How do I charge a car in the UK?

Orebro

So I've a few cars earmarked that hopefully one will work out, and I can head over to the UK for it.

How do I access the chargIng infrastructure in the UK while I'm making my way to a port?

Gumbo

There's a free system that you can sign up to for ?20 for the year.
Ecocity or something.

I have a card there from when I bought mine in Scotland. Owner said he had signed up for the year, I'll see if I can route it out.

Other than that there are chargers that you can pay by app there and then.

Try work out where you are buying from and see if it's worth driving home of pay th €400 for it to come home on the back of a truck and meet you at Dublin port.

goz83

I used Ecotricity to get home from the UK. Drove from north of London to Liverpool. You sign up to the App and it costs £6 per 30 minutes of charge, which will get you above 80%. Half of the time, I wasn't even charged. You use your phone to scan the QR code on the machine and then plug in. There is a video explanation on the app too.

Also any Nissan Garage will have a Charge Point you can use for free....I needed one when the battery ran very low...it was a blessing.

Finally, when booking the Ferry, make sure you book the Electric Charger. You'll be first on and first off. You just need to tell them before you load up.

KCross

Orebro wrote: »

So I've a few cars earmarked that hopefully one will work out, and I can head over to the UK for it.

How do I access the chargIng infrastructure in the UK while I'm making my way to a port?

You have to map out your route (Dealer to Ferry) and then see what providers have sufficient chargers on that route.

Ecotricity are good on the motorway network but you need to map it and depending on the car you buy ensure you leave enough spare capacity to divert if a charger is offline.

There are other networks in the UK like CYC and Polar etc. Some are subscription based, some are pay per use. Each one will be different and you'll need to understand what ones you need to use and setup accounts beforehand etc.

I'd start with Ecotricity and if that works then just get that setup on your phone.

Orebro

goz83 wrote: »

I used Ecotricity to get home from the UK. Drove from north of London to Liverpool. You sign up to the App and it costs £6 per 30 minutes of charge, which will get you above 80%. Half of the time, I wasn't even charged. You use your phone to scan the QR code on the machine and then plug in. There is a video explanation on the app too.

Also any Nissan Garage will have a Charge Point you can use for free....I needed one when the battery ran very low...it was a blessing.

Finally, when booking the Ferry, make sure you book the Electric Charger. You'll be first on and first off. You just need to tell them before you load up.

Do both Stena and Irish Ferries have the chargers? I'm most likely going to be using Irish Ferries as the arrival time to Dublin suits. And can I book it at the time of booking online, or is it something I do at the port?

goz83

Orebro wrote: »

Do both Stena and Irish Ferries have the chargers? I'm most likely going to be using Irish Ferries as the arrival time to Dublin suits. And can I book it at the time of booking online, or is it something I do at the port?

Irish Ferries....and it was the slow boat I took. You book it online when making your booking. Might be in the special requests section. When you arrive to check-in, say you have booked the Electric Charger on board. You will be put into a different lane than the other cars. It was lane 34 I think. Just keep asking the staff along the way to go where you need to. Otherwise you will be clocked and won't reach the CP. I didn't need it, but it was handy anyway.

cros13

Irish Ferries and only the slow "cruise" ferries.

If you need a specific card let me know via PM and I can loan you one. I have cards for pretty much all the UK networks from CYC in scotland to Source London and Polar.

I also have cards for the various French, Dutch and German networks.

Orebro

Thanks folks. Looks like I'm out of luck as the ferry at the time I'd be aiming for is the Dublin Swift so no charger on that, that I can find online anyway. Not to worry - I can make sure I get it to 80% at the port.

isnottheword

Orebro wrote: »

Thanks folks. Looks like I'm out of luck as the ferry at the time I'd be aiming for is the Dublin Swift so no charger on that, that I can find online anyway. Not to worry - I can make sure I get it to 80% at the port.

Save yourself some cash - and probably any stress in getting to the port - and take the 3am sailing from L'pool. Cheap as chips - and you can take your time working your way towards the port. You won't need the charger on the boat - you'll have time to charge beforehand. There's a Nissan dealership 10 minutes away that will accomodate a fast charge (without charge).