EasyGo public chargers

Hi all,

Can I ask, out side of a preference for free charging - which provider would you prefer to use for charging your car and why?

Also, does anyone know if any company will deal with community groups who wish to host an electric charger on their premises and what the business model around this might look like (I'd assume the group would provide space and electrical connection, the company would install their charger and reimburse the organisation for the electric useage - but correct me if I am wrong here)

Thanks in advance for any advice,

I had a smart card and it worked for about months. Just stopped working. Their support is totally useless.

Wow, that's surprising. Australian company, if memory serves. That's going to cause some fluctuations in the ongoing support and service-space alright.

EasyGo did what they needed to do to go to market with a charger. The 50kW chargers were a strategic decision on the basis the lack of existing DC chargers across the country at the time as well as the electrical infrastructure and the cost of local upgrades to supply a larger load. It wasn't feasible to go larger in most locations and also the market for DC chargers was only semi-mature, so the technology wasn't what it is today. It hasn't aged well by virtue of the country needing a lot more charging capacity, but we are where we are.

I assume the reason for 50kW chargers is because they don’t normally require a lot of work from ESB Network so they’re cheaper and quicker to get installed. EasyGo aren’t ESBN with their (relatively) vast budget and infinite timeline for return on capital.

I’m no fan of EasyGo at all but they have chargers fitted at my parents and my in-laws small towns in the west & north west where there are no alternatives. They’re not en route chargers where speed is a necessity - they’re the kind where you plug in when you’re working, shopping or visiting people. They support people who don’t have off-street parking but still want to own an EV.

I wish they would focus more on hubs are at the very least sites with minimum 2 CCS. I purposefully avoid these single sites and opt for hubs when I need them as I don't want to risk getting to the charger and having someone else connect to it and I'm left waiting then. At least with a hub if I see a few open I know there's a good chance I'll get a plug when I arrive.

What's the story with all the EasyGo chargers that have been installed for months (years even) without going live? There's one on PlugShare that was mapped back in 2022. The one above in Hollywood Co. Wicklow was installed in January and another in Rathdrum installed in November 2023. Loads more all over the place. Lidl have a few as well that aren't live yet. Seems nuts.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

I think that is a bizarre location they picked.

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.

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.

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