IONITY - charging / fees / tips

Cyrus

ELM327 wrote: »

Wonder if its because they tow a lot and the etron is the best towing EV

not sure, maybe its snow capability

ELM327

The etron is for sure better than a TM3 (even though the 3 has AWD) in the snow with the ground clearance advantage

unkel

Cyrus wrote: »

norwegians have moved on

https://www.quattrodaily.com/the-audi-e-tron-is-norways-most-popular-ev-for-2020/

Wow, that's amazing. I had no idea. I presume the vast majority of them are the 50 model, like the one you are getting. It's very good value for money. One of only a handful of EVs that deserve that label at the moment imho.

Cyrus

unkel wrote: »

Wow, that's amazing. I had no idea. I presume the vast majority of them are the 50 model, like the one you are getting. It's very good value for money. One of only a handful of EVs that deserve that label at the moment imho.

yep i was surprised as well,

not sure on the split between 50 and 55 (the 50 was a smart move by audi) but the norwegians are rich so who knows

unkel

50 was a smart move indeed. I think I will hold onto my VW shares for now

ELM327

When I was in Tesla Sandyford I had a nosey at the etron that was on display at the dealer across the road. It's a lovely car, and if there were no Tesla, I'd be in one already.
I do love a big SUV.

redcup342

ELM327 wrote: »

When I was in Tesla Sandyford I had a nosey at the etron that was on display at the dealer across the road. It's a lovely car, and if there were no Tesla, I'd be in one already.
I do love a big SUV.

It is indeed a lovely car, I've taken it a few times now. The only problem with it is for long trips you are solely relying on DC Rapid chargers and it's very heavy on juice and AC Charging is 11kw only .. meaning it'll sit there for 9 hours on an AC Charger

Did a trip down to Paris from Dusseldorf and I sat on an Ionity charger in Belgium to almost 100% as it was 8 quid back then for a full charge and the rest were 50kw chargers.

In Paris forget about it, the rapid charging infrastructure is pure sh*te, all the CCS Chargers were out of service or ICEd

Norway it would make total sense, if you want to go south in an E-Tron it's a long trip :pac:

Also the relying on the Navi for working out your charges is a no go as well (although that's the same for more non-tesla navis)

ELM327

True. But in a couple of years when there's widespread 150kW charging available, the etron will be the king

redcup342

ELM327 wrote: »

True. But in a couple of years when there's widespread 150kW charging available, the etron will be the king

No, it'll be king when it can charge at 22kw on AC, Rapid charging isn't all that important to me.

I'd prefer to stop in a nice Town/City for around 3 hours and have dinner and relax etc than stop for 45 minutes at some sh*tty rest stop in the middle of nowhere.

Fast AC Charging is just as important as fast DC charging, the Model 3 even has this problem.

Lumen

These sales stats seems to swing back and forth as new models are released, but it'll be interesting to see how sales of the EU-built Model Y compare to the e-tron.

The MY is faster, better packaged and more rangey, but I suspect consumers in markets with well-developed fast charging networks care more about trim quality, noise suppression and looks.

ELM327

redcup342 wrote: »

No, it'll be king when it can charge at 22kw on AC, Rapid charging isn't all that important to me.

I'd prefer to stop in a nice Town/City for around 3 hours and have dinner and relax etc than stop for 45 minutes at some sh*tty rest stop in the middle of nowhere.

Fast AC Charging is just as important as fast DC charging, the Model 3 even has this problem.

When the etron does 120kW to >80% and 50kW at 100%, the fast DC is king. No one charges at AC on route.

Lumen wrote: »

These sales stats seems to swing back and forth as new models are released, but it'll be interesting to see how sales of the EU-built Model Y compare to the e-tron.

The MY is faster, better packaged and more rangey, but I suspect consumers in markets with well-developed fast charging networks care more about trim quality, noise suppression and looks.

The Y is substantially cheaper, charges faster (both in terms of peak kW but more importantly in the "km/h" charging speeds) and offers better charging offers and functionality.


The etron is definitely more premium and comes with discounted ionity rates, but will that be enough?

Kramer

redcup342 wrote: »

Did a trip down to Paris from Dusseldorf and I sat on an Ionity charger in Belgium to almost 100% as it was 8 quid back then for a full charge

You took almost 100kWh for €8 :eek:.
Would you have been happy paying almost €80? I bet not .

redcup342 wrote: »

I've done > 1000 km trips in an EV with little to no planning and it's actually worked out as less hassle since I didn't need to arse around trying to find parking or finding out how to pay for parking at my destination, just plugged in and walked off.

