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Ecotricity

22K views 47 replies 23 participants last post by  SammyD 
#1 ·
Dear Jaguar

Is it possible for you to give us an update on Ecotricity chargers?

It seems they don't work with I-Paces.

This is a pity because someone has seen fit to give them exclusivity on charging points in motorway service areas.

Thanks
Nigel
 
#2 ·
Like I have said before. They work almost flawlessly with my i pace. I have used them more than 30 times

1 failure - charger was dead
1 needed 2 attempts to charge

All other times they worked as expected.

CYC and genipoint are much worst.
 
#3 ·
Pcheaven said:
Like I have said before. They work almost flawlessly with my i pace. I have used them more than 30 times

1 failure - charger was dead
1 needed 2 attempts to charge

All other times they worked as expected.

CYC and genipoint are much worst.
And I have never had a successful charge from Ecotricity. Maybe I am doing it differently to you, what is your routine for connection and where do you charge?
 
#4 ·
Pcheaven said:
Like I have said before. They work almost flawlessly with my i pace. I have used them more than 30 times

1 failure - charger was dead
1 needed 2 attempts to charge

All other times they worked as expected.

CYC and genipoint are much worst.
OK, they work for you. But they don't work for the vast majority of us. In fact I would go as far as to say, based on other threads and posts, that you are in a minority of maybe less than 1%?

So, in a thread directed by the OP at Jaguar Customer Services, I don't understand what point you are trying to make here. Are you saying that Jaguar should not bother attempting to provide a solution that works for the great majority of owners, in motorway service areas?

Or are you asserting that the OP is wrong? I guess if one owner does that, then it is enough for JLR to say "it's ok, it works for some customers", and gets them off the hook. Why would you want to get them off the hook, just because it uncannily happens to work for you only? What about the rest of us?

Also, the same question for JLR. What about the rest of us - the overwhelming majority who can't charge at MSAs?
 
G
#5 ·
davidp40 said:
Pcheaven said:
Like I have said before. They work almost flawlessly with my i pace. I have used them more than 30 times

1 failure - charger was dead
1 needed 2 attempts to charge

All other times they worked as expected.

CYC and genipoint are much worst.
OK, they work for you. But they don't work for the vast majority of us. In fact I would go as far as to say, based on other threads and posts, that you are in a minority of maybe less than 1%?

So, in a thread directed by the OP at Jaguar Customer Services, I don't understand what point you are trying to make here. Are you saying that Jaguar should not bother attempting to provide a solution that works for the great majority of owners, in motorway service areas?

Or are you asserting that the OP is wrong? I guess if one owner does that, then it is enough for JLR to say "it's ok, it works for some customers", and gets them off the hook. Why would you want to get them off the hook, just because it uncannily happens to work for you only? What about the rest of us?

Also, the same question for JLR. What about the rest of us - the overwhelming majority who can't charge at MSAs?
I am another without ANY success at Ecotricity chargers; tried and failed at 3 separate chargers along M3/M25 last Friday, and many times over the last three months since receiving the car. I am an Ecotricity home customer and so even more annoyed.
 
#6 ·
This is very odd, I have used all the M25 ones at some point or another ( And the M3 south bound ), with no issues

I plan my journeys around polar then ecotricity ( may have to factor in IONITY soon !) and avoid at all cost geniepoint - or whatever they are called, as they have never worked for me
 
#7 ·
Problem is, JLR representatives are now unlikely to answer this question, as it looks as if the question of Ecotricity charging is a somehow a matter of debate.

If you work for JLR and are reading this, for the record, I am saying that it's pretty obvious that >99% of I-Pace charge attempts at motorway service areas fail. On the other hand 99% of Tesla charges at MSAs succeed. You fail to recognise or address this problem at the risk of your brand.
 
#8 ·
As a matter of interest, did anyone manage to collar Dale Vince at Fully Charged Live this year and have it out with him, Ecotricity were a main sponsor again.
 
#9 ·
I'm another iPace owner who fails to charge at Ecotricity chargers majority of the time.

