Charging Networks - which to use

[caseys]

Afternoon All,

I might have missed it on the this forum but I can't find a clear thread that discusses who uses which public charging network.

I'm a member of Polar Network myself (https://polar-network.com)- which has a reasonable amount of chargers around, the fees are OK and every month you can enter a draw to win a week in various EVs from a Twizy to a Tesla Model X. Currently using a PHEV but my i3 BEV arrives shortly so I think my reliance on public charging when I'm out and about will grow. Polar also gives access to a lot of points and the free chargers in my local Waitroses require the card (but don't bill you for use).

Also whilst a lot of Tesla owners probably know this as common knowledge I came across the website https://supercharge.info today and it's quite interesting to see all the data that people are building up about it all.

What other public schemes do people generally use and have found their advantages and drawbacks like? Anyone tried using Shell's network around central London?

Also for anyone new to this please go and check out www.zap-map.com

[colin79666]

Charge Place Scotland. They have a monopoly in our area, charge all the work cars with them. No idea what it costs (work pays). Chargers usually good but slow to fix when out of order.

[S1bs]

In London, I use two other providers alongside Polar.

Pod-Point - Get the app - No need to load any credit. You can then use the app to claim a free charge on destination chargers in lots of car parks. Heathrow Terminal 2 / National Theatre on the South Bank / Chessington World of Adventures / Brent Cross Shopping Centre etc.

Source London - Pay £10 to get a pay as you go RFID card. Some of their older chargers are free to use, but they are now gradually disappearing. They have a tariff that charges by the minute even when on a slow 3Kw or 7Kw charger. Somewhere between 3.6p and 7p per minute depending if you are on subscription or pay as you go which is expensive for a charge. However, if you need to park for an hour or so on the street in London, then those per minute costs seem to be slightly cheaper than central London on-street parking charges. But watch out for some bays being blocked by their sister company's 'Blue City' EV car sharing scheme vehicles.