Not in Paris you didn't

redcup342 wrote: »

In Paris forget about it, the rapid charging infrastructure is pure sh*te, all the CCS Chargers were out of service or ICEd

redcup342 wrote: »

Now is the best time to get an EV, take advantage of all the benefits and the free charging.

Free charging? My post was about the extortionate rate of 79c/kWh Ionity charge & the almost equally as bad, 64c/kWh it costs through Chargepoint.

There is no need for that level of gouging. That's upwards of 10 times the nightly rate or 5 times the average day rate for electricity.

redcup342 wrote: »

Now is the best time to get an EV

Or a diesel - far cheaper to run for regular motorway driving .

liamog wrote: »

There is a cost in providing the Ionity network, the manufacturers instead set it up as a joint venture. They have chosen to sell access to the Ionity network as a separate item with a monthly access fee.

Where & how would one find this monthly Ionity subscription with reduced rates in Ireland? I'm interested as I can't see Maingau being a reasonable option for much longer.

liamog

Kramer wrote: »

Where & how would one find this monthly Ionity subscription with reduced rates in Ireland? I'm interested as I can't see Maingau being a reasonable option for much longer.

You buy one of the cars from a manufacturer that supports high powered charging. Currently that means the Audi e-Tron, Mercedes EQC, or the Porsche Taycan. The offering isn't available from VW or BMW yet, as they are yet to release their >50kW cars to the market.

ELM327

I know you can get the discount with an ETron, costs 17 quid a month but you get ~35c/kWh for Ionity.
I agree, I can't see maingau lasting at the massive discount (unless it's agreed with Ionity behind the scenes)

Kramer

liamog wrote: »

You buy one of the cars from a manufacturer that supports high powered charging. Currently that means the Audi e-Tron, Mercedes EQC, or the Porsche Taycan.

Ah here, Liam, shur ammn't I complaining about the cost of charging at Ionity - Mrs. Kramer will blow a gasket altogether if I tell her I've to get a Taycan to save 15c on every unit of electricity I need for my high speed motorway jaunts up & down the M7/M1 to Belfast .

So there's no option for a BMW i3 owner for reduced rates, or a Hyundai/Kia owner, or a VW eGolf owner.......or my lowly 3.7kW capable, BMW PHEV .

That's disappointing.....:(.

redcup342

Kramer wrote: »

You took almost 100kWh for €8 :eek:.
Would you have been happy paying almost €80? I bet not .

Ya exactly, I took advantage of a Cheap Juice, you can't take advantage of cheap diesel other than driving to another Petrol station where it's a few cents / liter cheaper.

Not in Paris you didn't

Ya because that's DC Rapid Charging hence why I don't like the E-Tron or the i-Pace, the battery is too big they eat too much juice and the AC Charging is too slow.

Free charging? My post was about the extortionate rate of 79c/kWh Ionity charge & the almost equally as bad, 64c/kWh it costs through Chargepoint.

Nobody on the continent pays that rate, you sign up with a company for your home power and get their rate. I'm currently with Maingau and pay 25 cent / kWh for Public Chargers all over Europe. If EnBW, E.ON or whoever offer a better deal i'll switch to them.

40 cents / kWh I would currently consider expensive.

There is no need for that level of gouging. That's upwards of 10 times the nightly rate or 5 times the average day rate for electricity.

Again I think this is just new to you in Ireland, 75 cent / kWh is around the going rate for walk up DC Rapid charging, it's always been like that, nobody pays those rates.

I had Stadtwerke Dusseldorf before and it was 10 euros for a full DC Rapid charge on Roaming but I don't generally take cars with big batterys so it's not really worth it for me

Or a diesel - far cheaper to run for regular motorway driving .

I drove just over 3000 km for a shade over 60 euros and didn't pay for any parking in some of the most expensive cities to park in Switerland, Italy and Austria

If you have a bit of cop on you can get some great deals on charging (either free or exploiting the billing structure)

markpb

Kramer wrote: »

There is no need for that level of gouging. That's upwards of 10 times the nightly rate or 5 times the average day rate for electricity

I'm no fan of Ionity but comparing the price of electricity in your home to a 150kW+ EV chargepoint is ridiculous. It's the same as people who complain about how expensive food is in a restaurant compared to buying it in Lidl.

liamog

Kramer wrote: »

Ah here, Liam, shur ammn't I complaining about the cost of charging at Ionity - Mrs. Kramer will blow a gasket altogether if I tell her I've to get a Taycan to save 15c on every unit of electricity I need for my high speed motorway jaunts up & down the M7/M1 to Belfast .

