EV Discussion thread

paul991

I want one when the price is right

JKenH

paul991 said:

I want one when the price is right

I want another one when it is as convenient to use as an ICE car: when I can reliably roll up to any charging station and immediately get a charge - no queueing in a disorganised queue not being able to leave my car to go to the toilets in case someone steals my slot, no wondering if the charger is working or whether it will connect to my car. I want it to be like turning up at a petrol station. No faffing around in the pouring rain and dark with a heavy charging cable that has been left on the floor, no finding I need an app I don’t have to start a charge. No finding the charging cable won’t reach the car because the car next to it is badly parked. No finding the charger I want to use blocked by a car that isn’t plugged in or has finished charging. No finding that after taking a vacant slot next to a charging car that when it comes to my turn it doesn’t work. No stopping because I have to charge when I wouldn’t otherwise need to stop for a break. No wasting time planning charging stops with a plan B,C and D as well.  I want to be in charge of my journey myself, not a slave to my car. 

Krakkkers

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true? and 85p a kwh.

Netexporter

Krakkkers said:

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true? and 85p a kwh.

Pay at the pump for petrol and they often take £99. Tesla chargers are only 35p, off-peak.

MikeJXE

JKenH said:

paul991 said:

I want one when the price is right

I want another one when it is as convenient to use as an ICE car: when I can reliably roll up to any charging station and immediately get a charge - no queueing in a disorganised queue not being able to leave my car to go to the toilets in case someone steals my slot, no wondering if the charger is working or whether it will connect to my car. I want it to be like turning up at a petrol station. No faffing around in the pouring rain and dark with a heavy charging cable that has been left on the floor, no finding I need an app I don’t have to start a charge. No finding the charging cable won’t reach the car because the car next to it is badly parked. No finding the charger I want to use blocked by a car that isn’t plugged in or has finished charging. No finding that after taking a vacant slot next to a charging car that when it comes to my turn it doesn’t work. No stopping because I have to charge when I wouldn’t otherwise need to stop for a break. No wasting time planning charging stops with a plan B,C and D as well.  I want to be in charge of my journey myself, not a slave to my car. 

So you have rejoined the club you should have stuck with.

I'm very glad I'm 83 and will never have to have a car that don't do what I want it to do

Krakkkers

I still have a garage full of old 2 stroke motorcycles.

MikeJXE

Netexporter said:

Krakkkers said:

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true? and 85p a kwh.

Pay at the pump for petrol and they often take £99. Tesla chargers are only 35p, off-peak.

Tesco have never taken more than the cost of the fuel I have taken 

Netexporter

MikeJXE said:

Netexporter said:

Krakkkers said:

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true? and 85p a kwh.

Pay at the pump for petrol and they often take £99. Tesla chargers are only 35p, off-peak.

Tesco have never taken more than the cost of the fuel I have taken 

Do you pay at the pump or the kiosk/shop?

You can use an Electroverse card on many charging networks, which just puts the cost on your Octopus account. You get a discount on some networks, too.

QrizB

Krakkkers said:

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true?

I would hazard a guess that the answer to your question is "no, it isn't true".

Any money reserved never leaves your account. Instavolt do not receive a loan.

MikeJXE said:

Netexporter said:

Krakkkers said:

Just watched a Youtube video which says that Instavolt take £45 off your card even when you spend only £10 and then return it to you after 4 days so every customer is loaning then money, is this true? and 85p a kwh.

Pay at the pump for petrol and they often take £99. Tesla chargers are only 35p, off-peak.

Tesco have never taken more than the cost of the fuel I have taken 

When you put your card details into the machine at Tesco it will say something like "card authorised, max spend £99". At this point Tesco have confirmed with your card issuer that you have at least £99 of credit (for a credit card) or of account balance (for a debit card) and will have submited a transaction for £99 to reserve it. This stops you from spending that 99 until you've finished with the pump.

At the end of your transaction, you'll then be charged for the actual value of your fuel and the £99 transaction will be reversed. Usually this reversal is pretty quick, but sometimes it takes a few days (it's worse with debit cards).

If you've got your bank's app you'll see both transactions on it, but the £99 won't usually appear on your printed statement.

If you take a look at the banking forums on this site, you'll find the occasional thread from someone with a low bank balance who has filled up their vehicle using pay-at-pump and then can't buy groceries / a takeaway / whatever because their funds are still tied up.

Edit to add: here's a thread from 2008 - so this is a longstanding arrangement.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/751481/dont-use-esso-pay-at-pump/p1

And one from 2022:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6364884/petrol-forecourt-now-charging-mandatory-holding-fees-who-is-responsible-for-the-charge/p1

And the MSE article from 2021:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/07/changes-to-pay-at-pump-up-to-p100-withheld-from-customers-accoun/

Krakkkers

https://youtu.be/CvMfWUo61Ck?t=945