Ionity charging network

MJohnston

They say “not in use coming soon”

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112878#Comment_121112878

I think it was mentioned in the other Ionity thread (why we have two is a mystery)

Nice to see the spaces got repainted

AndyBoBandy

I thought I'd posted it here!! maybe it was in another thread!!

edit:: oooh, they look much nicer painted....

This is the thing now with this size of expansion/new install that's gonna be fun with ESBN... units could be in for ages before they actually get turned on!! (Athenry Supercharger is open 15 months now and still only at 50% capacity...because.... awaiting ESBN...)

I'd wager that a car will not be charged on one of these new chargers until at least 2024.

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113308#Comment_121113308

They've had the space available for a good while, would be surprising if they've waited this long to install the units and haven't co-ordinated with ESBN

the_amazing_raisin

I guess time will tell, there can be plenty of instances where the equipment is installed but not fully commissioned and waiting on ESBN to sign off

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113838#Comment_121113838

I've little doubt they're waiting for ESBN.

A multi-million euro commercial property I worked on was running for 7 months on diesel generators (up until April) as ESBN hadn't got out to connect it up, despite having been notified of it over a year before opening date, and weekly, sometimes daily efforts on our side to push them along.

Don't know the full ins and outs, but the long story short is that they're slow as f-ck.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121114981#Comment_121114981

But this isn't a new connection, it's an upgrade. Ionity already had the existing chargers so they could easily wait for the grid connection to be upgraded before installing the new ones

Maybe the chargers arrived before the grid connection was done and Ionity didn't want to let them gather dust, but they'd probably have shoved them in Kill if that was the case since that's likely the busier site and probably less work to upgrade the connection

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121115116#Comment_121115116

Maybe the u-store-it bill got too expensive

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121115619#Comment_121115619

That or they were worried the units would get nicked for a hub in a different country

AFAIK Ionity is actually divided into different companies for each country, although I imagine most of them are just a shell company to give them a local presence

I think Ionity here is Ionity UK and Ireland, given most of the expansion plans published also show the UK expansion

So if I was running the Ireland division and just got 4 shiny new chargers I'd be tempted not to leave them sitting on pallets in case Ionity Germany or wherever calls dibs on them

It's more difficult to move them when they're stuck to the ground 😁

Although, having said that Applegreen chargers seem to move around more than the cars they charge 😂

zg3409

I believe ESB networks are massively under staffed and it can take months or years for new substations to be ordered and built. The transformers themselves are typically special order and Ukraine got a lot of demand suddenly.

There was also a scandal of esb network employees asking for massive bribes to connect up whole housing estates or the houses could not be sold for months. If you paid a bribe suddenly the work started. So months/years are common. I often see chargers going in (see plugshare app) and not being powered on for 6 months. They are putting bags over chargers (see Donegal town esb "hub" on plugshare), in place, bagged up. A coffee shop I know opened up with a diesel generator and even motorway services used them for months. It's a crazy state of affairs reminding me of people waiting years to get a landline in the 1980s.

Busman Paddy Lasty

It was 20 weeks wait time last year for domestic ESBN works. Joe Duffy did a segment on it, young couples doing their houses up then sleeping in a car over the Christmas as newly renovated houses sat without electricity for months.

It's a culture of not giving a f*ck more so than understaffing.

cannco253

Do they have a public/private SLA in place, not that it seems to matter?

Sounds like a project for someone to track the stats on the length of time connections are taking...

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120974#Comment_121120974

I agree, I've yet to see an ESB engineer on the young side of 35

I assume there's some extra training above a typical electrician apprenticeship to work at ESBN. I certainly wouldn't trust a 2nd year apprentice to work on a 38kV transformer without setting himself on fire

They probably need a recruiting drive, but even if they do they're facing the same pressures as every other sector. At the end of the day, it's a pretty crap job, you're up and down the country constantly doing small jobs everywhere

Even if the benefits and job security are decent, I suspect the pay isn't fantastic. A lot of people look at that and take the job that pays a bit less but is a lot simpler

They could try hiring internationally, plenty of experienced engineers and electricians elsewhere. But most of them look at the housing situation, and wonderful videos like those lads in Navan attacking the council workers, and look somewhere more welcoming

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121820#Comment_121121820

They had an average salary of €78k last year. The CEO’s salary was €318k and total salary/pension for the SMT was €4.18m. I understand fully what an average means, how it can be affected and they’re the people out in storms fixing power lines but those salaries are still reasonably high.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121122149#Comment_121122149

Yeah but the trick is where the starting salaries are at. They're probably not bad, but they probably aren't great either considering the amount of day to day hassle involved

If you're a newly qualified electrician, working on sites is probably easier because you'll be going to the same place for several weeks at least instead of not knowing where you're off to tomorrow

the_amazing_raisin

Ugh, they could really do with opening up those extra chargers in City North

Went up there for a quick charge, two cars already charging and another queueing

I didn't mind as I was only trying to test out a new charging card (She'll Recharge), but I'd be a bit annoyed if I was depending on it