My success rate on these chargers is most likely 1 in 6 attempts , I used the one at Junction 19 M5 the other day on a journey south and managed to get a charge , on my way back I stopped at the same charger and failed to charge I tried at least 6 times to connect and spoke with Ecotricity as I was rather low on range(10 miles) they advised that it was a communication issue between the car and charger I explained only 4 hours previously it worked but we got no where .

Jaguar do need to look into the situation as the charging network in the Uk is still growing and outside of the South east it's growing slowly and whilst I love driving my iPace the will I charge won't I charge is becoming an annoyance.
 
#10 ·
Dorrick said:
I'm another iPace owner who fails to charge at Ecotricity chargers majority of the time.

My success rate on these chargers is most likely 1 in 6 attempts , I used the one at Junction 19 M5 the other day on a journey south and managed to get a charge , on my way back I stopped at the same charger and failed to charge I tried at least 6 times to connect and spoke with Ecotricity as I was rather low on range(10 miles) they advised that it was a communication issue between the car and charger I explained only 4 hours previously it worked but we got no where .

Jaguar do need to look into the situation as the charging network in the Uk is still growing and outside of the South east it's growing slowly and whilst I love driving my iPace the will I charge won't I charge is becoming an annoyance.
Similar to my ChargePlace Scotland experiences. I call it "charger roulette". I'm detailing it in my YouTube videos but it's so frustrating as the same charger will work one day and not the next. I've had a charger start after 10 attempts once, when most people would have given up and moved on. But I've had others that will not start even after an hour of trying. Likewise I've had them start and then die after adding anything from 10% to 29%. Sometimes they can be restarted, sometimes they can't. The inconsistency is mind boggling. You'd think they'd either be compatible or not, but this behaviour is just odd.
 
#11 ·
Good Afternoon Nigel_f

Thank you for your post.

This is a concern that has been brought to our attention. Currently, we are not in a position to help with Ecotricity updating their systems. We hear a lot of stories of woe from many EV drivers, not just I-PACE drivers, that they have issues using Ecotricity. As a manufacturer, we recommend using alternate charging providers such a Polar, who generally have a high speed rapid chargers adjacent to most areas of the motorway network.

I hope this information proves helpful.

Should you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many Thanks

Dan - Jaguar UK
 
#12 ·
CRC@Jaguar said:
Good Afternoon Nigel_f

Thank you for your post.

This is a concern that has been brought to our attention. Currently, we are not in a position to help with Ecotricity updating their systems. We hear a lot of stories of woe from many EV drivers, not just I-PACE drivers, that they have issues using Ecotricity. As a manufacturer, we recommend using alternate charging providers such a Polar, who generally have a high speed rapid chargers adjacent to most areas of the motorway network.

I hope this information proves helpful.

Should you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many Thanks

Dan - Jaguar UK
Dear Dan,

There are two problems with this.

1. If I am travelling around the UK, I am likely using the motorway network. Even if a Polar charger is 10 minutes away from the motorway, I am adding 20 minutes to my journey by taking this detour.

2. These alternative chargers do not usually provide toilet or cafe facilities. How do you suggest I entertain my kids, or if business travel catch up with my work, without these basic amenities, during the 40 minutes or so it takes to add a meaningful charge of around 30%?

It's all very well saying that other EVs experience problems at MSAs. The pressure here is really on JLR, as the I-Pace is supposed to be the meaningful alternative to Tesla, which charges faultlessly at MSAs. Also, the success rate of MSA I-Pace charging is, I would suggest, less than 5%, while other EVs seem to manage 40-50% (these are my estimates based on extensive reading of EV forums).

JLR should take the bull by the horns and assist Ecotricity in upgrading facilities at maybe half a dozen strategic network locations. The cost would be small, the PR value large, and the boost to the I-Pace driver community considerable.
 
#13 ·
Goshdarnit said:
Dorrick said:
I'm another iPace owner who fails to charge at Ecotricity chargers majority of the time.

My success rate on these chargers is most likely 1 in 6 attempts , I used the one at Junction 19 M5 the other day on a journey south and managed to get a charge , on my way back I stopped at the same charger and failed to charge I tried at least 6 times to connect and spoke with Ecotricity as I was rather low on range(10 miles) they advised that it was a communication issue between the car and charger I explained only 4 hours previously it worked but we got no where .

