GoCar BMW i3

bk

Gocar.ie now has 10 BMW i3's

https://www.gocar.ie/goelectric-launch/

I was pretty surprised to see one at the Glendalough upper car park yesterday!

Edit: Bit more info here:
http://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-news/10-electric-bmws-join-gocar-ranks-as-technology-extends-range-35121786.html

They are the Rex model and hourly rate is €9!

stesaurus

bk wrote: »

Gocar.ie now has 10 BMW i3's

https://www.gocar.ie/goelectric-launch/

I was pretty surprised to see one at the Glendalough upper car park yesterday!

Edit: Bit more info here:
http://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-news/10-electric-bmws-join-gocar-ranks-as-technology-extends-range-35121786.html

They are the Rex model and hourly rate is €9!

Only the first week of them and already causing hassle. Gocar are using the chargepoints as their own private spaces and not moving them once charged.
Infrastructure is bad enough without a commercial entity taking the piss.

DrPhilG

BS artists too. Kept claiming that they were doing their bit to increase EV ownership in Ireland and that the cars are moved as soon as they were charged!

Marcusm

I think I saw one clamped in a clear way in Ranelagh yesterday.
Edit: at a charge point if that was not clear.

stesaurus

Marcusm wrote: »

I think I saw one clamped in a clear way in Ranelagh yesterday.
Edit: at a charge point if that was not clear.

Wow, really?

DrPhilG

Happy days!

I know that clamping is counter productive as it blocks the charger for even longer, but it's the best deterrent.

Marcusm

s.welstead wrote: »

Wow, really?

DrPhilG wrote: »

Happy days!

I know that clamping is counter productive as it blocks the charger for even longer, but it's the best deterrent.

Chelmsford Road FCP and parking spaces are an afternoon clearway. Clamping at a FCP is nearly as counterproductive as clamping in a clearway but I guess needs must. I'm almost certain that it was GoCar as it was definitely an i3 and it had commercial decals on the side as I passed it.

Realistically they need some sort of protocol to ensure that they don't block chargers or clear ways but I doubt it forms part of the business model - they rely on users moving them around.

k123456

from the Indo article
[font=Georgia, serif]Each of the electric locations will have two charging points for Go Car vehicles. Let's hope they are respected because I see a lot of petrol/diesel cars occupying charging points.[/font]
[font=Georgia, serif]The i3 bases are: Point Village 3 Arena; South Lotts Road; Mark Street; Merrion Square; Clifton House Fitzwilliam Lower; Greek Street; St Johns Road West; Ranelagh; Parnell Square; Earlsfort Terrace.[/font]

[font=Georgia, serif]Are these charge points available for Leaf owners[/font]

stesaurus

All of the charge points they are using are the standard public eCars ones. They have provided the sum factor of sweet **** all to the number of chargers available and are just planning on leeching the already creaking infrastructure.
Apparently the charge points they chose were identified as underutilized by eCars. Imo the only reason you could class most of those listed as underutilized are being they are usually iced so you can't normally get near them.

DrPhilG

Yet more examples now on Facebook of Gocars vehicles just abandoned at charge points. Either staying long past completion or not even plugged in.

This is going to be a major issue for Dublin EV drivers.

Padraig Mor

GoCar claims that they monitor the cars and will move when fully charged. It's quite obvious from the Facebook posts that this is outright lies. Think of it - are they really going to send someone around to move the cars? Unless they're gonna walk, someone else will need to drive them and GoCar is a small company. Where are they going to move them to? Normal GoCar spots? No chance. It's abundantly clear that the i3s will only be moved from the SCPs when a customer uses them and they will sit there otherwise. Dublin EV drivers better get used to them fast - because they're going to be seeing a lot of them! And all in cahoots with eCars....

Also, I vaguely recall postings about some EV spots in Dublin being marked for EV use recently. Are they the spots GoCar are using by any chance?

DrPhilG

But if reports are correct about a GoCars vehicle being clamped are correct, can't this be addressed?

What are the legalities of charging in Dublin. If a car is in the space but either not plugged in or completed, can't that car then be clamped or ticketed?

stesaurus

A big what if here but if gocar were to give EV users a free sign up to their service, normally €50, then we'd have access to move them. They would also have to allow a quick 5/10 minute booking and not to be charged the 8.99/h rate.
It would be a compromise id be willing to take if it meant being sure of getting a space when Im in the city.
Would anyone else see this as a legitimate compromise?

Padraig Mor

DrPhilG wrote: »

But if reports are correct about a GoCars vehicle being clamped are correct, can't this be addressed?

What are the legalities of charging in Dublin. If a car is in the space but either not plugged in or completed, can't that car then be clamped or ticketed?

But was that because it was a clearway? I've seen reports of GoCars being regularly clamped, so I wonder do they have an 'arrangement' with the Council to not pay the fine?

s.welstead wrote: »

A big what if here but if gocar were to give EV users a free sign up to their service, normally €50, then we'd have access to move them. They would also have to allow a quick 5/10 minute booking and not to be charged the 8.99/h rate.
It would be a compromise id be willing to take if it meant being sure of getting a space when Im in the city.
Would anyone else see this as a legitimate compromise?

