ESB chargers - Out of order or No charge.

n.d.os

I’ve run into recurring issues with ESB chargers. Up until yesterday, I didn’t have an ESB card and simply paid with my debit card, which, frankly, is how it should work. Having to juggle cards and apps isn’t the way forward. Too often I pull into a fast charger, only to find the cables are awkwardly short, and then I’m left deciphering whatever new process the screen demands compared to the week before. Yesterday, for example, the buttons wouldn’t respond; I tapped my debit card on there different occasions, plugging in and out each time, and each attempt failed to start a charge. Screen loading, then fails. Meanwhile, another driver pulled in after me, tapped a fob on his keyring, and his car began charging immediately.

It’s a regular pattern: chargers either don’t work for me, or they’re out of order without any clear notice. So you end up with a line of cars pulling in and out, hoping one might work. I only rely on public chargers when I’ve forgotten to charge at home, which means if they fail, I’m stranded. Carrickmines is the station I use most, eight chargers, but at least five are usually blocked by cars sitting idle.

Yesterday I finally activated my ESB card, and at a nearby SuperValu station it worked far more smoothly. But that was only after Carrickmines had let me down again. From what I can see, the people who get on fine with these chargers are the regulars, those with subscriptions or ESB cards, not those of us paying by debit card. So my questions are: why do so many chargers fail on first attempt, especially with debit cards? Why aren’t out-of-order units clearly marked? And are drivers really penalised as much as claimed for leaving their cars sitting idle once charging is complete? I find the ESB chargers a bit unreliable, Ionity the worst and Apple Green work most if not all the time with a debit card.

the_amazing_raisin

Chargers aren't marked as out of order because that would affect their uptime statistics. Half the time they'll be marked as "unknown" instead which basically means they're out of order because the internet connection is down

It isn't just Ecars, I used a Shell Recharge station in France last summer and one of the chargers was kaput because it couldn't authorise payments. Also had a similar experience with an Applegreen charger in Enfield

I think Ecars are more visible since they have more chargers, but they're also very slow to mark chargers as offline

This is why I think chargers in service stations at least should have a way for the staff to manually activate the charger and take payment separately, same as petrol pumps

Also, I noticed one of the chargers in Airside was borked and it was lit up with red lights all over. It's one of the new 360kW ones with the RGB lights all over. Points to the designer for making it very obvious which charges are available and which are offline

chrisd2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058428788/esb-chargers-out-of-order-or-no-charge

So much easier to fill up with Diesel !

n.d.os

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124007754#Comment_124007754

I don't use the apps at all so I have no visibility when one is offline. I generally just point the car to a fast charger on the rare occasion I need one but I'd like to know on the screen if it is working or not. There's so much more EVs on the roads these days, this system of pulling up to these series of fast chargers is getting frustrating. They really need to be in all major petrol stations at this point and as you said, they should be operated by the people running the station. When they work they are great. Very fast, cheap (apart from Ionity) and handy but putting them in shopping centres is not the solution either. Ev drivers just use them as parking spots and buzz off for two hours.

L1011

On the app shuffling - Electroverse card works on basically everything, but is dearer sometimes; but for ease I only have that card/app, and an ESB card.

Older ESB 50kW and 100kW chargers seem to be the least reliable units in the country; but a lot of the time it just needs to try twice. Or three times. Or four times. Or plug the cable in and out repeatedly.

Or give up and use the other brand across the road.

zg3409

There was an article saying 1/3 of chargers in UK were broken at any point in time. If your car has CCS you should consider Tesla in Sandyford, Tesla app needed. The ESB ecars card does tend to be more reliable than debit card and if charger is offline the ESB card may work as the charger holds a database of approved cards and does not need an internet connection. Many charters are now old and worn. There are lots of different cars and they all communicate slightly differently and different chargers often have different versions of software. Holding the plug up and in while the charger is starting can help. As said the ESB app may list some units offline. Apps like plugshare show user reviews so if a site is dodgy then you may be able to avoid. I believe ESB ecars have a policy of not listing a site as faulty , even if they have loads of reports. Until an engineer has visited the site and confirmed the fault and been unable to fix it in the day. So for example if a charger breaks on a Friday it may be Tuesday before the engineer visits and it only gets marked as faulty on the Tuesday. Spare parts can be an issue and some older units are obsolete and they scavenge parts from other units. Some manufacturers have gone bust, especially the makers of the older easygo units. I would recommend ringing the helpline and reporting the faults, also use the report feature in the esb ecars app and also add a comment to plugshare app warning others which units are unreliable. There may be non ESB ecars options near you so check plugshare app for all brands. I have a reminder set up for 9:50pm every night on my phone to check the car is plugged in, and older Nissan leafs would warn you on your phone if your car was home but not plugged in..

