public charging question zap map and others

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cbettens
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:28 pm

Post by cbettens »

hello,
live in belgium and have an id.3
next weekend first trip to the uk, will be region of biddenden-ashford

i see there a lot of chargers , but not clear if i can use them (have the volkswagen wecharge card , chargemap card and a few other cards for trips to france)

at https://www.zap-map.com/live/ for example i find charger at Ashord designer outlet for example.

how can i find out if i can charge for free, need a card to pay and start the charging , or if i can pay by creditcard ?
is not all clear for me.

thanks for your answers

sidehaas
Posts: 1789
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:04 am

Post by sidehaas »

Hi, to find out whether your wecharge card works, you should be able to look for charger locations highlighted green (or red for in-use) in the weconnect ID app with the filters set to only show wecharge-compatible chargers.
Most of the best networks in the UK take contactless credit/debit cards. I would recommend Instavolt, Osprey*, MFG and the larger Gridserve sites. You don't need any apps or RFID for these. As long as you can read the instructions on the charger you'll be fine. Zapmap enables you to filter sites by brand.

* These also take wecharge as an alternative according to the app, although I have always used contactless debit/credit card with them
ID.3 Family Pro Performance (Jan 22), Makena Turquoise / East Derry alloys. Ohme Home Pro charger.
SDH7
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 10:28 am

Post by SDH7 »

Downloaded Bonnet and save yourself lots of trouble.
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cbettens
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:28 pm

Post by cbettens »

hello,

thanks for your answers but still unclear for me ; with wecharge, Bonnet or instavolt i do not find any chargers at all at Ashford ..
with zapmap i find ...
so my simple question : how can i know how i can charge at Ashord designer outlet ? (charge for free ? , need a card ? , need an app with creditcard linked ? , need the credit card ?)

sorry, but is first time i will come to uk with my ev
Sherlock
Posts: 200
Joined: Wed May 26, 2021 4:36 pm

Post by Sherlock »

Hi. If you are using Zap Map if you click on the location (i.e. Ashford Designer Outlet) you can then click on 'i' for information on the charger including charges that apply. It is also worth checking the comments left by people who have used or tried to use it.
SDH7
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 10:28 am

Post by SDH7 »

Looking on zap map, there are 8x chargers that appear to be free (but you pay for parking) and 1x Tesla destination charger, again free but pay for parking.

There's an Ionity charger at the Channel Gateway you could use if more convenient or as a backup if the charges at Ashford are all in use.

You can use Ionity for £0.35pkWh via the Bonnet app.
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Status 30 as of 16/06
NHS Fleet Order from VW Pulman
sidehaas
Posts: 1789
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:04 am

Post by sidehaas »

cbettens wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:44 am hello,

thanks for your answers but still unclear for me ; with wecharge, Bonnet or instavolt i do not find any chargers at all at Ashford ..
with zapmap i find ...
so my simple question : how can i know how i can charge at Ashord designer outlet ? (charge for free ? , need a card ? , need an app with creditcard linked ? , need the credit card ?)

sorry, but is first time i will come to uk with my ev
The Tesla destination charger at Ashford is free and they don't usually need an app. However it would not be sensible to rely on using it; there is only one 7kw point and a few slower ones at a busy location.
It might have someone sat on it the whole time you are there.
The only rapids in Ashford are BP ones, which are notoriously unreliable. Don't use them. Pick a different location to charge using the criteria I suggested above - there are several in the Folkestone area. If you top up to 80% there and aren't going further than Ashford then you'll probably be sorted for the trip. If you do venture further then you'll have more options.
ID.3 Family Pro Performance (Jan 22), Makena Turquoise / East Derry alloys. Ohme Home Pro charger.
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