EasyGo public chargers

CivilEx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122116446#Comment_122116446

You'd have to think that EasyGo would not have made the investment in the equipment and works without some "promise" from the ESB that they would be connected relatively soon after installation?

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122116569#Comment_122116569

Yeah, would seem stupid to do that. From photos posted on Plugshare, it would seem all the electrical boxes are in place, but obviously not connected.

Seems nonsensical. These chargers are in really useful places. Lots of tourists around, never mind locals.

JohnC.

2 new units going in on Meagher's Quay, Waterford. Saw the works over a few days but had no idea this is what was happening until they appeared today.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122117107#Comment_122117107

I put your photo on the plugshare entry here

In terms of in place but not yet live it's up to ESB networks and in many cases it can 6+ months to get a connected or upgraded grid. ESB networks were advertising on the radio for apprentices due to backlog with whole new housing estates finished but not yet connected. I have seen motorway services and businesses open running from generators due to connection delays. There was also news items about bribes being asked to jump queues. In some cases it can require whole new substations or custom equipment to be ordered and due to attacks on electricity system in Ukraine there was a shortage of equipment and spares. Other countries were donating parts but then placing orders on long lead times.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/617949

CivilEx

Anyone from Longford on here? EasyGo show a 50kW dual CCS charger live in the Bog Lane Car Park in Longford which is not listed on PlugShare.

Is this a different location to the Longford library which isn't live yet?

https://www.plugshare.com/location/608431

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122132410#Comment_122132410

Chargefinder has it. Not the same location. The EasyGo ones are the blue pin, the Longford Library ones are top right.

eltoastero

New DC chargers just off Bray Main St. (I didn't get a good look as I was passing, I assume it's a CCS + Chademo 50kW station - it's not on the easyGo app yet but there was a Tesla Model Y plugged in.

It's a terribly narrow street to get parking on, I expect it will be ICE'd non-stop given it's location (so close to take aways for example). I'll update the plugshare next time i pass.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/625492

Red Silurian

I understand that paying by credit card instead of the app (where available) may cost more… Does any lovely boardsie on here know how much more this method costs? Would be handier than having to top up an account the whole time

CMOTDibbler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338524#Comment_122338524

It varies. Even with an account. For example the Lidl EasyGo chargers are around 50c/kWh whereas other ones in towns can be as high as 70c. Without an account it seems extremely difficult to get pricing. I assume you have one near you which is why you're asking. Probably best to try it and see. You'd only be investing a couple of quid to find out.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338576#Comment_122338576

As far as I can tell easygo have 3 charging rates to the public

Lidl AC: 45c

Lidl DC: 50c

Other AC and DC: 70c

Yeah I was going to do that this weekend but wanted to see if anybody had done it before, be nice if I could get a receipt from it afterwards to really be able to drill into it but I don't think that's possible when paying by credit card

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122339846#Comment_122339846

Considering most Easygo DC chargers are quite slow compared to a lot of their competitors, they should revisit that 70c rate.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341659#Comment_122341659

It's 50c at Lidl stores but I do get the sentiment. More importantly it's all about what people are willing to pay. If people pay the 70c then where's the motivation to drop prices?

Also in a lot of little towns and villages they are the only option available which helps them to keep prices high

Comer1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341926#Comment_122341926

If you need a charge, you need a charge and unfortunately, with such poor options to shop around, it's difficult to vote with your feet.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341946#Comment_122341946

It will change in time to come, how long it takes is the real question. The govt could do with being a bit more proactive as well. They jumped to quickly reduce taxes on petrol and diesel in February 2022. Now faced with a drop in EV sales they are notably less bothered about the prices we pay vs our dino juice bretheren

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341946#Comment_122341946

Good point and EasyGo seem to have focused on locations that had nothing. That said bigger battery EV’s are now more affordable and readily available. This means you can choose where you want to charge more of the time.

veryangryman

Their kinnegad charger hasn't been working for ages now. Have they given up the ghost there? Granted ESB have a hub beside them now but I'm pretty cheesed off having a loaded balance on easygo but having to use esb there

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342218#Comment_122342218

I think you can use up your EasyGo balance on an ESB charger using the App but you’ll be paying a few cent more than using an ESB eCars account.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342218#Comment_122342218

There was something about this site being run by the owner and fixing it was up to owner and with another option I guess site owner does not want to pay to get them fixed. It's a shame as kinnegad could have been easygo's flagship motorway site. It looks like they can't get motorway sites these days.

