Electric theft by EV owners causing charge points to be switched off. Again.

[ericmark]

I note yet again the charging point has be switched off due to people not registering for payment. Same happened last year during the winter months, that much power was being taken with the 15 minutes grace given to register with the app, and then the recipient not registering, they were running the charging point at a loss.

Some one must be standing there getting 15 minutes charge then unplugging and plugging in again repeatedly for the average to come out at a loss. I reported the same last year with this thread OK the sign directs people into the office so during the day it can be switched on, but with this charge point we actually know why it has been switched off.

I would have thought in the year between now and last time I posted about this a year ago some way around the problem would have been found, but this can't be good for those trying to promote the use of EV's.

 

[flameport]

some way around the problem would have been found,

That way is to have them set to pay first or you get nothing.

EV charging should not be free for even 1 minute.

 

[Mottie]

That way is to have them set to pay first or you get nothing.

EV charging should not be free for even 1 minute.

Just like a fuel pump at an unmanned station.

 

[mointainwalker]

That way is to have them set to pay first or you get nothing.

EV charging should not be free for even 1 minute.

I'm simply astonished that it would ever be contemplated any other way.

Ericmark, who are the people running tour local charging-point ? Is it the council by any chance ?

 

[ericmark]

Pod point I think, is seems the EV users pay pod point and then pod point pay the railway a proportion of the money collected and the railway pay the electric bill, since that meter only supplies the EV charging point, it is easy to show the money from pod point is less than the cost of the power used, not pod points loss so for a whole year nothing done to correct it, so simply method is simply switch it off.

But this does not help get people to buy electric cars when charge points are turned off. Suits me as the charge point is right outside our personal door and fed up of tripping over looped charging cables when carrying stuff so you can't really see the floor.

 

[SirGalahad]

Just like a fuel pump at an unmanned station.

Don't you have to pre-authorise your card before it starts pumping?

 

[Mottie]

Don't you have to pre-authorise your card before it starts pumping?

Obviously.

 

[ericmark]

I drive into a garage here, fill up with fuel, and then go into the shop to pay, to drive off without paying would be against the law, but the principle of starting to fill up before paying has been with us for years. However with a non manned filling station then yes the card is authorised first, but Pod Point have no problem with people not paying, it does not cost them anything, and when fitted, electric was cheap, so it was not considered people would sit there plugging the car in repeated times to get 5.5 kWh each time for no payment, over night it has been found 100 kWh or more taken with no payment, one just can't believe any one would sit there for so long plugging there car in and out so many times. Only charges at 22 kW.

But the result is the charger is disconnected in the winter months, unless special request is made. Four years ago when I moved here, it was rare to see it used, but last year found people using both outlets. As one drives into Wales it is about the last one until one reaches the coast, or first one after leaving the coast, there are some hidden in caravan sites, but still like the early days of the petrol car when you bought petrol in cans wonder if they had Pratts back then? Oh of course they did!

 

[Avocet]

I'm completely bemused by this! Surely, if there is a mechanism for paying at all, then it's the easiest thing in the world to just set it so that you can't have any electricity unless you pay for it? That's how the vast majority of other public chargers in the country work - job done!

 

[ericmark]

It seems Pod Point do not want to change their system, so railway has two options only leave them on, or switch them off, and since loosing money they have switched them off.

How much money is made from a charging point I don't know? But clearly if the point is not generating money, then best to switch them off, and release the car parking spots to all.

 

[Avocet]

It seems Pod Point do not want to change their system, so railway has two options only leave them on, or switch them off, and since loosing money they have switched them off.

How much money is made from a charging point I don't know? But clearly if the point is not generating money, then best to switch them off, and release the car parking spots to all.

That's Bizarre! I've used plenty of PodPoints, up and down the country, and I jut have to pay like I have to pay for any other public charging point. Generally, I don't use them much, unless I'm going to be somewhere for a long time, because they tend to be fairly low powered chargers. However, I have used one that works as you describe, in a Tesco car park in Leicester. It gave 15 or 20 minutes free. However, it didn't have a tethered cable, so you have to bring your own. For some strange reason, I did have my own able with me, that day, so I plugged in. I didn't bother trying to plug in multiple times, because, frankly, at 11 kW, I have better things to do with my life, but I guess it MIGHT have been possible for people to do that! However, the last time I was there, they'd just got rid of the free period. Easy enough to do, I'd have thought?

 

[ericmark]

frankly, at 11 kW, I have better things to do with my life, but I guess it MIGHT have been possible for people to do that! However, the last time I was there, they'd just got rid of the free period. Easy enough to do, I'd have thought?

The one I am taking about is 22 kW if the car can use 3 phase, and yes easy for pod point, but railway has no control of how it is controlled, had it not been that the DNO meters only supplied the EV charging point they may have not realised some one was plugging in multi-times.

 

[Avocet]

The one I am taking about is 22 kW if the car can use 3 phase, and yes easy for pod point, but railway has no control of how it is controlled, had it not been that the DNO meters only supplied the EV charging point they may have not realised some one was plugging in multi-times.

Either way, an easy thing for the charging point operator to rectify. They can set the tariffs to whatever they like.

 

[JP_]

There's so much money being made, they should have to employ attendants.

My mates dad was a petrol pump attendant, very likely the last one in the country (was a farming petrol outlet, so very rare station!) and I used to go there for the service. So civilised. "10 pounds please", and hand over a note. Simples.

The real problem here is the drive to automate jobs.

 

[ericmark]

Either way, an easy thing for the charging point operator to rectify. They can set the tariffs to whatever they like.

Maybe but it is not their problem, they simply pass on a % of their take to railway, it costs them nothing if the take is below the cost of electric, in the summer when tourists are at railway swings and roundabouts it pays for its self, winter when railway not running, it looses money so is switched off.