Xtra
Apologies for bending the Alphabet here but this is relevant to Extra Motorway Services. I have openly bemoaned the quality of the charging infrastructure at our motorway services. This has been completely down to the ageing equipment that was installed by Ecotrcity as part of the monopoly agreement they had to create the ‘Electric Highway’. The lack of investment in this equipment and flawed business model has resulted in out of date equipment and compatibility issues with the I-Pace which are still ongoing. There was a glimmer of hope some months ago when it was announced that Extra Service group had struck a deal with Ionity to install their equipment at their sites. The Ionity chargers have always been of the 100kW+ type and very reliable. The good news was tempered somewhat though when Ionity almost immediately announced a huge price increase for anyone using their chargers who weren’t part of a manufacturer deal. Jaguar is not one of the manufacturers with a deal and so the price to fill up at an Ionity has now increased to almost Diesel/Petrol prices. At the time of writing it is still possible to get a flat rate charge using the Jaguar app (which is operated by Plugsurfing) but it is not known how long this will last.
Hint: There are many Rapid chargers just off the motorway network with service-like facilities and much cheaper rates. Don’t get caught out trying to negotiate the Ecotricity lottery of ‘will it work’ or the extortionate pricing of Pay-as-you-go Ionity pricing.
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