UK only, but just to explain - we have several geographical networks of points where we can charge free on the roadside, or by paying the normal parking fee in a car park, provided you pay what has so far been a nominal annual charge to the network provider. I'm currently a Source London member, because that is where most of my travel is. Current annual fee is £10, but the contract has recently been awarded by Tfl to a private company, and there is nothing in the press release that says it is going to keep the price at that. There's a roaming agreement between Source London and Source East, so I've been able to use Source East points as well. However, I see Source East also has a roaming agreement with Plugged-in Midlands, whose fee has now gone up to £24 a year. So, as my Source London expires soon, I've just registered with Source East instead for the coming year, still only £10, and I get access to points from London to Scunthorpe and across to Hereford... Will keep you posted if there are any problems, but it looks like the best deal.
Stop moaning We don't get any Government subsidised charging schemes up here - as usual, despite Yorkshire being the second region (out of 10) after London for purchases of ecofriendly cars. Just pay your money and be grateful that you actually have access to any charge network. You might also want to apply for an Ecotricity charge card for their national network of free to use chargers. You don't even have to be a customer and it's free to join and free to use. For The Road - Ecotricity
That made me go and look. Plugged in Places offered matching funding to consortia of local authorities etc. The North-East have one (albeit on a different basis - higher annual fee but free parking as well), as do Scotland and that place just over the Pennines from you that likes its roses red! Yorkshire seems to be the one major area that didn't succeed - a bid was put in by an organisation called CO2Sense, part of Yorkshire Forward, but apparently wasn't successful. Odd, though clearly not an anti-northern bias given the other people who did get it; presumably there was something about the bid that was thought not to fit the criteria. Or maybe it was because Yorkshire Forward, as a Regional Development Authority, was about to be abolished... Yep, got an Ecotricity card as well, though a Source London, Source East or Plugged-in Midlands card will access those too. However, they are concentrating on rapid chargers now; perfectly understandable given that they are on motorways, but obviously not much use for me.
Not anti Northern but you name one other populated district that didn't get funding. Newcastle got it because they make the Leaf. Cornwall didn't because nobody lives there and the same with Norfolk Personally I think it was probably a good reason we didn't overall though. The street chargers are of no use and how many people are actually going to pay subscription to trickle charge their car at Asda? Then only to find someone has parked an ICE car there. The Ecotricity and Tesla ideas of having fast(er) chargers on motorways makes more sense. Electric cars today are not like the G-Wiz that needed trickle charging on the road side or you couldn't get home. They can now do 80 miles and thus charge at home or workplace. Less likely to get vandalised too. I did want a plug in Prius but they're sooo expensive for what they are. Tempted for a Leaf or maybe the E-up next. The Fluence ZE is nice looking and cheap as chips, but no longer made. Who wants a rare French electric car! I think they sold about 100 in total in the UK. But I digress - again
I get a heck of a lot of benefit from mine; probably only pay for about half my electricity. The borough I work in, Sutton, was very keen on EV from the start (LibDem...) so there are SourceLondon chargers in the car parks, and there's only one where I've had ICE'ing problems. That means I have to pay for parking, but I probably would have anyway in order to be near. Like most London offices we don't have much of a car park, the planners used not let you have them in the hope that people wouldn't then drive to work. Then I've got a pretty good list of central London on-street charging points that are generally available, with backups if they're not. That gives me 3 or 4 hours free parking as well as a recharge which normally just gets me back from London to the office in Sutton on EV. I'm only saying all this to make you jealous, of course...
