Tesla Supercharger network in Ireland

liamog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122164549#Comment_122164549

Most AC charging is done at home for people who have off street parking. In other countries there are places where on-street parking is normal and municipal charging is a big part of the mix. The manufacturers need one design to solve a few different use cases, or they could go the Audi route and have a charge port on both sides of the car.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165129#Comment_122165129

You're adding costs then with 2 charge ports, although it does mean if your charge port goes you'll have another

MJohnston

There's a couple of ESB chargers in Belfast which are on one-way streets with parallel parking only on the left

This is a real disaster because not only do most cars cables jut out into the narrow streets, but usually it means there's not enough cable length to connect a car parked in the 'rear' bay of the two.

I was annoyed enough and needed charge enough one time a couple of years ago (before the BP Pulse expansion basically) that I just turned my car around and parked it wrong way down the one way street.

liamog

Just saw an article about kerbside DC charging, seemed relevant to the recent charge port location discussion

https://insideevs.com/news/720636/gravity-curbside-dc-fast-charger-new-york/

AndyBoBandy

They look fcuking hideous……

ELM327

Can't help but think of the infamous early electrification photos where there were bajillions of wires at every corner before the centralized grid.

slave1

and what the hell, any chance for on topic posts?

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122173344#Comment_122173344

Interesting way of reaching every cars chargeport, and possibly vans and maybe trucks also. Lot of cable required would be a downside there

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122159950#Comment_122159950

A bit off topic but this will be a new ESB site in Cork which should keep the pressure off mahon point. I don't see any nearby nearly ready other sites except for this one.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/614602

wassie

Now thats a schmick looking SuC…..

https://www.notateslaapp.com/news/1612/tesla-installs-special-edition-ultra-red-supercharger-as-it-reaches-50-000th-milestone

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122185201#Comment_122185201

I think anything that takes pressure off the network is both welcome and relevant

md23040

Know this question answered multiple times in the thread but used the Tesla chargers on Boucher Road Belfast and charged £5.04 for 21 kWh which was amazing. Question is does the network have off peak versus peaks rates and maybe this was super off peak being Sunday 11am. Where do you find out about the rates. Is it in the Tesla app or where do you find it.?

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122188881#Comment_122188881

Yes, just zoom in to the Supercharger on the Maps on app. Will show the prices, availability and rates at different times.

Edit. Also ensure charge symbol tab is enabled.

innrain

The peak hours are 16:00 - 20:00 Monday to Sunday 36p/45p per kWh off-peak/peak

Red Silurian

Birdhill Supercharger and Applegreen chargers at that location are out of action all day today, be wary

Royale with Cheese

Sandyford nearly always full? I dropped my car into be serviced this morning, to be picked up by 5pm. I got a notification to say it was ready at around 12, and I noticed on the app that they'd left it charging for me. I presumed this was at a charger round the side of the building. Nope, I found out when I turned up that they'd plugged it into one of the superchargers and just left it there. I picked it up around 1.30 but it could well have been 5pm or later by the time I was able to collect it. Strange stuff.

AndyBoBandy

Did you ask them to charge it?

and if not, I'd hope it was a free charge…

and you won't get stung on overstay fee's…

Royale with Cheese

Didn't ask them, and it wasn't charging via my account so it won't cost me. Just thought it was odd that they'd knowingly block a supercharger slot for hours given how busy that one is.

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242948#Comment_122242948

Do you live far from the SC?

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122185201#Comment_122185201

The problem in cork is power or rather the lack of available power for fast charging. Something you'd hope ESBN are working on.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122243465#Comment_122243465

It's not a question of ESBN fixing it, if you want a 1MW grid connection then it's up to you to pay ESBN for that connection plus any infrastructure upgrades

That can involve multiple planning applications, and we've seen how easy they can be bogged down

A lot of charging hubs are deliberately located close to a substation for cost savings and easier installation

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122242293#Comment_122242293

Once it's in service mode on the app and the account you won't be charged for charging.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244894#Comment_122244894

I don't think ESBN can be fully blamed. Check what happened in the Crescent recently

06/09/2023 - Planning permission

26/01/2024 - Construction work starts

10/06/2024 - Operational

I can only conclude that it can sometimes be done with speed if the will is there. Compared especially to Ionity Holycross which seems to have had zero work done to it since PP was granted in November 2023

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249292#Comment_122249292

No they can't be fully blamed, they've a lot of demand for new connections and not enough engineers to go around.

They also have to be careful when deciding priorities, it wouldn't be good optics to be connecting charging hubs and data centers when there's housing estates waiting to be connected

They also can't have any kind of paid fast pass system since that'll just end up as a bidding war for connections. Remember the scandal a few years ago when a few ESBN workers were effectively ransoming developers to get their housing estates connected faster than others

I think it isn't so much willpower as the stars aligning to get a hub installed quickly. Between the grid connection, planning permission, leasing agreements, construction work and the actual hardware, a lot of stuff needs come together. It's easy to see why some sites seem to do the ground works and then sit stalled for weeks or months

It's even harder for bigger providers like Tesla or Ionity because they're competing with other countries which are probably more advanced in their rollout and have more lucrative sites

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249599#Comment_122249599

I think it isn't so much willpower as the stars aligning to get a hub installed quickly. Between the grid connection, planning permission, leasing agreements, construction work and the actual hardware, a lot of stuff needs come together.

its just hard here…..

I was in Lithuania for a week at the start of May, and again at the start of June.

In May I saw a new charging hub being installed (didn't even exist on Plugshare until I added it), but they were putting the units in. This was May 7th. I returned 3 weeks later to see the hub fully operational (Plugshare shows the hub online since May 18th.)

We just can't operate at those levels in Ireland despite apparently being a much more 'advanced country'

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249700#Comment_122249700

I think AR touched on it. There's not enough engineers at ESBN to get through the workload.

Although I do think they're better than they were even last year. 2 easygo locations in Dungarvan took months between install and connection to the grid, recently there was a circle K location in the same town went live that didn't even partly exist in January

slave1

What incentive have ESBN workers to work harder?

Therein lies the issue, look at all their outsourced activities and those lads are all on remuneration built on high throughput so you can bet your house they push through

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122253805#Comment_122253805

I've never gotten the impression ESBN workers are slacking off. Certainly not their field technicians, dunno about the office side of things

It's a pretty horrible job at the end of the day, you're up and down the country doing grid connections. Then every time there's a failure somewhere you need to drop everything to rush there and fix it

I haven't seen many young guys driving around in their vans, I suspect they're struggling to hire electricians who could be doing more lucrative site work.

Doing some searching it looks like the salary for a technician is €38-51k per year, which is pretty dogshit wages for a skilled professional these days

wassie

It is when you've got the likes of all the plumbers and sparkies being hoovered up by the Mech & Elec companies servicing the data-centres on crazy money both here and abroad.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122260803#Comment_122260803

I wonder what the pipeline of electricians coming through apprenticeships is nowadays. There's plenty of jobs which probably pay only a bit less than a junior electrician but are vastly less hassle to make them more attractive

Every industry needs a pipeline of new recruits to survive, and a lot of them are being hollowed out because the pay and work conditions suck

It's been happening with teachers, carers, guards and nurses for ages, as well as plenty of trades. I'd be surprised if electricians weren't affected too

So you've an industry squeezed at both ends, more demand and less supply which leads to bottlenecks