Public charging stations that don't exist of don't work

Any more info to this rumour?
I'm desperately trying to get access to ChargePoint. I've setup an account with ChargeFox and ordered an RFID card, can I just register the ChargeFox card in the ChargePoint app, otherwise how do I use the card?

@PCLoadLetter​ I would have loved to have purchased a pure EV but for my personal circumstances I needed a car that could do 500Km between charges so I had to take the safer option of a PHEV. Understand your frustration as my experiences so far indicate that you need to tow a genset around with you if visiting the country in a pure EV.

@TonyG​ I've taken the car to Moree 5x already. That plus my usual two nights of uber and a round trip from QBN-SYD every weekend amounts to 184,342km - in a standard range 50kWh Tesla. Range is manageable, and I've only ever run it flat once.

Yes, working around range gets annoying, but it's doable. Goulburn is a long way, mostly uphill, from Sydney. It's easy if I charge to 90% at Evie Bankstown even if I maintain 110km/h on the Hume, even in heavy wind and rain. Though if I also pull over and take a nap along the way (as I usually do - as I do that run at around 4am on a Sunday), a few hours of climate control in addition to all of the above gets me to the edge of comfort. Thankfully it's a non-issue now that Sutton Forest is open. And while that site is a comedy of errors, almost on the scale of that lonely NRMA charger at Mittagong, I can usually still make it to Goulburn regardless. Just maybe at 100km/h behind a P-plater or a truck. But Sutton Forest usually works. And it's fast enough, and close enough to home, that I've added enough charge for the rest of the trip in the time of a toilet break plus a visit to the angry guy's fruit shack. He really knows where to get the best fruit!

And other options are also coming up. I might skew towards using the new BP Pulse chargers at Marulan when they open in the coming weeks, unless Sutton Forest really picks up its game. And a little birdie told me that Ampol is opening its AmpCharge chargers at Pheasant's Nest circa May 8th next year.

PCLL...Wow....184,342 is a lot of kms in only a few yrs.....and lots of driving and charging.

Yes would be lovely taking a nap with climate control on....can't do that in an ICE without the engine running. Usually P-platers are passing me when I'm only doing 110!

Good to hear that more chargers are coming along the Hume & hope they come with lots of charge ports at each site Plus better reliability!

When you charge at Goulburn do you usually use the Tesla Superchargers as 1st choice or  the Chargefox ones or both? I have to use the Chargefox ones and after charging when driving south, one has to part drive south partly thru' town to be able to get back onto the Hume Hwy. Find this is a bit of time wasting but follow google maps. Is there a quicker way?

Also, do you recommend any Chargers to use in Canberra/QBN area? Thanks.

Since you enjoy driving, one day you might big up for a longer drive challenge.

Found this recent interesting article in link below...

https://thedriven.io/2022/09/30/easier-than-you-think-sydney-to-darwin-in-an-electric-car/

Yeah, EVs are fantastic for fatigue management. We keep getting told to take a break every two hours. Great, I'm charging. I'll get out and take a walk. If I only need to go another 100km (Goulburn to QBN) the car will be done in 10-15 minutes. If I'm pressing on to a more distant destination, it'll be longer. That's 40 minutes at one of the really good highway chargers (Gundagai, Goulburn, Jamisontown (end of the M4), Seven Hills (end of the M2), Zetland (end of the Eastern Distributor). Or it's 60 minutes at one of the new suburban shopping centre 50kW chargers (Casula Mall, Bankstown Home Centre, Cabramatta Hungry Jacks, Marrickville Metro). It isn't hard to busy yourself at a shopping centre rest room & food court for 50-ish minutes plus walking time to & from your car.

And at Seven Hills you've got GYG, Hungry Jacks, servo food, Maccas is a few buildings away, and you can even pump up your tyres while charging the car as the air compressor is literally next to the charger.

At Goulburn I use Chargefox as my first choice (bathrooms, coffee machine, a sandwich - heck, the console attendant on Friday nights has my usual cup of tea ready before I even walk in the door if she sees me drive in). But if there are Non-Teslas queueing, I'll press on to the Supercharger (southbound) or assess how much charge I need & whether Sutton Forest is open & whether I can make it to Shell Cove or Kirrawee or Casula on the charge I have.

