Plug-in grant (PICG) reduced to £1500 Cars (previously ‘category 1’)

All Honda E related discussions
SamHonda
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:40 pm

Post by SamHonda »

turntoport wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 7:01 pm FMIB; i spoke today to the dealer supplying our e; they copied the current government by swerving the question as to what it is that's causing the delays, but imo it's almost certainly chip shortages - the new crv is e:hev hybrid type (similar to the current Jazz) and needs quite a bit of power electronics and associated computational management - not as much as an e, but still quite a bit. The crv is 'new'-type isn't it? So there probably aren't m/any in the UK now anyway, and if the boat comes in March, there's your brother's explanation.

SamHonda, TerryR: yep ours in 'in', apparently; collecting Monday. Providing the batteries are ok...

atb - ttp
How did collection go? Enjoying the car?

turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

Hi SamHonda: yes(!), thanks. Wasn't expecting a reversing camera on the 'std' but got one anyway; maybe i should have read the specs in more detail? Agent/dealer (DM Kieth, Grimsby) side was first-class. 285 miles of mostly night-driving later, through freezing fog, leaping deer, utterly filthy roads (started with 'charge yellow' and arrived with 'steel grey') around/via 2473 potholes and four (to be 'safe' given the weather) charges, all good. Fab car.

The only bit that wasn't enjoyable was trying to use the BP Pulse/Chargemaster units: First charge: app said functional but no ccs or chademo, only ac, = 90 minute delay while whingeing to BP helpline and Zapmapping alternative rapid charger vaguely en-route. Returned plug to holster, thought i'd just 'give it one more go', ill-temperedly kicked the base of the unit just for good measure and bingo, ccs & chademo 50kW available. lol, sort of.
Slow Podpoint charge overnight = easy; good that car comes (in uk) with type2-to-type2 lead; only the bizarre (is this 'Polish logic'?) Honda 'non-charging timeframing' car thing to programme. Yes, that's a mind-****, especially as once having entered the time limits during which the car will not charge one has to choose 'on' or off'; surely 'apply' or 'do not apply' would be less ambiguous? Holy sh!t.
3rd-up a Tesco 7kW de-risking freecharge. Freezing fog dispersed by 480-bar steam from ears as VW/Tesno unit continually tripped-out with a message to the effect of "Communication Vehicle Compatibility Anal Interaction Committee" (or similar, wish i'd taken a picture but the steam would have melted the solder on the pcb's in my 'phone). Strewth.

Next stop: A303 Amesbury: Found the TWO separate sets of Instavolts easily, but was looking for one of the TWO separate BP Pulse units (as we have the 3-month initial free membership and thus slightly reduced kWh prices for free (for now)). Found #1: oh gawd. App says 'working': but it didn't, at any level; rfid card 'read' ok but 'comms fail' every time prevented function. I didn't bother with the credit-card, as i figured it would book the £15 pre-charge then probably not delivery any charge. Instead, went to the other BP unit 70 metres away: Tragi-comedy ensued: muggins (me) would go through motions, apparently 'all systems go', plug in and....pantomime time: I wonder why my very unreligious wife was frantically making the 'sign of the cross' towards me....eh?? Eventually she hollered "there's a big red cross on the screen"... "eh??" "It's behind you". Quick glance - no cross. "Oh no it isn't"......"oh yes it is" .........eventually caught the b@st@rd, a big red cross on Chargemaster lcd screen, = 'bomb-out'. Hilarious. Several residents of the adjacent Holiday Inn were opening their curtains to watch the entertainment. 15 minutes later, at 778 bar steam and about to blow following 5 charge 'drops' and loads of swearing & cussing, eventually the BP comms worked for 18 minutes unbroken, we turned-on the heater for the first time for 2 hours and went home.

The Hypervolt home charger worked fuss-free & flawlessly last night, of course.
Storytime over.

I'm trying to work-out what to say to BP about the processes, systems and comms reliability of their (chargemaster, so inherited, to be fair) units; but might leave it for a few days so it's at least civil. As many ev owners have said, there is much to be done before the uk's charging network is even remotely acceptable. Ah, let me guess, that was Allegra Stratton's patch, wasn't it? Perhaps she found it all a good laugh while she chugged around in her dieselgate Golf.