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124007830#Comment_124007830

Indeed. When filling up with Diesel, the typical routine is to pull off the road into a fuel station and park your car beside an available pump. Get out of the car, open the fuel door, untwist the cap and pick up the filthy diesel pump from the holster which is never cleaned and is handled dozens, or hundreds of times per day by other people who definitely don't have snot, urine splashback, poo particles and other gunk on their hands when they handle the same holster you're now firmly gripping as you pump diesel into your car and watch the numbers go 10, 20, 50, €100+ before your tank is full. Replace the pump in it's holster, button your car back up and walk into the garage to queue up and pay for your Diesel. Maybe pick up a chicken roll and hopefully you've washed your hands if you, or even if you don't. Leave the garage after paying and get into your car with the faint smell of diesel on your clothes. Yum!

So much easier than me pulling into my driveway and every other night, taking the charge gun connected to my wall and plugging it into my car which then leaves me with a full battery in the morning by the time I unplug and climb into a pre-heated car. And the worst part, it cost me less than a fiver but I only get about 500km from a fill. I just can't get the same 1,000km the diesel car gives in a single fill and because I drive that distance every day, it's a massive inconvenience.

😁

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124010139#Comment_124010139

Swings and round-a-bouts, liquid fuels are much more convenient for longer trips which is why PHEV with large battery like the BMW i3 Rex were so good, obviously the engine had no mechanical connectivity to the wheels unlike any other PHEV out there and had decent EV range.

BMW decided to ditch the Rex back in 2018/19 but they're bringing it back, best of both worlds and no need what-so-ever for any kind of charging infrastructure and all, but, the i3 Rex had DC charge port if one wants to stop and charge, as I said, best of both worlds , a truly marvellous piece of engineering.

It's all about choice and BMW did offer the choice, BEV only or Rex.

Cuddlesworth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124007830#Comment_124007830

For now.

There will be a tipping point, where the numbers of cars using the stations declines to the point where they are loosing money and they start closing and the usually premium land gets built on. Cities first but it will transition to the towns next. As they start closing and it gets more inconvenient to have petrol/diesel vehicles due to the distance required to fill, more people will consider EV as a option, ownership percentages will increase, causing more stations to close. It will cascade quite quickly. I say this as a person with a petrol car at the moment. Its not a question of if, it's a question of when.

And public chargers will transition to other locations, all hey need are parking spaces and a decent power supply, cafes, shopping centers etc. Places without the baggage and upkeep costs that petrol stations have.

MojoMaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124011358#Comment_124011358

For now.

It's not even for now, we are well past that. It's significantly easier right now to "fill" an electric car.

chrisd2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124011570#Comment_124011570

If you have a few hours to watch the thing charge….

wildwillow

It is easier and quicker to fill up with diesel and unfortunately range anxiety is a reality. I do a 650km round trip on an almost weekly basis and have no charging available at my destination. Nor do I have the time to wait around for a charger to come free and then wait for a decent percentage charge. So, many of us drive diesel because of circumstances.

I am single so haven't the luxury of being a two-car household where one could be electric for normal journeys.

I would welcome being able to rely on an electric to give me the range I get from diesel and will adopt an EV as soon as practical for my circumstances. Most of the driving is on the motor way but my destination is quite rural.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124011570#Comment_124011570

Only if you can charge at home or work.

If you are relying on public chargers it's a pain in the hole. You have to drive to a fast charger, they are still rare and there's no point in using a slow public charger unless you have planned to spend several hours at a location, then you get lucky and don't have to queue but only get 1/3 the rated power even though you've pre conditioned your battery so you're car that can go from 10% to 80% in 20 minutes takes 40 minutes to get from 15% to 70% and then you have to stop charging as you'll be hit with an overstay fee. And even if you do get full speed you're sitting for 20+ minutes to pay more than an ICE.

It's not easy to fill an electric car on public chargers, they are fine for occasional use and are great on the motorways, but we are a long way from having people who can't charge at home or work in BEVs.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124012136#Comment_124012136

Do you watch the kettle boil after you press the button? Do you watch paint dry after you put it on the wall?

I just plug my car in and when I come out the following morning, it's ready to go and pre-heated/de-frosted. No fuss.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124012169#Comment_124012169

I do 1,000km weekly, charging the car 3 times a week at home while I sleep. Significantly easier than when I drove petrol or diesel

On the way back from Dublin airport a few weeks ago I plugged in at the Ionity station at Kill services, popped in for a toilet break and a takeaway cuppa tea and when I came out my cars battery was at 90%. I've never filled a petrol or diesel car, had a piss and grabbed a cuppa as fast

2-car household, both EVs

I would welcome being able to rely on a diesel to give me the convenience of EVs but there's just no diesel around that can fill up as fast and as conveniently as my EV can

The last time I had range anxiety was in 2019 driving my old diesel along the Limerick-Killarney road at 5am. Less of an issue now that I have an EV as most charge points along that route are 24 hours (as is my home charger)

I do miss driving diesel, was able to make an excuse to get off work early or come in late about once every 8 weeks as she needed servicing or a new exhaust or timing belts or maybe she just didn't start for me in the morning. Great excuses sadly now lost

chrisd2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124014739#Comment_124014739

:)

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124015096#Comment_124015096

"I would welcome being able to rely on a diesel to give me the convenience of EVs but there's just no diesel around that can fill up as fast and as conveniently as my EV can"

What an utter load of bollocks !!!