Going south from Chargefox isn't ideal, but consider that while 110km/h on the bypass is gratifying, the bypass had to be built around the periphery of the town, so it's longer (in kms). If you know the fast way through town, it's not so bad. It's just really annoying. And the fast way is to turn left as soon as you reach the 60 zone, turn right after you pass under the freeway, and turn right again as you notice the freeway off ramp on the right. Just beware of the cattle grid. Tesla Nav keeps telling you that Grafton Street is a 50 zone, but it's 60. That entire route is 60. And it bypasses tonnes of lights, all the shops, takes you past the Supercharger (stickybeak to see how many cars are queueing), and you won't even notice the smell of the abattoir.

DC charging around Canberra/QBN is really sucky. Canberra really talks the talk, but it doesn't walk the walk. Cheapest DC charging is Evie at Hotel Realm. Fastest are the V3 superchargers at Knife.Point Tuggeranong.

And no, I'm really not interested in visiting Darwin again :)

PCLL.... many thanks for your very detailed reply, much appreciated. I'll try the route you suggest next time going south from the Goulburn Chargefox chargers. Looks like I've been turning right at Finlay Rd then left into Hume St then past the Big Merino! I must say that Trappers Bakery nearby is a favourite stop when not in a hurry.

Yes Canberra looked messy when I looked up plugshare when we visited, but had enough charge to return to recharge at Goulburn or to push onto Cooma if heading to Snowy's.

Sounds like in your travels you've learn how best to suit around your breaks and EV's charging. I've seen you on plugshare listed as having checked in at Zetland and places in the Illawarra, including Shell Cove marina, my one and only UltraRapid Chargers but are 40 kms away. Hopefully the NRMA ones in Wollongong will be in action by end of Oct as promised by NRMA! Happy continued travels and charging!

@Enforcer​ Thanks for the suggestion but a word of caution. I did find the Warriewood location on the plugshare web site (a 2016 entry?). I'll give the App a go and see if I can add a comment.

The Warriewood entry is for a couple of 230V power points from 6 years ago. It also says the poster has not confirmed there is permission to use them. The lack of entries to Plugshare would indicate surely that no-one has been there? Also, these were likely installed for cleaners and other workers in the car park. I am sure the management would never have intended them for EV charging. I suggest you set your Plugshare filter to exclude 230V standard power outlets. Perhaps you should add a Plugshare entry to assist others. However the lack of any entry for 6yrs indicates their availability or even existence is highly improbable.

Appreciate the advice. I'm new to the EV world and still learning.

@Enforcer​ I have filtered out all the slow chargers in PlugShare and the fast chargers are now much clearer🙂

Hello @Frauny, Sorry for the long delay here. We are working with the local council and are in the process of ensuring our site in Albury is live once again. There are a few measures that need to be implemented by the local council, but hope to have the site running again soon. 

Today, 11/11/2023 and.......NO CHARGER in Albury yet to be commissioned. Guys, we are not trying to get a permit to sell Uranium to Iran from SNSW here, it's an EV charging station. How about a bit of down on the ground action. It really can't be that difficult. Will we celebrate the 1 year anniversary of NO CHARGER soon?

@Fraueny​ The following DC rapid chargers are available in the area:
Albury:

     * Albury Waste Management Centre -
https://www.plugshare.com/location/203539 - Under repair
     * Kiewa St Car Park Rooftop - https://www.plugshare.com/location/220093 -
The aforementioned broken NRMA one that they're working with council on.

Wodonga:

     * Middy's Wodonga - https://www.plugshare.com/location/154187 - Working,
only 25 kW
     * Wodonga City Council - https://www.plugshare.com/location/72258 - Tesla
Supercharger, may not be open to other vehicles and definitely doesn't
support CHAdeMO.

The next closest is another town in Victoria at Barnawartha North, where there are a number of Chargefox chargers -
https://www.plugshare.com/location/185988

There is a local Aubury/Wodonga group who is encouraging council to get more installed.

Hello @Fraueny , We're pleased to announce that our charger in Albury is once again operational. The council have installed a gate and extra security to minimise any instances of vandalism with access to the public only available from 6am until 10pm.

I was going to get extra sarcastic about this, but, Alleluia, Albury finally has a working Public EV charger.

@TonyG​ The old Charge Point chargers at Forster shopping centre have now been replaced by Chargefox ones. So as long as you have a Chargefox account, they are available to all EV's. Note, they are byo type 2 cable.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out next time I am at the shopping centre