Toyota Public Charging Network

[nlee]

9 minutes ago, philip42h said:

Because those of us considering the pure EV option want to know just how impractical it's going to be right now ... and that will largely depend on an individual's probable journey profile and "sense of adventure". And, for me, that's still a 'no' - "hybrids are still us". Pure EVs are now adequate - you can get something with decent range and a reasonably quick recharge capability - the infrastructure still appears to be wholly inadequate (for a relaxed, low risk, journey).

I know where you are coming from and my PHEV purchase was to dip my toe in the water of EV practicality. For example, when traveling further afield, I'm considering when I would need to charge if I had say 250 mile range. A recent trip to the Lakes I could probably have gotten away with one, maybe 2 charges in a full EV. I found limited opportunities to be honest, although I could have just about done it and I would have been ok if I'd have made a specific journey that I wouldn't normally have made and wasted 30 mins. What I found most frustrating was I thought I could park up in a car park and charge while going for a walk on the fells. This isn't really practical as many have hefty excess charges over a couple of hours. I understand why they do this as it probably is a bit selfish to tie up a charger all day but it makes it less convenient to fit within normal plans.

[nlee]

Just to illustrate the point in my earlier post, the top picture is the charge points on the Toyota Network, filtered for Type 2, in part of North Wales. Just the 3. On ZapMap, same filter and there are many more options. Ok, you might need multiple apps, but some may be normal contactless and some free.

[philip42h]

9 minutes ago, nlee said:

charge points [on the Toyota Network], filtered for Type 2, in part of North Wales

Ah well, that way lies madness - there's no real hope of finding charge points in Wales (says Philip, from Wales 😁 ). If I had a pure EV I'd have sufficient range by charging at home to get out of Wales before looking for a charge point.

And I'm profoundly disinterested in Type 2 charge points - they are useless (unless, of course, you are charging at home overnight). 😉

Of course Type 2 is of interest to the PHEVies but TBH if I had a PHEV (and I just now tried to price one up) I'd charge it at home and then just use petrol once the traction Battery ran down. OK, if I was in a car park with 'free' electricity of course I'd plug it in, but I couldn't see myself planning to take advantage of such opportunities.

The bZ4X promises 150kW DC charging and a 10% to 80% recharge in about 30 minutes. That is entirely workable if the real range is over 200 / 220 miles (3-4 hours driving) - I'll need a break then anyway - BUT nothing less than a 150kW charger will do. And there simply aren't enough such chargers available these days.