Also complicating repairs is the Australian makers of the chargers went bust.

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122349745#Comment_122349745

Your last sentence nails the issue. No warranty, no online support and more than likely no spares. Unfortunately in a newly formed industry there will be victims.

Easygo may have no other option but to replace their chargers as and when they fall over.

obi604

tried the EasyGO charger in Waterford city - it’s along the quays. It’s fairly new I think and only there a few weeks.
have tried it 3 times now and cannot get it to work. Have an easy go app and tried with cars too (well Apple pay on iPhone )

the app does not even seem to correspond, mentions connectors and hard to know which is which

Anyone else have any joy with this charger?

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122350269#Comment_122350269

Reviews here not good.

You typically need a good few euro in your easygo account before starting a charge. Next time ring easygo helpline when at the charger and they can check your account and the charger. They can send someone out if a fault is found.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/617949

dodzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341926#Comment_122341926

It’d kill me to pay almost diesel rates to charge my EV. Have avoided this far and hopefully that continues.. Charger at home on Energia 2-6am only in the first 3mths of ownership. Long may that continue.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356306#Comment_122356306

Yeah. Very hard to find pricing. Nothing on the charger machine. I rang call Center and told her I was at a 50kW DC charger and asked her the price per kWh. Her answer was: between 24 and 70 Cent!! I said can you be more precise and then she says it’s all on the website….not very helpful.

Further checking indicates 27 cent access and 70 cent per kWh for the 50 DC charger. If so, it’s some rip off!!

JPA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356268#Comment_122356268

I think that is a bizarre location they picked.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356306#Comment_122356306

I worked out on another thread that it's roughly a 3:1 ratio of kWh to L. It's obviously heavily dependent on your cars efficiency so pinch of salt needed

So the 50c at Lidl is the same as €1.50/L and the 70c rate elsewhere is the same as €2.10/L.

Strange one… I plugged in at the weekend but the credit card machine wasn't working so used the app. A few minutes later he app said I had €1.60 left in my account… Fair enough, topped up a tenner thinking problem solved but when I got back to my car the charging had stopped at around 60% and I had €11.60 in my account…

It looks like what I was initially warned about was that the charging had stopped and you need to have a minimum of €1.60 in your account at all times for anything to happen. So the charging stopped and even with the top up it didn't restart but I was none the wiser.

CivilEx

I get the sentiment that EasyGo are now relatively expensive in comparison to other providers, but the way I think about using their chargers is that it is a very small part of my overall charging costs for the year as 90% of my charging is done at home at very low rates.

If they were engaging with us on this thread, I would encourage them to continue their investment in charging infrastructure especially in rural locations. It's far better to have the units and let the public decide if they want to use them at €0.7/kWh (€0.5/kWh @ Lidl), than not to have the choice in the first place.

My own observations are that plenty of people are choosing to use them.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122358246#Comment_122358246

Agree. They’re possibly gone down the cost model of the convenience stores. Aka Centra, Spar etc. You’re paying a little more for the convenience of location without any obvious competition. Their customer service/tech support isn’t great which could hurt in the long term if not improved.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122357666#Comment_122357666

This is a known issue. Topping up money after charging has started does not count towards that session. You need to top up before starting the session or stop and restart. I have been caught out too but I was sitting in the car and I heard the charge stopping clunk.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122358246#Comment_122358246

I get the sentiment that EasyGo are now relatively expensive in comparison to other providers

Not really, they aren't cheap but by comparison to their competitors they aren't majorly more expensive, see below pricing

Easygo - 70c

Easygo Lidl - 50c (72%)

Ionity - 70c (100%)

Circle K - 70c (100%)

Applegreen - 75c/68c (107%, 97%)

Ecars - 57c/59c (82%, 84%)

Tesla - 42c/49c/57c/64c (60%, 70%, 81%, 92%)

Now it should be noted that Ionity, Ecars and Tesla all allow subscriptions to reduce the unit price. I think this is a good idea, especially for people who don't have home charging, and could provide a boost to easygo revenue if they are smart about it

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122366118#Comment_122366118

That's a silly issue and I'd imagine very easy to fix. I like the way some CPOs don't need you to have any credit in an account at all and you just get a credit card charge on the fly. Something Easygo (and ecars) could learn from