Please boards.ie, bring back the downvote and I might actually become a subscriber, stop this American BS of only allowing + votes !!!!!!!

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124010139#Comment_124010139

Jaysus, maybe carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with you if your that afraid of germs?😂

Let's call a spade a spade here:

Filling up with diesel is obviously more convenient (and cheaper) than fast charging.

EV drivers have way more time to kill and are way more likely to buy food etc waiting for their car to charge

A lot of diesel pumps do have pay at pump options And there are gloves available if you are that afraid of germs. Germs also grow on EV charge cables.

I have never smelled of diesel after filling a car

And I do drive an EV btw

slave1

Horses for courses, for "long" range there is still a barrier in terms of cost and fast charging versus ICE, we're a two EV household since 2020 because we could and it works for us, not about to push that on those where it's just not practical yet

Flinty997

Diesel drivers in an EV thread. Let it go no one cares.

Flinty997

I don't use public chargers that much haven't had much problems with broken chargers I've found ESB to be the most consistently reliable .

But I assume that that are in heavy use and thus wear out quicker.

On plugshare I used to check who has checked in recently then I know it's working. I've few bookmarked that never work. Just to see do they get repaired. Some for a over a year still not fixed. None of these are ESB though.

But much more useful ABRP paid version has a live status of most chargers. You can see people using the chargers and leaving it as you drive towards it.

The Carrickmines sites comes up as an issue on a regular basis. Would you not just plan to avoid it.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016401#Comment_124016401

Ah it was mostly tongue in cheek. I drove a Diesel van for work a few years ago and was on the road most of time covering the whole country. Most places didn’t have gloves or pay at pump. I used my own gloves because the diesel handle always and unsurprisingly smelled of diesel. Most stations didn’t have public toilets either, so I came prepared because I didn’t want diesel fumes on my home made sangwich. This was Covid time, so I had the sanitiser gel too 😁.

The rare time I use a public charger in the Tesla, it’s ready before I get back from taking a leak. Not true for the Leaf. I’d go into the garage and have a bite if peckish.
Diesel might be more convenient in most circumstances where using an EV for public charging, but I don’t think it’s more convenient when stacked against the average user having a home charger and who rarely, if ever uses the public network.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016515#Comment_124016515

Point me out a petrol or diesel that I can refill in 10s from my driveway and I might consider moving back to ICE.

For 'long range' users there are good monthly subscription plans from Ionity out there which bring the unit price right down. Other CPOs need to introduce similar, I accept, but I think it's a matter of 'when' not 'if'

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016560#Comment_124016560

People should care because clearly the oil industry is getting scared of new technology and spreading misinformation as best they can

MojoMaker

Very few petrol/diesel stations open after 10pm in Ireland anymore, and many are 9pm now. That's a serious loss of "convenience" to anyone stuck in a rural location.

Any of the bigger motorway-based ICE refuelling stations that are open through the night also have 24/7 HP chargepoints too.

This thread was about ESB chargers - and unfortunately they aren't brilliant. Gold standard is Tesla and Ionity. One of the reasons you rarely hear Tesla owners complaining about range or chargepoint access - because it just "works".

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016682#Comment_124016682

We can only control our part. Every EV thread gets detailed with this.

I don't need to know that some needs to move a piano 1000km every other day. Its a thread about chargers.

innrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016682#Comment_124016682

You haven't heard of Gaztec?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ehjX7HD1IY

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016712#Comment_124016712

You have to subscribe to Tesla and Ionity and there isn't enough of them. Not all Tesla Chargers are open to other vehicles either. The older ones are awkward to use short cables and layout, if you're not in a Tesla.

Esb is the lowest common denominator here there are more of them so more people have access to them.

Its a rapidly changing situation though. Theres been lots of new chargers and suppliers in the last two years.

We really need a change in thinking on chargers. Longer cables, wider universal spaces, a drive through layout, roofs and queue layout like a petrol station. Well not exactly, something like that.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016903#Comment_124016903

Unless there's another Wallace and Gromit Christmas special I think this is the funniest thing I'll see this year

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016916#Comment_124016916

Can use Ionity with an Electroverse card without subscription also. Other than Tesla I don't know if there's anything that isn't on Electroverse now; they added Weev recently - but after I had to fight their messy payment system.

ESB being the lowest common denominator also means they're massively oversubscribed. Got the last of the 12? 14? chargers at J14 a while ago; and had to wait (about three minutes, admittedly) for one to open of the 8 in Carrickmines retail park.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016939#Comment_124016939

The fact that ESB are the Lowest Common Denominator suggests that they should have a proper subscription service like Ionity and Tesla have, not a measly 5c saving

If one of the larger networks ever introduced a proper subscription with proper discounts it would be a huge disruption to the market and the consumer would see a massive benefit

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124016939#Comment_124016939

Can I use Ionity with just a CC. No subscription to Ionity or Electroverse?