I'd imagine GoCar couldn't give two ****s about private EV drivers and probably consider the SCPs their own personal fiefdom. Given that they have 'bases' for their ICE cars, my betting is that, as far as they are concerned, the public SCPs are now GoCar i3 bases and they will not want customers to simply move them 'down the road' to normal spaces - hence them not charging a per km fee if you plug their car back in at the end of your trip.

josip

Ok, did someone on here take this a step too far?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/gocars-targeted-and-destroyed-in-suspected-arson-attack-35142934.html

DrPhilG

josip wrote: »

Ok, did someone on here take this a step too far?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/gocars-targeted-and-destroyed-in-suspected-arson-attack-35142934.html

I obviously don't condone that. But it certainly seems that Gocars are annoying more than just the EV community.

It certainly wasn't random given that 2 of their vehicles were torched.

beauf

Thats not an i3 so it would be an odd way to protest the EV issue. Or any issue.

DrPhilG

beauf wrote: »

Thats not an i3 so it would be an odd way to protest the EV issue, if thats what you are inferring.

I'm not inferring anything regarding protesting the EV issue so please don't suggest that I am.

beauf

I see they had an i3 up near near the point in a charging space but didn't appear to be charging.

They can't be thinking of doing that all the time!

Padraig Mor

beauf wrote: »

I see they had an i3 up near near the point in a charging space but didn't appear to be charging.

They can't be thinking of doing that all the time!

They clearly are!

DrPhilG

It's exactly what they're doing.

I'd be tempted to call up and enquire about renting an i3 and find out what instructions they give to customers.

Padraig Mor

DrPhilG wrote: »

It's exactly what they're doing.

I'd be tempted to call up and enquire about renting an i3 and find out what instructions they give to customers.

It's on their website! Plug in (at a public SCP) when finished or they'll charge you more!

Their statement today re arson attack says the company has 6 full time staff (nationwide) - does anyone really believe they have 1 or 2 of these going around moving i3s? My arse they do!

DrPhilG

Then it comes down to the legality in Dublin.

Can non charging EVs be clamped or ticketed like ICEs?

stesaurus

DrPhilG wrote: »

Then it comes down to the legality in Dublin.

Can non charging EVs be clamped or ticketed like ICEs?

Probably not until DCC start painting the bays and enforcing the statutes.

n97 mini

DrPhilG wrote: »

I obviously don't condone that. But it certainly seems that Gocars are annoying more than just the EV community.

It certainly wasn't random given that 2 of their vehicles were torched.

The two cars were parked nose to nose, and I've no doubt it was a random act of vandalism by local gougers.

beauf

DrPhilG wrote: »

Then it comes down to the legality in Dublin.

Can non charging EVs be clamped or ticketed like ICEs?

They'll have to be. Otherwise no one else will be able to charge at these. Do most charging points have two chargers. Even the ones with only one parking spot.

Marcusm

beauf wrote: »

I see they had an i3 up near near the point in a charging space but didn't appear to be charging.

They can't be thinking of doing that all the time!

I saw one on South Lotts Road parked 50m short of the charge point (which was available).

k123456

I dont see anything on their website , about where to leave the car when the user is finished with it. Can someone post a link. I have emailed Go Cars but no response yet

Padraig Mor

k123456 wrote: »

I dont see anything on their website , about where to leave the car when the user is finished with it. Can someone post a link. I have emailed Go Cars but no response yet

https://www.gocar.ie/rates/

Scroll over to the i3 and it's there. Of course it doesn't say you must plug into a public SCP, but where else will people go seeing as GoCar don't have their own chargers?!

k123456

I see it now ...."no km charge once you plug your car back in"

BoatMad

at present NO public road side EV space is excepted from parking charges as DCC will not provide a concession for EVs. So , Go car must have reached a private deal with DCC.

IN that regard DCC are using a publicly funded facility to provide a subvention too a private company and thats wrong

If however GOCars is paying the parking charges , then they are quite entitled to park there for as long as they pay those charges

Marcusm

Three days in a row I have seen the GoCar i3 parked at the charge point in South Lotts Road. I cannot guarantee that it hasn't moved but I would be surprised if every user always parked it against the flow of traffic.


As regards BoatMad's question; all GoCars have "free" parking at DCC spaces.

See this announcement 3 years ago. https://www.joe.ie/life-style/gocar-users-can-now-park-for-free-in-any-of-dublins-30000-pay-and-display-parking-spaces/361942

BoatMad

Marcusm wrote: »

Three days in a row I have seen the GoCar i3 parked at the charge point in South Lotts Road. I cannot guarantee that it hasn't moved but I would be surprised if every user always parked it against the flow of traffic.


As regards BoatMad's question; all GoCars have "free" parking at DCC spaces.

See this announcement 3 years ago. https://www.joe.ie/life-style/gocar-users-can-now-park-for-free-in-any-of-dublins-30000-pay-and-display-parking-spaces/361942

Interesting dcc using the same legislation that could be used to enforce EV spaces reserved for charging