Charge point Advice

Jackiedaytona

Hello everyone, long term lurker but first time poster on this forum.

I've recently taken delivery of a Model 3 and looking for some advice on planning trips & charger use.

What apps are people using to map out optimum charger use for a trip from Dublin to Galway (for example)

Also, in addition to ESB chargers, what other public chargers should I register for ?

Sorry for basic question but a search is not giving me clear answers and I'm used to home charging to date

Lumen

A Better Route Planner, web app and Android (dunno about iOS).

Superchargers, ESB and Ionity should do you.

Am down in Kerry at the moment and it's working out great. I topped up at Birdhill supercharger on the way down as I wasn't sure what I'd have at the house but now I just granny charge at night up to 80%.

s8n

what site are people using to register for Ionity (its been on my long finger for a while)

graememk

s8n wrote: »

what site are people using to register for Ionity (its been on my long finger for a while)

EinfachStromLaden – MAINGAU
German company but i think still the cheapest for ionity

Black_Knight

graememk wrote: »

EinfachStromLaden – MAINGAU
German company but i think still the cheapest for ionity

When registering, use CAPS for your postcode/eircode. It's caught a few out, but seemingly caps rather than lower case works.

AndyBoBandy

s8n wrote: »

what site are people using to register for Ionity (its been on my long finger for a while)

You can also now register with Maingau via the app which seems easier than the website which you’d need to translate (unless you speak German).

Also no harm registering for EasyGo - they have a network of paid D.C. chargers as well as some free slow chargers (in Lidl shops)

the_amazing_raisin

Plugshare and Chargemap are good options, but recently I've taken a look at A Better Route Planner and I've got to say it's spot on.

Most of the others will just tell you the chargers along the route but ABRP will tell you which charger to go to and how long to charge based on the vehicle type

AFAIK the Model 3 navigation is pretty good at doing the same, although I've seen it tries to give preference to Tesla Superchargers over other chargers, even if the other chargers might be better placed

One bit of advice with ABRP, check the detailed tab in the settings and play around with the arrival SoC and see what happens. Personally I always budget enough battery to reach the nearest DC charger in case the one I'm aiming for is out of order

zg3409

I recommend signing up to easygo, or at least downloading their app. They have a couple of 50kW chargers and loads of chargers in lidl etc.

I recommend looking at plugshare app and filter by CCS charger type.

Typically you want to stop at CCS and superchargers. You want to fill up long before you get any way low as public chargers are often busy, blocked or broken. Make sure you have enough range left to get to another 50kW charger.

For first few trips beyond home charging range be cautious. Stop at every 50kW charger and top up to 80%. Then if the next one is busy you are not under pressure. Try to stay overnight in hotels with chargers or in towns where there is multiple street chargers.

The public charging network is far from ideal, but if you plan carefully for long trips you have very low risks of being stranded. Bring a granny cable and an extension lead just in case.

Test out charging at local chargers just to see how it works. It can be confusing when you are under stress with low battery

cros13

cruisey1987 wrote: »

Most of the others will just tell you the chargers along the route but ABRP will tell you which charger to go to and how long to charge based on the vehicle type

Better than that... they can pull data on your current charge state, temperature and location directly from the Tesla API.

the_amazing_raisin

cros13 wrote: »

Better than that... they can pull data on your current charge state, temperature and location directly from the Tesla API.

Didn't know it could do that, but I don't have a Tesla

Hopefully other manufacturers will do something similar

cros13

cruisey1987 wrote: »

Didn't know it could do that

..only if you pay them.... it's part of their premium offering.

the_amazing_raisin

cros13 wrote: »

..only if you pay them.... it's part of their premium offering.

Out of curiosity, how does it compare to tesla's own navigation? From what I've seen the model 3 has the best built in navigation system going

cros13

cruisey1987 wrote: »

Out of curiosity, how does it compare to tesla's own navigation? From what I've seen the model 3 has the best built in navigation system going

Quite a bit better because the Tesla nav doesn't route via 3rd party rapid chargers yet (nor show all of them). Also ABRP includes the ability to have multiple stages to a journey,
Tesla doesn't even support a single "via" destination. Another ples for ABRP is the ability to add charging for an intermediate destination, for example if your stop has 11kW AC charging and you'll be there for X hours .

Generally if I'm planning an unfamiliar or complicated journey I'll do that in ABRP