ESB eCars

I think a big part of the plan is to get first mover advantage and other providers will then avoid setting up right next to you and so you own the area and possibly get customers using only your app to find chargers and driving right past competitors they dont know exist. It also give headline speeds to get people to pick your site even if their car can't use the peak speeds for long or at all. I can imagine the batteries dont get much wear and tear as the initial 50/100kW is drawn directly from grid with remaining peak from battery for a short period. If they have a deal with a group of petrol stations then they are restricted in picking sites, and grid upgrades could be crazy expensive and slow.

I believe in NI grid upgrades cost multiple times that of ROI or mainland UK, so many providers have attempted NI networks but delayed or reduced the rollout, e.g. Tesla, Ionity and all large UK networks.

Long term I can see proper hubs being set up where motorways meet power lines or existing large substations, half way between cities. This way grid costs and time delays are reduced. I would also greatly prefer sites with 8+ chargers than risking sites with 1 or 2 chargers, that may have queues or broken units.

Dear EV Driver,

Thank you for being a part of an exciting transition to a low carbon, net zero future for all. We have been working hard to improve and expand the ESB EV public charging network and the service we provide. See below for details on the latest updates.

Upgrades to our Network:

We constructed 18 hubs in Ireland and 26 sites in Great Britain, adding an additional 250 charge points this year across our jurisdictions in 2023. We have also been working on improving the existing chargers on our network, upgrading our rapid / fast chargers around the country from 50kW to 100kW, allowing you to charge faster.

To find your nearest charger, download the ecar connect app or check out our charge point map.

Reminder about our Overstay Fee:

In our 2022 customer survey, some of you reported having to queue for a charger at some locations. We are taking this feedback on board to reduce queuing and to further encourage drivers to charge and move on to free up chargers for those who need them.

An overstay fee of €8 (£8) will apply for charging sessions longer than 45 minutes when using all DC CHAdeMO, CCS and AC43kW connectors at Fast (rapid) or High-Power chargers. An overstay fee will also apply for charging sessions longer than 10 hours on both 7kW and 22kW chargers/sockets. (Note: this charge is applied once).

To ensure you are notified of when overstay fees are applied, we encourage all drivers to turn on notifications on the ecar connect app. This will mean you will receive push notifications to remind you when the overstay fee applies while you are charging.

Charging Do's and Don'ts:

As we are approaching the end of the year, we wanted to share some Do's and Don'ts with you to ensure you get the best experience from our network over the busy Christmas season. 

Do:

• Bring your ESB charge point access card or have your ecar connect app to hand. 
• Pay the local parking fee if there is one (this is determined by individual local councils). 
• Park correctly at the charger, not obstructing other users' access. 
• Vacate the space after charging to allow the next driver to recharge and to avoid receiving an overstay fee. 
• Have a minimum of €5 (£5) in your account or you won't be able to start a charge.
• Be careful not to drop the connector and remember to replace it securely on its holster. 
• Report any faults or safety concerns to our 24/7 365 days a year customer care help line: ROI - 01 258 3799, NI - 0044 345 601 8303  
• Be respectful of the customer support and maintenance support, they are trying to assist. 

Don't:

• Leave cables trailing on the ground as they may cause a trip hazard. 
• Attempt to unplug somebody else’s car when they are charging. 
• Over stretch the cable as this can damage the cables.

• Press the big red button unless there is an emergency! Pressing the emergency stop button to finish a charge shuts down the charger, impacting the other person charging and requires maintenance to get it up and running again. If you do spot that someone has pressed this button, please call our customer care who can reset this for you.

Keep an eye out!

77% of people in ROI use the ESB charging network as either their main charge point or to supplement their charging needs, which shows how important our public charging is for our customers. Your feedback is much appreciated, and we are taking the valuable insights you gave us and are working to continuously improve your experience of our network.

We are constructing more charging hubs around Ireland which will be available before the end of the year, to ensure you always have a charger nearby where you need one.  

Have you downloaded our ecar connect app yet?

If not, remember to download the ecar connect app available on the App Store and Google Play, and please remind friends and family to download the app and refer to our content if they have recently bought an EV. 

We encourage all electric vehicle drivers to turn on their in-app notifications to stay up-to date on your invoice's availability, account balance, information on your charge and if your payment card is due to expire. Users can turn on their in-app notifications via the driver portal or the ecar connect app. The other notification methods available are by SMS and email.

Our website also has lots of helpful content, including ‘How to charge’ videos for high power, fast and standard chargers, some EV etiquette tips as well as tips on how to get the best out of using the ecar connect app. We also have an EV glossary to explain some of the most frequently used terms in the eMobility industry. Our Frequently Asked Questions web page should help answer any questions you may have.

Contact us!

If you need to get in touch, you can contact us by email at ecars@esb.ie, Facebook or via our 24/7 customer care line on +353 1 258 3799. Want to hear more from ESB and our other services? Check out our website.

18 hubs?

J14, Kinnegad, Barrack Obama... Where are the other 15?

SPOF again. The VW is charging on a ac according to the app for nearly an hour. Its abandoned since I've been here. I arrived with 10% in my 28ioniq.

I thought it was on the css & checked the app. Luckily for me I have been able to squeeze in & get a charge. Just about. A right drop off from my door.

Some people are just so feckimg selfish blocking a SPOF like that

Single Point Of Failure

I hope you left a note on the windshield? A lot of people are oblivious to issues like this....

The groundworks at the Park Carrickmines have concluded. Waiting for the chargers now.

I charged at the 150kW at Park Ri, Kells today. I chauffeured all the kids out of the car, past the shops to the bathroom, argued with some mini me’s about why they had to go wee, chauffeured them past the shops again only to find that the car has been charging at a whopping 19kW :-/

Maybe the battery was cold after an hours motorway driving. Maybe charging at 52% was too high SoC. Who knows?

Actually I do. I came back again this evening with a 25% SoC and plenty more motorway driving, plugged in and got 20kW before I gave up, moved to the 50kW and doubled my speed.

There are a small number of other people with the same complaint on PlugShare going back 6 weeks. I called eCars, I wonder if they’ll look into it or just dismiss it as another EV owner that thinks they’ll always get 150kW from charger.

Contactless payment facility out of action at Kinnegad Plaza chargers.

I turned up to that station in my leaf 24 with only a few % left a few weeks ago. It used to have chademo!

I wonder if that will be the last chademo install. Ecars said no new chademo from 2024.

Although Bolton Street does not currently have Chademo, the old 22kW charger in Ballybricken has been replaced with a 100kW CCS/50kW Chademo, so at least there is some option in the city center. https://www.plugshare.com/location/35214

Is it even charging?

good chance they stopped it at 44 minutes by app and finished whatever they are doing.

No he was still in the car and it was charging.

Anyone subscribed to ESB marketing will have received an email today with a link to their annual survey - it's a good opportunity to give them some feedback.

ESB ecars Annual Customer Survey

Dear EV Driver,

Thank you for using our EV charging network throughout the year. As a user of our chargers, we would like to ask you a few short questions about your experience with our service.  

It should only take around 5 minutes.

We appreciate your time and feedback; your comments will help us to continually improve our network and service for you. 

The survey will be available until 31st of December.  

You can complete the survey at the link here

Have a safe and Merry Christmas from all of us at ESB!