And for some extra spice, and Applegreen charger in Lusk South is broken. Top notch work from Applegreen booting Ecars out before they got the second charger installed 🙄

vinniem

Looks like the 4 new chargers are up on the app for city north, showing unavailable for now..so hopefully any day soon will have a nice hub on M1 😁

wassie

Was there again last night and at least they look ready to go. Chargefinder app updated overnight to show new chargers, 2 with a fault and 2 unknown.

the_amazing_raisin

Anyone tried using Shell Recharge with Ionity

Tried it today in City North with the app and the results were pretty disappointing, the app wasn't able to start the charger after about 20 attempts

I ordered the free card as well so we'll see how that goes

Glad I did the test run now so I found the issues before I needed a charge

Also tried the Ionity app, it actually worked on the second attempt. First attempt was with the QR code, that failed. Second attempt was by selecting the charger on the map and that worked

They only took a €1 deposit, much better than the €80 or so it was a year or two ago

Can someone explain why there's two QR codes on the chargers? There's one for direct pay which I used to start the charger, the other one is for members or something 🤷‍♂️

Redfox25

Be careful with qr codes, sometimes scammers stick up codes over the authentic ones.

Someone here had photos of suspicious stickers on chargers.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121148312#Comment_121148312

Crap, didn't think of that 😬

There were two QR codes, bottom one was direct pay and worked with the app.

Top one wasn't recognised by the apl but I can't remember the error. I think it might be for starting it via a partner network like We Charge

They were all in one sticker, and it didn't look like another sticker had been slapped over it

Fingleberries

Also, many of the ionity stations had the wrong QR code and stall number on them. (e.g. In city noth, that'll 1 had the QR of stall on it. Similar in Athlone and Kill, if I recall)

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121148138#Comment_121148138

Try chargepoint, they also ship a free card and are 73c/kWh on ionity (vs 79c from shell)

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121152598#Comment_121152598

Yeah I'll probably give them a shot as well, didn't realise they had a card now

Wouldn't it be great if there was some magic plastic card that let you pay for anything which you could use on the chargers 😒

AndyBoBandy

I’ve a ChargePoint card and it’s the only card I’ve ever used for Ionity…. Twice in Lithuania and twice here….

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121153318#Comment_121153318

Or if you could select how much you want to buy on a touchscreen and pay by cash/card at a self service terminal, similar to numerous petrol/diesel facilities already in existence in this country

Your single card for every provider is a good one but would probably require legislation at a national or EU level to be viable

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121153530#Comment_121153530

I was talking about a debit card 😉

The good news is that the new EU regulations around fast charging requires "simple" payment methods and specifically calls out credit and debit cards

The Irish EV charging regulations also recommend having card terminals, although I left feedback that this should be the default payment method and apps/RFID cards should be secondary

I would recommend other people to say something similar if the public feedback is still open

I do like the idea of a set spending limit. Makes it easier to not run over budget in case one of the kids needs an emergency bathroom break while the car is charging

It could even open up the possibility of using some sort of cash payment (dare I say it). You'd probably want a seperate cash terminal since it'll inevitably get robbed and nobody wants the chargers getting wrecked in the process

Corri-door in France had a neat system where you could buy vouchers in shops if you didn't have an RFID card. Could be useful in a pinch

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121154145#Comment_121154145

The one that springs to mind is the Tara petrol/diesel station on the dock road in Limerick. Each pump set has its own touch screen,

Step 1: You start by selecting your fuel.

Step 2: Select the amount in € you wish to fill by.

Step 3: Either pay that amount in cash or your credit/debit card will hold that amount.

If you don't use the full amount you originally selected your card only charges you for the amount you filed and you subsequently get the hold back or in the case of cash you get a voucher for your next visit

Benefits

Cash and Card are accepted - no old people complaints

Card holds match the amount you initially wanted to fill by rather than a fixed amount. Not looking at anobody in particular Cough APPLEGREEN Cough

Corri-door in France had a neat system where you could buy vouchers in shops if you didn't have an RFID card. Could be useful in a pinch

Not a bad solution either I'll admit

Bakharwaldog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121148138#Comment_121148138

I have an Elli card which is supposed to give me ~50% off at ionity. It hasnt worked for the last 6 months and apparently wont work until the end of October. Elli have told me it is an issue on the Ionity side. So it could be linked to this.

I would be interested to hear if any other Elli users have experienced this? They are unwilling to refund me despite me paying a monthly amount to access this discount.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121155635#Comment_121155635

I was with We Charge (Elli rebranded for VW) and they stopped taking Revolut. I responded with an email saying they're idiots and I'd report them to the CCPC

So now I'm hunting for alternatives

Tbh, starting it via the Ionity app was straightforward enough and was able to use Google pay, so I might just use that

It's just handy to have a card in case the phone is dead or doesn't have signal