When does yours arrive or do you have it now?
Pleased to see TerryR has his imminently.

atb! - ttp
SamHonda
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:40 pm

Post by SamHonda »

Oh dear - it does sound like you took a few blows from the charging network.
Mine dealer is also DM Keith in Grimsby but I couldn’t face the 300 mile round trip so they’re delivering on flat bed at the end of the month.
Did they commission the onboard sim correctly so the app works?
turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

ahh, the app.......

Well, i think DMKieth did their bit ok, - they were very very good - but the app wouldn't play: only later (when setting-up non-charge time windows en-route home) did i discover that the 'PIN' the app requires is originated by the car, not some ethereal Honda server. Will have a go tomorrow...

atb (and good luck!) - ttp
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londiniumperson
Posts: 1764
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:37 pm

Post by londiniumperson »

turntoport, glad to hear that you’re enjoying the car.

I also had issues with that BP Pulse on the A303 (Solstice Park), I ended up using a credit card. That was the day that I had puncture at Upavon and had very little juice left so I signed up for trial BP Pulse subscription with the intention of a cheaper charge. The next day I told them where to stick it and demanded the pre payment be refunded that I had to make.
2022 Advance in Crystal Black Pearl on 17's - 08/2020-Current
2015 VW Tiguan (Pure White) - 04/2018-Current
1991 Honda Beat PP1 (Festival Red) - 11/2022-Current
turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

Hi Londiniumperson; yes, less-than-ideal charging experiences seem common. Christ, a puncture?! Haven't - ah, not going to write that. But driving up the M1 towards Grimsby a vehicle ahead kicked-up a decent-sized bolt (probably about M16 x 60) which bounced neatly but loudly off the roof of our hire-car. Oddly, it didn't leave a mark on the car - unlike my pants.

The public charging network is such a mess. I haven't read-up on government strategy for addressing this - is there one? Maybe it's something Ms Stratton can work on now she has some spare time not partying?

atb - ttp
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EEEE
Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:33 am

Post by EEEE »

turntoport wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:10 pm Hi Londiniumperson; yes, less-than-ideal charging experiences seem common. Christ, a puncture?! Haven't - ah, not going to write that. But driving up the M1 towards Grimsby a vehicle ahead kicked-up a decent-sized bolt (probably about M16 x 60) which bounced neatly but loudly off the roof of our hire-car. Oddly, it didn't leave a mark on the car - unlike my pants.

The public charging network is such a mess. I haven't read-up on government strategy for addressing this - is there one? Maybe it's something Ms Stratton can work on now she has some spare time not partying?

atb - ttp
Glad you got your 'e'!

Yup - my experience of public charging is terrible. Locations / avilability / reliability / ease of use all terrible. Instavolt so far have been the only trouble free / easy units to use. It will really hamper the adoption of electric cars. Technophobes don't stand a chance...

Hypervolt home charger has been largely trouble free for me except the 1 botched software update they pushed out which killed an overnight charge. Never could get the cost per KWH tarrif setting to work/calculate properly. App looks swish, but the functionality is 'minimal' along with the web version (very limited summary and data views).

Best to avoid pulic charging as much as possible i say, whcih does limit the use of the car somewhat.
'21 e Advance - Charge Yellow - E1702RR alloys
'17 Civic Sport CVT
'00 Prelude 2.2VTi
turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

EEEE,
Hypervolt domestic charger: yes, my Hypervolt app says that it currently (sorry) "uses the national average of 14.6p...In a future version, reports will make use of the specified custom electricity rate" - so sometime when the softies get it sorted, then.

Part of the reason my wife accompanied me on the 560 mile round trip was to familiarise here with recharging tech, from the various apps to the hardware and payment regimes. Mostly, all she learnt was - much to her surprise after 23 years - a whole host of new swearwords, some in arabic, which freaked her more than the BP and Tesno charger behaviour. Technophobes - actually, probably anyone other than a technophile - would probably fare poorly as things are, as you say.

More off-topic, I'm wondering what the little battery-charge symbol is adjacent the bluetooth and lte signal strength indicator. (I'll move this elsewhere.)

atb - ttp
milligoon
Posts: 691
Joined: Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:22 pm

Post by milligoon »

turntoport wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:23 pm

More off-topic, I'm wondering what the little battery-charge symbol is adjacent the bluetooth and lte signal strength indicator. (I'll move this elsewhere.)

atb - ttp
Phone battery
Ex e owner
turntoport
Posts: 127
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:54 am

Post by turntoport »

Thanks milligoon; won't start a new thread for the phone battery indicator!
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