I'm using this thread to sort of raise awareness of dead areas within the UK that seem to have chargers but when you get there you are running around trying to get a charger to work (AC or DC), my experience is with Bude, they have chargers on Zap Map but most are either not working or difficult impossible to get on with convoluted sign up cack (swarco e connect). I ended up having to go to Holsworthy to get a charge and there I also had issues with the BP charger, ended up with the Osprey unit that eventually worked.
On Monday last I was sitting at my breakfast (bowl of fruit, porridge and seven wee anti oblivion pills). My Daughter messaged to say her and superpup were heading home from their long weekend walking parts of the Speyside way and invited me to join them for lunch in Dunkeld.
I knew there wasn’t much in the battery so went out and plugged the Rolec in.
I left at about 11:30 and set the ACC to 70mph on the M9 / A9 up to the Broxden roundabout at Perth then the restricted roadworks 50mph A9 to Dunkeld. I plugged in to one of the pair of shiny fresh looking CCS chargers and then heard the whimpering, howling, excited squeaking of a Cocker Spaniel straining at her lead having spotted her Grandad at the other end of the car park (from the ice end ?)
We had a very fine lunch (baked tattie &haggis) and I then went back to unplug before my hour was up and Fell foul of the £10 overstay charge.
Disaster #1 - the charger plug would not disengage until after many attempts I phoned Charge Place Scotland and a lassie at their end smacked it and told it to behave ?
Disaster #2 - the car had taken not one single watt and the battery remained at 23%.
I moved the car over to the grottier looking old charger further over and plugged in with the CCS cable. I waited a few minutes to ensure power was indeed increasing and we set off to bounce the spaniel around Dunkeld for a wee while. Luckily it was a beautiful day. When we returned the car was at 83% so we parted company and headed home.
Disaster 3 - noticed that a guy had plugged his Jaguar to the charger I had the fight with and had returned to find he couldn’t unplug his machine either.
On the way up the road with ACC and LKA both on and serenely gliding along, the display was showing 3.2 as being my best mi/kWh reading.
The return was at my more usual “double nickel” 55mph and the display showing a much more satisfying 5.2mi/kWh.
I’m in the Riverside Museum in Glasgow today and found this shy steam train copying yon lassie on the beach with the strategically positioned pole.
But, seriously, did they always charge these beasts with enough coal ? Or was range anxiety around then too ??