Jaguar do need to look into the situation as the charging network in the Uk is still growing and outside of the South east it's growing slowly and whilst I love driving my iPace the will I charge won't I charge is becoming an annoyance.
Similar to my ChargePlace Scotland experiences. I call it "charger roulette". I'm detailing it in my YouTube videos but it's so frustrating as the same charger will work one day and not the next. I've had a charger start after 10 attempts once, when most people would have given up and moved on. But I've had others that will not start even after an hour of trying. Likewise I've had them start and then die after adding anything from 10% to 29%. Sometimes they can be restarted, sometimes they can't. The inconsistency is mind boggling. You'd think they'd either be compatible or not, but this behaviour is just odd.
Your experience GD is what must be most annoying, if they didn't work (all the time) or did work (all the time) at least you could plan around them, but to be so inconsistent is very frustrating and gives you no confidence in any of them, actually working. No good whatsoever when planning long trips.
 
#14 ·
I have found only one Ecotricity charger that works on my I Pace and that was M25 Clackett Lane (clockwise). I have tried at least eight others on the M4 and M5 and none of the CCS chargers worked. Very poor that the main motorway network has a supplier network that doesn't work!
 
#15 ·
ChrisMc said:
Your experience GD is what must be most annoying, if they didn't work (all the time) or did work (all the time) at least you could plan around them, but to be so inconsistent is very frustrating and gives you no confidence in any of them, actually working. No good whatsoever when planning long trips.
Exactly! I've started using an ABC tactic of stopping at every charger on my route to top up to 90% to try and accommodate the inevitable failures. I have a 50% success rate on the old style eVolt chargers and a 58% success rate overall on the CPS network. That's simply not good enough for the general traveling public. However, I've now done two day trips of 3-400 miles and both have succeeded with this strategy. Both would have failed he I just planned to drive until I was at 20% and plug in at that point. And my first road trip did fail when I tried exactly that.

Unreliability is frustrating but to be honest it's better than never working, as most of Scotland has zero alternatives to CPS. The two pictures below are the Scottish map with CPS included and then the same map with CPS removed. Fairly telling!
 

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#16 ·
Wow, as you say, not a lot of choice really. ABC is a way round it, but you shouldn't be forced to work that way under any circumstances, especially when paying £80K+ for the car.
 
#17 ·
ChrisMc said:
Wow, as you say, not a lot of choice really. ABC is a way round it, but you shouldn't be forced to work that way under any circumstances, especially when paying £80K+ for the car.
I completely agree, but sadly it is what it is. At least I've found a way around it that (so far) works for me but I'd rather not have to. It still seems to carry an element of risk as there is a possibility of none of the chargers working, but with a 50% success rate (so far) it should mean I can avoid being the first person on the forums to need a flatbed to get home!
 
#18 ·
Tried this morning to use the Sarn Services Ecotricity charger jct 36 M4 and guess what started to charge after 10 seconds stopped reporting charger error reset tried again and same result !

Not a lot of ccs chargers showing around Swansea on the Zap-Map app , going to be a long day I think
 
#20 ·
nigel_f said:
Hi Dan

Thanks for taking the trouble to answer.

Why are JLR not in a position to help Ecotricity please?

Thanks
Nigel
Nissan invested a large amount of money to install the network of chargers run by Ecotricity when they first introduced the Leaf into the UK. The CCS capability was not a concern of Nissan as they use a different connector. As such, Ecotricity when installing CCS capability have done this using their own money. In the early years there was very little return to be had doing this. Even now they say utilisation of the chargers is below 10%, so incentive to do anything that will cost a lot of money is not there. Bear in mind that Ecotricity is a relatively small player in the electricity supply market and is run by someone who has been seen by others as a bit of a …...

Jaguar is also a relatively small manufacturer and to ask them to invest a big chunk of cash into Ecotricity to improve the charger network is unrealistic. If you want Jaguar to fund it, then they would have to put stupid prices on their cars like Tesla did with the Model S and X to cover the cost of the Supercharger network.

