Irish EV charger company ePower is sharing top tips to help drivers preparing to use public charge points for the first time. Thousands of chargers will be popping up across Ireland in the coming months, as the government aims to have 180,000 EVs on our roads by the end of next year.
Brendan Crowley is ePower’s Director of Public Charging. He says “There are hundreds of fast public charge points around Ireland – many of them are at petrol stations for now, but we will see them popping up more often at retail parks, shopping centres, cinemas and on a kerbside near you in the coming months”.
‘Happily, a lot of the steps we take to ‘refuel’ our EVs are familiar – you’re attaching your vehicle to a charge point and paying by card – it’s just a different type of fuel.”
Brendan wants to reassure people that the chargers are designed to be user-friendly. He’s compiled his top tips on how to navigate the public charging space:
Plan your journey
Get to know your vehicle, you will know what range it has, have a look at the various charging apps and decide where you are going to charge on your long journey
Decide how you will pay
Some chargers accept contactless payment – and they will all be required to facilitate this from next year – but otherwise, you’ll need to use an app or fob to charge. Each time you use a company’s charger for the first time, you may need to download their app and create an account, or else you may be sent a link to make the payment. It’s worth taking time to check out the type of charger you will be using, so you won’t face any delays.
At the charge point, check the signage to see which provider has installed the charger – e.g. ePower or ESB – and open that provider’s app on your phone. Then you can select what kind of connector you need and plug the charger cable into your car.
Press ‘start charging’ on your app – press ‘confirm’ if prompted to do so on your phone’s Screen
Use the provider’s FAQ or support service to resolve any difficulties
If you do encounter an issue, check the FAQ on the app or call the support number on the provider’s website. Many of the difficulties reported by drivers can be easily fixed and your public charging experience should be a smooth one. Our tech support team, for example, are on call 24/7
The length of time you need charge depends on your car
You’ll probably have a good idea of how much power your vehicle uses, simply by driving it each day, but when it comes to how long you’ll need to charge for, there are three points I’d keep in mind – the type of vehicle you have, including its age and battery condition, the type of charger and cable you’re using, and the distance you need to cover to your final destination or next charge point.
Don’t forget to press stop on the app
When you have charged your vehicle as much as you want, you can press ‘stop charging’ on the app, or at the charger, disconnect the connector and continue your journey.
