Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

POLAR (Chargemaster) "will have a nationwide EV charging network"

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Simon Daukes, COO, Chargemaster plc has commented on the Leaf Talk thread.... here are some choice comments;

"All of this for just £24.50 a month and no need to pay £1,000 upfront"

"Ultimately it will contain 21/43KW AC and ChadeMo rapid charge units in strategic locations. But let's walk before we try and run"

"At the moment finding sites with a spare 14KW of power is tough enough. Finding 93 spare KW is just not going to happen overnight."

http://www.leaftalk.co.uk/showthread.php/4454-POLAR-(Chargemaster)-quot-will-have-a-nationwide-EV-charging-network-quot?p=11081&viewfull=1#post11081
 
i read the thread!

I think this is a bussinesman thinking he found a bussines, but will find the hard way there is no big bussines to do!
The only bussines he will get is from people knowing nothing about electric cars, wanting to do good, but not knowing how!

One should write an article in a journal, showing how simple charging an electric car is, and how little infrastructure is really needed!
Showing how unusefull all those 16a chargingpoints really are! The more as the lowcost alternative exists! Electricity is not expensive, and therefore you need loooooooooooooooooooooooooots of users using one 16a station before you get your money back!
 
The real question is - is there really a business case for starting any charging network ?

Atleast in the US - ther isn't one. Even the gas stations make most of the profit by selling other stuff - with gas being just the attraction to bring in the customers. I don't see charging stations being any different. Restaurants, Hotels etc will put in charging stations to attract customers rather than as separate profit centers.

I had read a published study on this - will have to search for it again.
 
The real question is - is there really a business case for starting any charging network ?
Not for many years IMO. I think you'll find that POLAR is about an IPO and I guess you could argue that's a good business model for the owners of Chargemaster.

I think we all need to focus on providing EV charging alongside other services (eat, sleep, park, play, etc) because those providers are interested in bringing extra customers to their door. They are also under increasing pressure to 'green' their business. The key to this is low cost hardware and installation... make it so cheap and easy that competition develops and everyone wants and needs to provide EV charging. I believe that ZCW will install 1,000 charging stations by June next year simply because we are prepared to donate the hardware to the site... we will then set our next goal at 10,000 charging stations.
 
I believe that ZCW will install 1,000 charging stations by June next year simply because we are prepared to donate the hardware to the site... we will then set our next goal at 10,000 charging stations.
This is exactly what Ecotality in the US is supposed to be doing. They have a grant from the federal govt to install thousands of chargers. Unfortunately, Ecotality being a for profit company, is trying to make money of that - so businesses don't even want to install free chargers.
 
This is exactly what Ecotality in the US is supposed to be doing. They have a grant from the federal govt to install thousands of chargers. Unfortunately, Ecotality being a for profit company, is trying to make money of that - so businesses don't even want to install free chargers.

Big difference with ZCW then!
They have no government grant and are not for profit! ;-)