So there's no option for a BMW i3 owner for reduced rates, or a Hyundai/Kia owner, or a VW eGolf owner.......or my lowly 3.7kW capable, BMW PHEV .

That's disappointing.....:(.

Hyundai/Kia are in the process of joining Ionity. It remains to be seen if they offer a membership scheme. I don't know what BMW and VW plan to do with regard to offering their service to I3, e-Golf, and e-Up! drivers, but you're just as well charging at the e-Cars chargers where you can spend 31c/kWh (without a subscription). There is no advantage construed by charging at high powered charger compared to a 50kW one.

I think that paying 79c/kWh the few times you need to do a long distance journey, and the any other network charger is unavailable, is preferable to buying a spare 5 series BMW to allow me to do the trip. I'll tell you what, if your that bothered about just rent an ICE for the day.

irishgrover

I used Ionity for the first time since Maingau allowed changing payment method to Cards - it worked flawlessly (it never worked for me properly when SEPA was payment method). It was perfect.
I also charged in ecars at Galway plaza (I was testing as it was also the 1st time I fast charged since getting the port actuator changed on my car a couple of weeks ago).
Both places were full of people, looked like a lot of holiday makers, not a mask in sight...

Cyrus

folks, how often has someone gone to an ionity charger (especially at cashel as it seems to be the one on any long trip i might take) where they are all full and there is a queue?

liamog

I've only rarely used Ionity chargers, never had a queue, biggest issue at Cashel is ICE'ing of the spaces, it's a pretty small station and doesn't have enough parking spaces.
I think they made a mistake placing the chargers at the back of the car park, and laying them out like parking spaces.

MJohnston

liamog wrote: »

There is no advantage construed by charging at high powered charger compared to a 50kW one.

Well not quite, in this country at least the advantage is in the availability

Lumen

markpb wrote: »

I'm no fan of Ionity but comparing the price of electricity in your home to a 150kW+ EV chargepoint is ridiculous. It's the same as people who complain about how expensive food is in a restaurant compared to buying it in Lidl.

Sure, but 30-40c is presumably commercially sustainable in Ireland since that range includes what ESB are proposing to charge, what Maingau recharges presumably at no loss to themselves or Ionity, and what FastNed charge once you take into account German retail electricity being 15c more expensive (all examples on guest pricing with no sub).

79c is like paying Chapter One money for a big Mac.

WattsUp

No condoning 79c but Ionity's speed, if your car can take it, is like Chapter 1 service compared to McDonalds

Maingau, if it continues at 40c, I think is a reasonable premium over other 50kW chargers for the additional speed and almost guaranteed availability.

markpb

WattsUp wrote: »

No condoning 79c but Ionity's speed, if your car can take it, is like Chapter 1 service compared to McDonalds

Surely it’s the other way round?

Darc19

Cyrus wrote: »

folks, how often has someone gone to an ionity charger (especially at cashel as it seems to be the one on any long trip i might take) where they are all full and there is a queue?

Looks like another option from end of the month at the new portlaoise plaza (same group as Barack Obama plaza)
Opening July 31st

Easygo are their partners in Kinnegad.

Black_Knight

markpb wrote: »

Surely it’s the other way round?

I think he means Ionity use only the finest of electricity. Freshly harvested. :pac:

Genghis

Would've gladly used Ionity at Athlone services on the weekend when the Circle K charger was not working. Even at 79c. But then Ionity and Leaf are not compatible. So back track to Athlone town centre where the eCars Chademo saved the day.

Genghis

Darc19 wrote: »

Looks like another option from end of the month at the new portlaoise plaza (same group as Barack Obama plaza)
Opening July 31st

Easygo are their partners in Kinnegad.

Might also mean the return of an option at Midway also. Can't believe Applegreen are open 7 or 8 months now and the charger once there was not replaced with something.

zg3409

Cyrus wrote: »

folks, how often has someone gone to an ionity charger (especially at cashel as it seems to be the one on any long trip i might take) where they are all full and there is a queue?

Cashel is a disaster. The single esb charger is always ICEd and busy next to MacDonald's. IONTY spaces are often all ICEd as car park is too small and cars park there and go for food. You can't assume you will get a charge at Cashel. They should install a raising barrier activated by the Ionity app, to stop ICE cars getting to that location. At non peak times it may be OK. Getting the Ionity chargers to actually work is another common problem, sometimes you need to try 2 or 3 and call help desk. I have never heard of all chargers in use at any Ionity site