacted our local dealership and he's trying to sell me a new car on the basis it isn't subject to the Expensive Car Supplement of £425.
My business leased M3 Performance is coming to end of term and I have to choose what's next.
The M3P has leapt in price per month, I like it very much, the charging network is second to none together with all the software updates that just arrive, that speed.. but not sure I can justify the price per month.
The I4 is coming in strong with the lease company offering lots of deals, the byd seal looks maybe ok. I just don't know if I can be doing with going back to an old style "it needs a service" car.
Realistically I only do a two or three long trips a year and most of when I charge is home/work or at a known location for a quick boost. Local to me a large Tesla/gridserve place is open so I could live most of the time without the network but I have driven to Scotland in my M3P and I don't need to plan stops if I don't want to right now, it sorts that out for me. Plus the autopilot is ace...
I think its the wrench from the service (always found it to be great) the software and the charging network that i'm fighting most. I can get a i4 top end for £200-300 less a month with the service pack but the options list needs to be considered to make sure its decent to own and that front grill
plus i'm back in getting services done that don't even need doing and a back end that should have had exhausts but they just blank out.
Just not sure! At the moment I'm really not feeling the others, might just have to suck it up.
The M3P has leapt in price per month, I like it very much, the charging network is second to none together with all the software updates that just arrive, that speed.. but not sure I can justify the price per month.
The I4 is coming in strong with the lease company offering lots of deals, the byd seal looks maybe ok. I just don't know if I can be doing with going back to an old style "it needs a service" car.
Realistically I only do a two or three long trips a year and most of when I charge is home/work or at a known location for a quick boost. Local to me a large Tesla/gridserve place is open so I could live most of the time without the network but I have driven to Scotland in my M3P and I don't need to plan stops if I don't want to right now, it sorts that out for me. Plus the autopilot is ace...
I think its the wrench from the service (always found it to be great) the software and the charging network that i'm fighting most. I can get a i4 top end for £200-300 less a month with the service pack but the options list needs to be considered to make sure its decent to own and that front grill
plus i'm back in getting services done that don't even need doing and a back end that should have had exhausts but they just blank out.Just not sure! At the moment I'm really not feeling the others, might just have to suck it up.
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Soldato
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No one bothers that much other than paralysis by analysis talkers, it’s just not an issue for us EV walkers.
with ABRP (at least when you access it from windows) you can select preferred network, but unless you specify all the others as avoid (no easy way to do that) the options has little efffect
Aren't there only two significant subscriptions ~£10/month ionity+tesla that would reduce rate to 40p versus 60p so you'd need to be regularly travelling long routes where you could exploit that,
or you sign up for a month where you are on holiday/something exceptional -
so maybe as jonny suggests you just have to soak up the ICE-like rates if you aren't using home electrons.
Aren't there only two significant subscriptions ~£10/month ionity+tesla that would reduce rate to 40p versus 60p so you'd need to be regularly travelling long routes where you could exploit that,
or you sign up for a month where you are on holiday/something exceptional -
so maybe as jonny suggests you just have to soak up the ICE-like rates if you aren't using home electrons.
Between my wife and I we have done about 65k miles in 4 different EVs in 5 years. I finally uninstalled all of the route planner apps that were never being used. It’s not because we never drive longer distances, but because it reached a point you can just get in and drive and wing it.
They served their purpose for route planning EV journeys back at the start of my EV experience, but even in N. Ireland the infrastructure has become largely hassle free for EV owners.
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