ESB eCars

innrain

From TMC back in 2019

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/supercharger-enfield-ireland.105131/#post-3755744

It got proven right. 3 years down the line I don't know any AG service stations with new chargers SuC or otherwise.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569257#Comment_118569257

Not really, West-East and North-South heavy flows are all haulage, nothing to do with passenger car EVs...

Less EVs per capita than in Ireland.

Austria has more, Poland not really, Germany has more but they wouldn't use Czech motorways to go to Austria and further (they are going through Bavaria and Austria - better motorways). And there isn't any heavy tourism or commute flows from Austria to Poland or from Germany to Slovakia.

So no, this argument is discarded.

Ecars need to be shown the progress made with charging infrastructure in Central and Eastern European countries to see the mediocrity they are trying to sell here as some sort of a progress.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569390#Comment_118569390

To be honest, the 4-5 ionity sites with 25 CCS total won't cut it anymore ...

See other small-medium countries overall connector numbers. Counting in 100s or 1000s.

AndyBoBandy

I was back in Lithuania in October and couldn't believe how good the charging network was there. Tons upon tons of DC chargers, mostly free on all the main routes.

Drove about 1,200km in a week, and everywhere, on every route, there was plenty of chargers, and always available.

The mad thing is I hardly saw any electric cars around until we got to Vilnius, and then they were everywhere, and sure why not? look at how many DC chargers a city 1/3 the size of Dublin has;

Puts us to absolute shame, and Lithuania isn't exactly a well off country, probably punching just below our weight division.

So Impressed by their network, We're driving over this summer and spending 2 weeks there. There's a SuperCharger in Kaunas, but I doubt we'll even use it.

And this theme gets repeated at whatever country you look at (have a look at Minsk).... except Ireland. It's beyond ludicrous now at this stage.

silver_sky

I was watching the IEVOA charging network video there. The guy from ecars mentioned that they just signed a new maintenance contract with a different company in the last week or two and it has a higher SLA for resolving issues. Hopefully that improves things when there are issues. He was also asked about monitoring the chargers and said that they do and know that some are out. 🤣 If only they'd bloody fix them then!

AndyBoBandy

Any timelines on the next hub sites? Locations?

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586960#Comment_118586960

Here are few highlights

230 fast 50kW chargers? Really?

We will double the number of hubs in 2022

Northern Ireland will see an improvement

You read this at your will. The app is still not fixed anyway.

There is more exciting news from Ionity and easygo if you ask me.

AndyBoBandy

So it looks like we’re going to get a bunch more ‘hubs’ which will most likely be a 150kW + 50kW unit.

but this bit, is this a joke?

In summary. According to themselves they are doing a great job.

Black_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118587358#Comment_118587358

They do not have 230 50kW+ units. In September they had 143 fast units, then they bolloxed things up and reclassified a load of them to be slow (on their API). Since September they've added units, but not 90! Ecars bullshitting again.

They classify a charge point as a piece of infrastructure which can charge a car, but also say they've 1350 charge points (plugs/sockets). They do not! Not publicly anyways. Their app has 768 charge points (a piece of infrastructure) listed on it.

What 4 hubs are currently under construction? Tuam is one I guess?

12 is pre construction phase... Thats the doubling of hubs so. 12+4 above.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118587498#Comment_118587498

Greater than 50% want more high power units. Yup... How about an actual percentage, like ecars did for every other statistic.

Black_Knight

https://youtu.be/i-1iUSz2LNw?t=3254

4 hubs - Fermoy, Monaghan, Limerick (ballysimon), and Tuam.

Fantana2

Anyone know where the Fermoy hub is going? Is it in the Supervalu still?

Black_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588294#Comment_118588294

<Shudders>

You know it will be.

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588353#Comment_118588353

It amazed me that the brand new service area off the motorway in Fermoy didnt get a charger. Thats the obvious location for it.

Fantana2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588353#Comment_118588353

I think I need to lower my expectations of what an ecars hub is so. That location is such a trek off the motorway.

Black_Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588364#Comment_118588364

Maybe it will? Fermoy is earmarked to get a hub.

