Lidl had 30% off for charging for 5-6 weeks December-January and I’d expect it to be repeated sometime. Signup via Lidl Plus app.
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I can use chargemap at my local Lidl Karen so no need for a special app unless you are after a special discount.
Really useful thread this, thanks !
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Since starting this thread I have been looking much more closely at apps and EV charging locations and come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no need to use an app to find a charging point. Almost every supermarket I come across has charging points, plus many food outlet chains such as McDonalds and hotel chains like Holiday Inns. The only need for an app is to check compatibility with your car, cost and payment method.
I did a liitle checking.
There are 150,000 EV charging points in France (on target for 400,000 by 2030)
Compare this to 11,000 fuel service stations in France. (and decreasing in number)
Difficulty in finding a charging point for your EV would seem to be a complete myth. It would appear to be more difficult to find a fuel station.
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Having watched many YouTubes of electric car testing and range testing, my only conclusion of having an app or many apps would be to see where the high speed chargers are based and also their availability. If you are going to be happy topping up at supermarkets and primarily charging at home then you probably do not need one.
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We’re on an unplanned dash to Belgium, due to a family illness, and we’ve done no planning at all. So far we’ve just hit “find charger” on Waze and it’s been absolutely fine. The car is currently sitting on a Lidl 350kW charger just off the S20.
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Hope all is well, take it easy
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We recently got a bipandgo badge for the first time, and it came with a EV charging card that we have yet even to activate. We charge at home, but are planning to take EV with us on holiday soon.
The app for it appears totally useless as shows no charging point near here when I know there are loads. So very apprehensive about setting off on a longer journey.
Does anyone else use this card and might know if we are doing something wrong?
I test drove a car today in a town that I know reasonably well. Leaving and returning to the garage I passed through some new shopping areas that I was unfamiliar with and was surprised how many charging stations I saw in such a small area.
Yes I have read your first post!
I would suggest your comparison is headline grabbing to distort the facts.
There may well be the number of charging pionts you refer to but how many filling pionts are there at each ‘fossil fuel’ filling station?
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My completely unscientific guess would be 6-8 so that implies 88,000 “filling points”. But the average time an EV is charging is still much longer than the average full up - I’d hazard 10x (45 minutes vs 5) so effectively it is still easier to recharge your dinosaur juice tank.
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Leaving out most people charge at home and those on longer journeys are using the network so no real problem.
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Does anybody have any experience of buying a Tesla in France?
I never have never owned a Tesla before, or any EV for that matter, but I think the new Y model that is coming out might suit.
It will have a seven seat configuration which could occasionally be useful.
I have also hired Teslas in France before and whilst not exciting they seem to do the job.
It’s for a second home and I want to leave it an airport when we are not there.
I had read somewhere it isn’t quite as easy as just ordering online because I am not a full time resident in France.
I would be grateful for any advice on that aspect?
Be mindful that an EV will have slow discharge of the battery, so if you are planning on leaving it at an airport lot for a long time, that can be a problem. My EV was 80%+ when I dropped it off last summer at a garage for hail damage repair. I forgot to put the 110v (USA) charger in the car, and three weeks later they called to say they needed it to move the car. Which then meant at least an hour to get enough juice to move it properly.
There are far better options that Tesla in Europe. I rented a MeganE from Renault for my recent trip and it was lovely, and that is probably not even one of the best ones. On the flip side, since everyone worldwide is dumping Teslas, you’ll probably get a good deal!
I must apologise if the wording in my first post was unclear. My intention was to create a space here where EV drivers could share their experience of apps and charging stations and help each other and help prospective new adopters.
The point I was trying to make was that apps are not really needed to find a charging station, you just head for the nearest McDonalds or Lidl or Intermarche or whatever. Charging points are everywhere.
I had no intention of grabbing headlines and as for distorting the fact I gave the sources of the information I quoted.
Not only that, but ev charging stations have the reputation of being not infrequently out of order. I suppose the fact that many of them are dotted about the country, rather than collected together like a filling station does, makes them suffer from a degree of being out of sight, out of mind. At least, that’s what my ev-owning friends tell me.
As for the Bip n Go app, I had an email offering the service at half price in the last couple of days (typically, I can’t find it any more).
Thanks for heads up,
I think if you turn all the gizmos off I read they lose about 1% a week.
The maximum it would be left would probably be 90 days so it should be ok.
Buy almost anything else?
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Yes, know also that the main battery feeds the starter battery. So if the main battery is dead, someone will have to jump start the starter battery with cable, just like in an ICE car.