[BMW_MAD]

Hi all,

I will be collecting my car next week and I am starting to look at what accounts I need to get setup for quick and easy public charging. I don't want to make a twenty min stop turn into an hour messing about setting up accounts whilst there so want to try and get a headstart.

The car will mostly be charged from home but on the odd occasion we do longer drips I will obviously need to charge in public stations. I've never had an EV before so not really sure where to look. Does anyone have suggestions or is there a decent site that breaks it down? I guess mostly it will be service stations I will be using to top up.

Many thanks,
Si

[the_ape]

Not many, Zap Map always worth it, Bonnet perhaps if around supported chargers (same for Tesla), Ionity/BP using BMW Charging. Pretty much everything else uses tap and pay from card/phone/watch

[GDEvans]

Most of my charging is also done at home.

Make sure you apply for the BMW Charging Card once you receive the vehicle, to receive your 12 month discounted BP and IONITY charging. When I'm on a longer journey, I tend to stop at IONITY chargers. Download the BMW Charging App - that will allow you to use those chargers while waiting for the card to arrive.

I also downloaded the BP and IONITY apps - they allow you to search and filter just their chargers. Sometimes it is quicker than using ZapMap.

A Better Route Planner is great - both web and app. When you register for their free service, you can tell them your vehicle and it knows the approximate range. It will plan routes for you, including the time you need to charge. It does exactly what the built in sat nav should do but does not!

Register with PodPoint and download their app so you can charge for free at Tesco (some are reasonably quick). The free charger at Clarks Village is also PodPoint - in the two hours I was there I took in more electricity than the cost of the parking! Also some City centre car parks (eg Exeter) offer free charging through PodPoint.

After that, I download and register the apps as I need them.

[keninuk]

Originally Posted by BMW_MAD

Hi all,

I will be collecting my car next week and I am starting to look at what accounts I need to get setup for quick and easy public charging. I don't want to make a twenty min stop turn into an hour messing about setting up accounts whilst there so want to try and get a headstart.

The car will mostly be charged from home but on the odd occasion we do longer drips I will obviously need to charge in public stations. I've never had an EV before so not really sure where to look. Does anyone have suggestions or is there a decent site that breaks it down? I guess mostly it will be service stations I will be using to top up.

Many thanks,
Si

All of my charging so far has been from home chargers but I did a bit of research and as has been mentioned zap-map app covers you for a lot of chargers and is probably one of the most useful apps for any EV owner with regards to charger locations and also payment.

These are my notes from early March and my summary from the included zap-map link seems to still be relevant (E&OE). Hopefully the summary will help although a lot will depend on where you are located and where you travel to.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Payment methods/apps that cover multiple types of chargers: ---
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ZAP MAP

Zap Map – Zap Pay – You can register a card for payment.

https://www.zap-map.com/charge-point...oint-networks/

Can be paid with Zap Pay:
-----------------------------

RAPID CHARGERS
ESB Energy - Zap-Pay + Contactless
Bham, Coventry and London

Genie Point – Zap-Pay - Install app only if required - Poor reviews
Loads, Premier Inn, Morrisons etc

MFG EVpower - Zap-Pay (Soon) + Contactless
Manchester, Worcester, Bristol + SW

Osprey – Zap-Pay + Contactless
Quite a few about

DESTINATION
Mer (Statkraft) - Zap-Pay (Soon)
Bournemouth and M&S Solihull

revive – South West – Zap-Pay (Soon)
Only Bristol...

ON STREET/COMMUNITY
ZAP-HOME
ZAP-WORK

Char.gy - Use Zap-Pay if you find one...
Not rapid chargers and early days/low numbers 18 Mar 2022

Connected Kerb – Zap-Pay (Soon)
Not rapid chargers and early days/low numbers 18 Mar 2022

BMW CHARGING APP

Covers BP Pulse/IONITY for 12 months – I haven't registered it yet as I haven't needed to. I am hoping the card serial number is not linked to me/my car specifically and so I will get 12 months from when I register?

BP Rates: All pkWh (18 Mar 2022 prices but shows how rates differ based on type of usage)

>50kw is DC only

Membership £7.85 per month/BMW,
Fast: 28p (to 40kw), Rapid: 32p, >51 kW: 38p

PAYG cost (using app):
Fast: 33p (to 40kw), Rapid: 38p, >51 kW: 44p

PAYG cost (contactless):
Fast: 35p (to 40kw), Rapid: 40p, >51 kW: 50p

NOTE: BP charge sessions over 90 minutes is an extra £10 per 60 minutes.

IONITY

Membership £11.85 per month/BMW
All CCS Ultra Rapid: 26p

PAYG (using app)
All CCS Ultra Rapid: 69p

NB: BP Pulse and IONITY apps installed just in case and for post BMW charging card

-------------------------------------------------------------
--- Individual charging networks and how to access ---
-------------------------------------------------------------

RAPID CHARGERS

BP Pulse - PAYG = Yes – App Required

Install App as it can be used for Charge Your Car locations!!!

More expensive but perhaps just use as a guest for occasional use considering there is the BMW card for the 1st 12 months

Charge Place Scotland – RFID Card but can access online
I believe webpay.chargeplacescotland.org can be used.
This seems to be SWARCO E.Connect

ChargerNet - South Dorset – App Available

Charge Your Car – All over UK – Either free or RFID card – BP Pulse app should work?

GRIDSERVE Electric Highway – Motorway Services – Contactless for updated chargers. I checked several and they were all updated.

E.Connect (Swarco) - Growing Network – How to Pay?

FASTNED – Rapid Charging hubs with various charge rates – App/RFID - Future – Vehicle-to-charger

INSTAVOLT – Rapid Chargers – Contactless – Best Network and decent motorway coverage W/SW

IONITY – App/RFID and QR Code Reader
*** BMW CHARGING APP for year 1 ***

pod point – Phone/Web App – Need to add a payment card if not free/home

Shell Recharge – Shell Recharge App

Swarco E.Connect - Has an App but some are contactless

TESLA – Available in 15 UK locations currently. App required.
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/...-supercharging

DESTINATION
Hubsta - England + Wales

ON STREET/COMMUNITY
Shell/Ubitricity - Debit/Credit card

Apps I have Installed:
-------------------------

BMW Charging App for BP Pulse, Ionity
BP Pulse – Seems to be for more that BP Pulse chargers!?

Ev.energy - For Rolec home charger (Others chargers use this app as well)
Pod Point - For home charger (Useful for Tesco/Lidl etc)

ZAP MAP Covers:
RAPID = ESB Energy, Genie Point, MFG EVpower, Osprey
DESTINATION = Mer (Statkraft), revive
ON STREET/COMMUNITY, ZAP-HOME, ZAP-WORK, Char.gy, Connected Kerb

An app is not required for the following:
--------------------------------------------

Key Networks that can be accessed via contactless

GRIDSERVE (Service Stations) - No app required for updated chargers (the ones I checked are updated)

InstaVolt – All contactless

Shell Recharge – App available but accepts contactless card at all locations

Swarco eConnect – I have read the app is awful so perhaps only install if desperate at non contactless chargers.

[ggla]

If coming to Scotland I wouldn’t trust the web app or mobile App to start a charge as it fails quite often. Better to get rfid card.

This video is useful:

[BMW_MAD]

Great replies, very much appreciated.

Thank you!

[handymanuk]

Useful information on this thread, thank you.

I did some sums of my own. I don't have my car yet so this is based on the charging curves that I can find online (BMW official plus others).

Might be of use to other people. This is all obviously based on optimal conditions with the range at 285 miles (based on WLTP).

50kw Charger





150kw Charger