PaulJoseph22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586502#Comment_118586502

The charging network is a total joke, thank god I bought a PHEV and not an EV as I’d be selling the EV.

silver_sky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589376#Comment_118589376

If it was that bad I'd go to ICE, but it's not. I just don't see the sense in PHEVs.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579316#Comment_118579316

Exactly my point.

The only way for IEOVOA to pressure Ecars (and gov) to deliver is international comparison, all data based. And by that we don't mean the usual "compare with the UK and implement crappy version of it". EU comparison please.

The sole reason for the IEOVOA's existence is scrutiny and lobbying. The only way to execute that is evidence based approach leveraging International data comparison. Pretty much the same as any other decent NGO in the EU including Ireland does...

Not ranting. This is an advice 😉

jusmeig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589376#Comment_118589376

Paul you seem to be fairly anti BEV, having a brother who bought a BEV and had a terrible experience, and driving a PHEV you probably have little experience actually using the eCars network?

I've used it 4+ years now and i've had a few issues, but for the most part i've found it reliable. I think what that youtube video surfaces -> bureaucracy, planning and infrastructure is making it a nightmare to get new chargers in quickly. The example of the chargers on the quays sums this up...they laugh. "Wouldn't be like Ireland if it wasn't convoluted".

All they need to do is paint green paint on the ground: But DCC, Garda etc all need to get a few bob

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586960#Comment_118586960

No time lines....

Whenever I engage with Ecars they go "we don't have an ETA at this stage". Probably some ESB customer support template filed internally in the knowledge base as "How to get rid of customer who's asking about time lines" 😎

Any other private service provider would lose its customers with this approach. Ecars, no hurry, no bother, the taxpayer (Irish and EU) pays so all is grand.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118587807#Comment_118587807

Yes, 230 fast chargers is a lie.

It's around 130-140-ish.

They are counting connectors not charger units, which is a deliberate manipulation to "show numbers".

Because NONE of the 50kW efacec units can load balance, they are all 1 car charging at a time, either CCS or Chademo. And they (should) know it. If they don't then it's probably even worse than lying/manipulation - that would mean they have no idea about the state of their network they're maintaining...

Again, a good agenda point for IEOVOA - was the presentation scrutinised and this point raised? Assume not.

PaulJoseph22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589828#Comment_118589828

No I’d actually like to buy one, love the i4 and being with my brother up the northern part of this country has put me off it for now, but when it improves I want to buy a full EV.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579316#Comment_118579316

Trying to be helpful, single site chargers next to motorway tend to be busy at peak driving times. If you could next time I would suggest checking app while driving to see if charger is in use. There are 2 x 50lW chargers in Bray, one ESB at Tesco, one easygo at lidl south Bray, slightly off motorway one 50kW charger at Tesco Wicklow town and a soon to be easygo charger at new lidl store in Wicklow town when esb networks power it up.

There is a 50kW charger in Arklow town. All these would tend to be quieter than next to motorway chargers, but yes we need far more chargers now. ESB seem to want government to give them money to supply them when it should be a fair tender process with 10x budget.

jusmeig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589872#Comment_118589872

It all depends on your usage to be fair. There are folks on here that use it daily and seem to get by. I might have 4/6 trips per year where I actually have to fast charge. If you plan to arrive to a.....ah..."Hub" you at least double your chances of driving right up and plugging in.

AndyBoBandy

The thing is there’s a reason the ones on motorways are busier than most…. Because they are needed more than most…

if only eCars realised this we’d be laughing.

PaulJoseph22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118589907#Comment_118589907

hasn’t worked out for my brother, he ends up borrowing mine. But as I said hopefully charging network will improve, it’s dire around the northern half of the 32 counties.

PaulJoseph22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579316#Comment_118579316

And this perfectly sums up why I wouldn’t buy a full EV at this point in time or recommend one either.

more people buying EV’s this year….. and no charging infrastructure, I was in a large shopping centre yesterday with over a thousand car spaces and not one charger…..,,

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590055#Comment_118590055

What car does your brother have?

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118580585#Comment_118580585

ESB should not install any more chademo chargers

Yes excluding half of the EVs on Irish roads at present is a very smart business plan

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590153#Comment_118590153

Why waste resources on a charger type that will be stagnant going forward? Pointless.

There's already enough Chademo chargers around to service demand. CCS is the expanding port and needs the investment.