BP is investing heavily in the UK and Europe over the next 2 years and installing 100kW+ chargers in a large number of their filling stations. These are typically well situated and most have a loo and coffee shop or even a Subway (other sandwich suppliers are available) - some may even be at MSAs.

I think that we have to accept that the only way things will get better is by companies like BP taking the leap of faith and building charge points for us. The thing to remember is, unlike with an ICE car where all refuelling is at a filling station, with an EV only around 10% is at a Rapid Charger, the vast majority of charging being done at home. My use is a good example - 14,000 miles and less than 5 Rapid charges. Clearly this is the present case and will change in years to come IF everyone gets EV.
 
#22 ·
I have only had my iPace for 1 month, so am new to all this. I've just been on holiday in Brecon Beacons, and was a bit wary about going all that way. Going was fine as I was able to use a fast Podoint charger at Droitwich Spa - free to use, apart from being tempted to buy all sorts of stuff at Lidl. There is also a brilliant charger in Llandovery. it's owned by the council and you just pay to park. Their win, as i probably wouldn't have gone to the town if I hadn't needed to charge.
However, coming home yesterday was a nightmare. It took me 12 hours to travel less than 300 miles. I avoided the Droitwich route due to long queues at the roadworks round Birmingham and Cambridge, so I went on the M4. None of the Ecotricity fast chargers (CCS) worked for me (Chievely services, IKEA in Theale). They gave a lot of red on my car screen. I worried that I had damaged my car in some way by using the wrong one, so after the first couple I only tried using the type 2 43 KW connector. This meant that I had to stop 5 times, each one adding nearly an hour to my journey. I was a very unhappy bunny when I finally got home - completely lost that relaxed holiday feeling.
Reading through this thread it seems this is a common problem. What can we do to get it sorted - the news says that fewer people are buying EV cars. If you can't go long distance on motorways that won't help things at all. And JLR have committed to making EV in UK.
 
#23 ·
Bluemoon said:
The news says that fewer people are buying EV cars. If you can't go long distance on motorways that won't help things at all. And JLR have committed to making EV in UK.
Hybrid sales down, EV sales in the UK are up 60%.

Once you learn you will find the rapid chargers that are off the MWay and would have made your trip more pleasant.
 
#24 ·
Sorry, I must have misheard. That's good news if EV vehicles are increasing. Hopefully that will encourage charging providers to pull up their socks.
What are the good networks to use? I am lucky enough to have free charge at work from Podpoint so I effectively get 50 mile round trip a day for free. I looked into other networks when planning my trip but didn't want to pay Polar a whole load of money and then never use them.
 
#25 ·
I have just received the following message from Ecotricity:

"Thanks for your email regarding charging your Jaguar I-Pace.

We're currently investigating an issue affecting some newer vehicles using the CCS connector at our charging stations. The issue is intermittent, only impacting some of our pumps and only some of the time. We're working with our charge point manufacturers and our pump providers to identify the issue and resolve it as quickly as possible, so our users can charge on all of our units all of the time.

We do recommend you charge on the CCS connector as this will ensure your vehicle charges rapidly. If you have an issue, please close and reopen the app, start another charge session ensuring the doors are shut and the vehicle is completely turned off. Please only connect the vehicle once the payment has been confirmed.

If you're unable to have a successful charge you can use our AC connector which will charge your vehicle at a slower rate, so you can continue with your journey or before moving on to another service station."
 
#26 ·
Bluemoon said:
However, coming home yesterday was a nightmare. It took me 12 hours to travel less than 300 miles. I avoided the Droitwich route due to long queues at the roadworks round Birmingham and Cambridge, so I went on the M4.
I would suggest planning a route that goes via the Milton Keynes EV Charging Hub at M1 J14. A quick look at Google Maps shows it to be 175 miles from Brecon Beacons, so should easily manage it on a full charge, even if you go via M4/M1. It may be slightly longer, but it's a very reliable place to fill up rapidly so will probably save time overall.
You can even use the Park&Ride into the city centre for £2 and go do some shopping for an hour or so :D
 
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